Canadian Studying in the USA

cavalier
New Member



Joined: 22 Jun 2008
Posts: 6
Location: Calgary, soon to be Charlottesville, VA

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 5:56 pm

 

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I'm new here, couldn't find much on students in the USA and have a few questions.

1) I'm planning on moving down to Virginia in August, with my I-20, SEVIS and all in hand. Is it correct that I get the F-1 from the CBP agent at the airport (i.e. no visit to the consulate required)?

2) I also have NEXUS, does anyone have experience using NEXUS with an F-1 visa?

3) Does anyone have suggestions on transferring money from Canada to the USA and vice versa affordably?

4) How difficult is it to open a bank account without a SSN, since these days the SSA is preventing international students on an F-1 visa from getting a SSN?

Thanks in advance.

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Steven
CanuckAbroad VIP



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 974
Location: Calgary

Posted: Sun Jun 22, 2008 8:37 pm

 

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1) You get it from USCIS, you go to secondary inspection with your I-20. You need proof of Canadian citizenship, e.g. passport, birth certificate.

2) Not sure it's relevant, having a passport though is probably going to make things more conventional for them.

3) Yes, DO NOT USE A BANK! Unless it's a really small sum. Use a currency broker. Quick check of the web will give you several, www.xe.com is run by a Canadian company.

4) News to me, can't see how they can do that because if you are on an I-20 you can get work authorization so you must be able to get an SSN. Unless they've started restricting applications to people who've filed an I-765, but that's the first I've heard of it. Just go to the Social Security office with your I-20 and passport and they should let you apply for one.

One important tip read this: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/p151/README.html

The form you need to file with your 1040NR is Form 8843 which isn't mentioned in that pamphlet. Technically, say if your parents send you some money, that money is subject to income tax in the US (or it can be, depends on the mood of the IRS). To avoid the tax you need to file a 1040NR and an 8843 every year, that exempts you from paying US income tax.
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Steve.

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cavalier
New Member



Joined: 22 Jun 2008
Posts: 6
Location: Calgary, soon to be Charlottesville, VA

Posted: Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:13 pm

 

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Thanks for your help, especially with the taxes. I know I will have to file something for earnings from a US scholarship.

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slashgnrfan101
New Member



Joined: 25 Jun 2008
Posts: 8
Location: Los Angeles

Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2008 9:38 pm

 

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Hey there,

I'm on an F1 visa as well and it's pretty straight forward, as long as you have all the paper work you're good to go. In fact, it look me way less time to cross the border with an F1 than it did when I was traveling on a B1. Make sure you have that Selvis payment form though, I know my friend got denied because he didn't have one.

In terms of your SSN, it depends on where you are and who is working in the office (unfortunately). With an I20, you are eligible for an SSN, but you have to have a letter from an on campus employer saying that they want to hire you. However, I just showed the lady a sheet with my hours on it and that was more than enough.

In terms of banks, I just use a Canadian bank (because my credit cards are in Canada and it's easier to pay them online) but I also have a US bank as well. At most banks you need an SSN to open an account.

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Reba
Moderator


Canuck in NC

Joined: 16 Jul 2004
Posts: 1120
Location: North Carolina

Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 5:01 am

 

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For transfering funds, you can try http://www.customhouse.com/ I know quite a lot of Canadians in the US who use their services. I don't use them, because I moved to the US permanently and closed up all my Canadian accounts when I left, so I didn't need them.
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Are you in the US or Canada? Want to make some extra money? Check out My Watkins website for some awesom products and business opportunity.

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jef2k85
New Member



Joined: 13 Nov 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada

Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:16 pm

 

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On your NEXUS card:

On your first entry to the US - land, sea or air, you MUST use your passport and your F-1 to enter the US instead of your NEXUS card. Your F-1 has to be stamped, along with your passport, as if you were entering the US on an F-1 under normal circumstances (i.e. without your NEXUS).

(Note that your NEXUS card will most likely be suspended as you obtain your F-1 visa. You have to go to the NEXUS office to reactivate your card with the newly obtained F-1 status - see below.)

