<p>Okay, right now I'm a freshman and the school year just ended, and the summer vacation to my sophomore year is coming up. Anyway, I'll get to the point. I'm a little different then the typical college applicant in a few minor ways. To start off with, I'm a recent immigrant from India. I moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin two months ago and did half of the second semester in a Public High school. Before that, (in India) I was in a private school. Secondly, I am NOT an American citizen, I'm on an H4 visa for six years. (That means my dad has a work visa I'm in the U.S only because I'm his son and a minor. Will this effect me in anyway? I will need financial aid (family income is less than $60k) to apply to a top school. I understand that foreign students applying have a hard time getting aid but in my case, I will be a resident of the United States, but not a citizen (There's a fair chance I'll have a green card by the time I apply, but I can't count on it). And besides that since I'm from a diverse culture I can speak fluent hindi along with English, and I'm taking French at school. So, how will all this effect me?
Being foreign I'm still unfamiliar with the educational system in the U.S and I will appreciate any advice or help.
Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>My case is a little different but also slightly similar to yours! I was born in India and I moved to the US at the age of 2. My upbringing and schooling has all been done here, and I’ll be applying to college this fall! I became a citizen very recently so I’m not worried anymore, but I was VERY skeptical about my application process when I was only a resident. During that time, I found out that if you are indeed a permanent resident, you will not have any issues and you will be treated normally - even in the realm of financial aid which you qualify for tremendously! Make your family’s application for a green card the highest priority, because it will be a huge load off your chest when it comes time to apply to college. Best of luck, shoot for the stars and work hard! I’m sure you can make it far :)</p>
<p>P.S. Research the times of the year when green card applications are less and apply then; it’ll really save you all the time of waiting!</p>