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Hello forum,
My situation is a little complicated and so I have to explain it in detail. I would be grateful if you can bear with me and give me some advice.
I am a medical graduate from India who is currently on F1/OPT visa in New York. I graduated with a MS degree and now my OPT status is expiring at the end of December. I have taken some USMLE exams, but I still have to take 2 more steps and I am planning to apply for residency in September 2015.
Now since I have to leave US after my current OPT I-20 expires, the only way I can come back to attend residency interviews next year is to apply for a visitors visa from India (if I go back to India now). If I am not wrong, there is a very high chance that my application for a visitors visa from India might be rejected.
I thought of another way to circumvent this problem. Since, I don't want to just enroll in another college in US just for the purpose of extending my stay in US, I am wondering if it is a good idea to enroll in Kaplan test preparatory course in Canada and stay close to my college in NY, where I am expecting a residency interview offer. This will not only help with my preparation of the USMLE, but at the same time I don't have to stay in US after my current I-20 expires. Now, I have two questions regarding this option:
1. How easy is it to get a Canadian student visa from US for the purpose of attending a test preparatory course like Kaplan? Kaplan is saying that they will help me with all the documentation. But I am guessing that the Canadian consulate officer might ask me why don't I just enroll at Kaplan in US. But I don't want to stay in US after my I-20 expires & I don't know if that will be a good enough reason for him.
2. Second and more important question is how hard it will be for me to get a visitors visa from Canada to US for a couple of days to attend interviews every now and then. What I want to know is, if the risk of rejection of visitors visa from Canada to US is lower or same as applying for this visa from India. If the risk is the same as applying from India, then there is no point in going to Canada for this purpose.
I am really hoping that some one will give me some answers to these two questions. Any other suggestions/plans with regards to my situation is also welcome.
Thank you very much.
My situation is a little complicated and so I have to explain it in detail. I would be grateful if you can bear with me and give me some advice.
I am a medical graduate from India who is currently on F1/OPT visa in New York. I graduated with a MS degree and now my OPT status is expiring at the end of December. I have taken some USMLE exams, but I still have to take 2 more steps and I am planning to apply for residency in September 2015.
Now since I have to leave US after my current OPT I-20 expires, the only way I can come back to attend residency interviews next year is to apply for a visitors visa from India (if I go back to India now). If I am not wrong, there is a very high chance that my application for a visitors visa from India might be rejected.
I thought of another way to circumvent this problem. Since, I don't want to just enroll in another college in US just for the purpose of extending my stay in US, I am wondering if it is a good idea to enroll in Kaplan test preparatory course in Canada and stay close to my college in NY, where I am expecting a residency interview offer. This will not only help with my preparation of the USMLE, but at the same time I don't have to stay in US after my current I-20 expires. Now, I have two questions regarding this option:
1. How easy is it to get a Canadian student visa from US for the purpose of attending a test preparatory course like Kaplan? Kaplan is saying that they will help me with all the documentation. But I am guessing that the Canadian consulate officer might ask me why don't I just enroll at Kaplan in US. But I don't want to stay in US after my I-20 expires & I don't know if that will be a good enough reason for him.
2. Second and more important question is how hard it will be for me to get a visitors visa from Canada to US for a couple of days to attend interviews every now and then. What I want to know is, if the risk of rejection of visitors visa from Canada to US is lower or same as applying for this visa from India. If the risk is the same as applying from India, then there is no point in going to Canada for this purpose.
I am really hoping that some one will give me some answers to these two questions. Any other suggestions/plans with regards to my situation is also welcome.
Thank you very much.