DO NOT enter the US on a NEXUS card and then proceed to secondary inspection and get your F-1 stamped. (This means you can't use the NEXUS lanes on land and air at all - you have to line up ) Doing so will most likely have your NEXUS card revoked as they treat this as a NEXUS term violation.

You are then REQUIRED to go to a NEXUS office at your earliest opportunity to show them the stamped F-1 visa and your passport so that they can register you as having an F-1 visa on your NEXUS card. You MUST do this before you use your NEXUS card, or your next entry they're going to treat you as a regular visitor and not a student (i.e. if your NEXUS card hasn't been suspended yet) - and if you go to school with the visitor status, you are in violation with immigration laws. Don't forget to also change your address to that in the US if you are going there to start school.

Note that you still need to have your Passport, I-94 and your F-1 visa in your possession at the time you are using your NEXUS card. Not having them in your possession and the NEXUS guys find that out, you can be denied entry to the US for not possessing proper immigration documentation, and your NEXUS card will be revoked on the spot.

When your F-1 visa expires (i.e. not being renewed), you have to DEPART the US within 30 days of your F-1 expiration so that your F-1 status will be formally removed (i.e. surrender I-94, not doing so = immigration violation). After that, you again have to go to the NEXUS office and let them know that you no longer have an F-1 status.

Hope this (complicated thing) helps.

P.S. if you are flying to a place where there is no NEXUS office around, and an NEXUS office is around your home area and the US border is close by, (say you live in Toronto (go to Buffalo via Peace Bridge for F-1, return to Fort Erie to update NEXUS) or Vancouver (go to Blaine via Pacific Highway for F-1 and update NEXUS) and you are flying to, say, Arizona for school (where there is no NEXUS facilities)), go to the land borders and get your F-1 visa first, and notify the NEXUS guys, before you fly down to the US. That way you can also use your NEXUS card at the airports if they are offered. I believe you can get your F-1 visa up to 30 days in advance of your program start date. If you're flying, you can have your F-1 authorized in the pre-inspection area in Canadian airports, but I don't think they'll let you get out of that area and go to the NEXUS office to update your status before you fly.

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cavalier
New Member



Joined: 22 Jun 2008
Posts: 6
Location: Calgary, soon to be Charlottesville, VA

Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:14 am

 

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Thanks for the NEXUS tips jef2k85.

I called the NEXUS office in Calgary last week and they said don't use the machine, but go straight to the crew counter for the first trip. I also won't be able to update my status until Christmas, but they also said that wasn't a problem.

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jef2k85
New Member



Joined: 13 Nov 2007
Posts: 5
Location: Waterloo, ON, Canada

Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 8:49 am

 

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Well - if you don't mind travelling down south 3.5 hours to the US border (say Coutts/Sweetgrass border, or whichever one is faster for you), and if your school starts in September, go to the US border and get your visa stamped now. That way you can go back to Calgary and have your NEXUS status updated. But if the NEXUS card is not an absolute essential thing for you (that is if you are willing to wait for a bit), then yes - you can follow the advice from the NEXUS office.

I suggested this approach earlier because this is what I'm doing with my J-1 (similar to your F-1). I'm from Waterloo, ON and I drove down to Buffalo, NY the other day to get the visa stamped (drive to Fort Erie, ON and walk across Peace Bridge - on the New York side there are too many people being referred to secondary - it will slow you down a lot if you drive there instead of walk there). I'm flying to Vancouver, BC next for personal matters and then plan to drive down to Seattle, WA for my internship (3 hour drive). Now the problem with that is that the Blaine, WA border is now crazily backed up when you arrive at the US border because of port construction at Peach Arch - if you're unlucky, that could mean a wait of upwards of 2 hours (no different at Pacific Highway). Now if I have all the NEXUS stuff settled, I can use the NEXUS lane (which effectively reduces the time to 1 or 2 minutes, or max 5 minutes compare to 1 - 2 hours) and enter the US legally under a J-1 visa. So for me, that NEXUS card is an absolute nice to have.

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