working/living/studying in nyc usa!

ioc

hey guys how are things ..just want some decent advice and good pointers to a few questions i have ..here goes answer in your own time

im 24 yrs old non student!! im a model/musician! and would like to work and study in manhattan nyc!

i would like to kno are there any type of visa's that would suit my professions? and if not!!!!!... if i was to study in a music college in nyc or model with an agency there! is it possible for them to sponsor me??..i kno i would need to ask them about it... but what i want to kno is if so!! what kind of visa's would i be recomended on?

also one last thing! if i was to study as a mature student with a college in nyc and possibly sponsored by them and not in ireland(im not part of a college here) would i be able to obtain a visa long enough to finish the whole course in manhattan ?

many thanks ahead.......wish your all having a good day

silja

Getting an F1 student visa is quite easy (and yes, usually for the whole course, however long it is, though you may need to renew at times), but the problem is that you need to pay for the course, and can only work very limited hours on campus. NYC is expensive! So you'd need to have quite a bit put aside or get a good scholarship for that to work.

There are artists visas for musicians and (possibly?) models, but you would need to be established in your profession, have a portfolio of published work, and an employer/ venue to sponsor you. I suppose if you wanted to go that route you could fly over on the visa waiver program, go to casting calls/ meet promoters etc, and if they are interested, they can try and get you a visa (you can go to "interviews" on the visa waiver, but cannot work). Well known model agencies would be used to getting models over here and know the process.

Palmy

You could get a student visa to study at a college but this would be limited to time and course requirements.To go to college here you are looking at big,big money, most course are like $25,000+ a year.You are limited to working only on campus and limited to i think 20hrs a week.Unless your wealthy i doubt it would be possible to study in the U.S without having already obtaining a degree,as some people go over to do a masters degree.I am pretty sure to get a Visa for a college here it has to be a certain type of college program.Not just coming to do a small course etc.As sponsership mthis again is very,very hard to get.Unless you have a skill that an American person cant fill or you have a very high degree like a Doctor etc you are unlikely to get sponsered.Your best bet is to enter the Green card lottery like i did.
I can work,live for the rest of my life here,and after 5yrs i can become a Citizen if i want.Other wise you can just live here on your Green Card,it just means you cant vote or join the Police or Goverment etc.Good luck

ioc

silja wrote: »

Getting an F1 student visa is quite easy (and yes, usually for the whole course, however long it is, though you may need to renew at times), but the problem is that you need to pay for the course, and can only work very limited hours on campus. NYC is expensive! So you'd need to have quite a bit put aside or get a good scholarship for that to work.

There are artists visas for musicians and (possibly?) models, but you would need to be established in your profession, have a portfolio of published work, and an employer/ venue to sponsor you. I suppose if you wanted to go that route you could fly over on the visa waiver program, go to casting calls/ meet promoters etc, and if they are interested, they can try and get you a visa (you can go to "interviews" on the visa waiver, but cannot work). Well known model agencies would be used to getting models over here and know the process.

cool thanks alot silja il check up all information on f1 student visa:)..yes i understand nyc is expensive to live in' altho not much of a norm to a recent in good times ireland which was quite expensive to live here too:P..im sure i could work something out and be well prepared to when i arrive so il do my backround work on what id need on avarage daily/weekly..well i have good experience here in modeling and music but over in nyc its different ball game il need to make an impact as being new to the surroundings/venues agencys castings /etc so il defently need some consistant visa that allows me to work...that visa waiver program sounds like it could be tempory option for me til i find an agency thats will to have me on a permenent basis...do you kno what the artist visa is called?....perhaps maybe the f1 student visa might my best option as at least i could work some jobs with that ...ps where would be best to apply for this??..big thank you !

ioc

Palmy wrote: »

You could get a student visa to study at a college but this would be limited to time and course requirements.To go to college here you are looking at big,big money, most course are like $25,000+ a year.You are limited to working only on campus and limited to i think 20hrs a week.Unless your wealthy i doubt it would be possible to study in the U.S without having already obtaining a degree,as some people go over to do a masters degree.I am pretty sure to get a Visa for a college here it has to be a certain type of college program.Not just coming to do a small course etc.As sponsership mthis again is very,very hard to get.Unless you have a skill that an American person cant fill or you have a very high degree like a Doctor etc you are unlikely to get sponsered.Your best bet is to enter the Green card lottery like i did.
I can work,live for the rest of my life here,and after 5yrs i can become a Citizen if i want.Other wise you can just live here on your Green Card,it just means you cant vote or join the Police or Goverment etc.Good luck

