<p>Hi, I'm a 17 years old guy who lives in Italy. My ambition is to work in the US and become a permanent resident. I'm really good with computers, I can solve most of hardware/software issues and I also know a lot of things about cars since my uncle was a mechanic. My dad doesn't have a job and my mother earns 12.000 Euros a year (16.000 $) and the average salary in Italy is 20.000 Euros (27.000 $) I was thinking about applying to a community college since they're more affordable, but how much financial aid can I get ?Also, can I get a student visa if I quit high school in Italy (which I should finish when I'm 19, but that just seems too late) and move to a community college that has a program where you can get your GED, and then start college classes ?Also, I don't know what's the difference between a 2 year/4 year college, private/public and most importantly, I don't understand this: when they say "10.000$ tuition" does it mean 10K a year, a semester, or the whole 2/4 years ?I'm just looking for a community college that has somehow good education and it's relatively cheap and/or offers financial aid. If you could name some colleges that meet my criteria, please write them down below. Also, if someone can sponsor me, can I work legally and be a permanent resident in the USA ?Someone I know owns a truck company and he said he could sponsor me after I finish college and eventually get my CDL at 21. Any help would be highly appreciated, I wish everyone a great day.</p>
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No. In order to qualify for you a student visa, you’ll need to be a degree-seeking student, enroll in an ESL program or pay a third-party organisation to sponsor your stay as “cultural exchange.” </p>
<p>Why don’t you just finish your high school degree in Italy? That would allow you to attend college in the US and it would probably be cheaper than a GED program for which you have to pay tuition. (Not to mention that your Italian degree would actually be a lot more valuable than a GED. Many American colleges would give you a year’s worth of college credits for an Italian high school diploma, which means that you can finish your Bachelor’s degree in 3 years instead of 4. You’d get zero credits for a GED.)</p>
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Yes, but not as a commercial truck driver. In order to qualify for an H-1B work visa, the job has to require at least a Bachelor’s degree. (Truck drivers don’t need a college degree.) However, you cannot stay in the US on an H-1B visa for more than 6 years (even if you changed employers and applied for a new work visa). In order to stay longer, your employer would have to sponsor you for permanent resident status. That requires conducting a national job search and documenting that there was not a single qualified American willing to take your job. Not surprisingly, most employment-sponsored green cards go to specialty high-tech workers or college professors. </p>
<p>There’s two other (even more restrictive) work visa categories that you may be interested in.</p>
<p>One is an L-1 visa. You’d get that if you were transferred to the US branch of an international corporation, after working at a foreign branch for at least one year. The position in the US must be managerial, executive or professional requiring specialized knowledge. </p>
<p>The other is an E-1 or E-2 visa. You can get that if you are hired by a company in the US that is run by an Italian on an E-investor visa. The position must be managerial or executive, or professional requiring specialized knowledge with no American available to fill the position. </p>
<p>You can see that immigrating with a work-visa is difficult. It is MUCH easier to get a green card by marrying a US citizen.</p>
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Some 4-year colleges have scholarships for international students but community colleges almost never do. Community colleges are funded by local taxes. They try to support their local community and really don’t have an incentive to give financial aid to foreign students. </p>
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Depending on the college and context, tuition figures refer to either tuition per term (semester or quarter), or per academic year (2 semesters or 3 quarters). Community colleges typically cost between $5,000 and $15,000 per year for out-of-state and international students. Universities can cost over $50,000 per year.</p>
<p>If you are unable to come to the US to study, just finish your degree in Italy. Is Italy part of the ERASMUS program? I’m not sure if the US is a country where ERASMUS students can study at, but if not, go for the UK. You can also look into studying for a year or semester as a study abroad/exchange student from your Italian university. </p>
<p>Once you graduate, find a good job with an international company that has an office in Italy and US, then transfer to the US. </p>
<p>Don’t give up on your dream. </p>