...perhaps i could get a scholarship ??..im denfinitly sure that students in american dont pay that out of there own pockets..so yes i think if the courses were that price a year'' then that could be my best to get a good visa as scholarships are a norm for most students that cant afford that kind of money ...and well what if i wanted to study in a music college there is notting to this standard here??..so what your saying is if i get a good college i can obtain a good visa..if thats so!!! then thats good enough for me as i feel there is a loophole for me there to be able to get this true talent if i get a place in the school!! and i was thinking maybe manhattan school of music!! thats a really respectable music school and i think they do issue visa to talented foreign students:).....green card haha :eek:..give me your honest opinion and i kno your one of the very very very very few lucky ones!!..what are my chances on getting a green card in them draws??

silja

The artist/ model visa category is P (there are several, such as P3 for cultural events, P2 for exchange programs etc). There is also the O-1, but for that you would need to have won some international award or similar. You can find some info here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1271.html

For the F1 student visa, you first need to be accepted by a US college. Their foreign student office will help you with the paperwork but essentially they give you form I-20 and you then go to an interview at the US embassy in Dublin. More info on this visa here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html Most scholarships are only available to US residents, so don't count on getting one, especially for a musician course. Maybe look at scholarships from Irish sources.

avalon68

Silja is correct - most scholarships are for citizens only. Plus in all likelihood, you also would not be eligible to take out loans to cover tuition as you would not have a credit history there. However, postgraduate stipends are generally available to non citizens, but again highly competitive. If considering it you should start contacting schools and they may have lists of places you could try for funding. Plus dont underestimate how expensive NYC is to live - its a LOT more expensive than Dublin!

ioc

silja wrote: »

The artist/ model visa category is P (there are several, such as P3 for cultural events, P2 for exchange programs etc). There is also the O-1, but for that you would need to have won some international award or similar. You can find some info here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1271.html

For the F1 student visa, you first need to be accepted by a US college. Their foreign student office will help you with the paperwork but essentially they give you form I-20 and you then go to an interview at the US embassy in Dublin. More info on this visa here: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html Most scholarships are only available to US residents, so don't count on getting one, especially for a musician course. Maybe look at scholarships from Irish sources.

.........great thank you for all that excellent info silja' i really appreciate it:)..i will keep you guys posted on my progress ...cheers

ioc

avalon68 wrote: »

Silja is correct - most scholarships are for citizens only. Plus in all likelihood, you also would not be eligible to take out loans to cover tuition as you would not have a credit history there. However, postgraduate stipends are generally available to non citizens, but again highly competitive. If considering it you should start contacting schools and they may have lists of places you could try for funding. Plus dont underestimate how expensive NYC is to live - its a LOT more expensive than Dublin!

....believe me nyc is notting compared in expenses to paris!! and i could have stayed there(lived)!! but since ive visited nyc on regular basis the past years i feel i fit there more! i like the vibe and style:cool:...i never underestimate anything;)

Palmy

The best thing you could probably do is, do all your research and emailing to agencys and schools your are interested in. Get all the information needed and if you think its possible take a week or so long trip to NY.Then go to all the people that you have talked too,look at housing and how much it will cost for you to live in the area you want.Show your face around Agencys etc.Its worth a try if its what you really want to do.
The very first time i applyed for the Green Card lottery i won it,they normally pick around 250-350 Irish people a year as its done on percentage of people applied per country and an allowance of about 7%.So that means if 12mil people apply every year around the world and say that 8 mil are from China who apply, the max percentage of 7% of the 55000 Green Cards can be issued to China.Making it fare for other countries.So never say never you should just apply,you have nothing to lose and it doesnt cost a cent untill after being selected.:o

ioc

Palmy wrote: »

The best thing you could probably do is, do all your research and emailing to agencys and schools your are interested in. Get all the information needed and if you think its possible take a week or so long trip to NY.Then go to all the people that you have talked too,look at housing and how much it will cost for you to live in the area you want.Show your face around Agencys etc.Its worth a try if its what you really want to do.
The very first time i applyed for the Green Card lottery i won it,they normally pick around 250-350 Irish people a year as its done on percentage of people applied per country and an allowance of about 7%.So that means if 12mil people apply every year around the world and say that 8 mil are from China who apply, the max percentage of 7% of the 55000 Green Cards can be issued to China.Making it fare for other countries.So never say never you should just apply,you have nothing to lose and it doesnt cost a cent untill after being selected.:o

........ya that sounds like a good idea thank you palmy...wow thats awsome the first time..well i guess it was your fate fair play to you ...when do these lotterys start and end? ..il put myself forward if thats the case i might have the same luck