Overseas consultants firms use new tricks to persuade students to go abroad

To attract more students, overseas study consultant firms use new tricks to persuade students to go abroad: they encourage students to settle in foreign countries after graduation.

Private companies that promote overseas study cannot ensure that students will be granted visas for working or settling abroad after they finish school. These visas must be approved by the foreign government and these are limited in number. In fact, study visa applicants must show three things: that they are real students, have the ability to pay for school and a plan to return to Vietnam after graduation. If students cannot persuade consulate officers of all three, they will be denied.

This is a statement made by the US Consulate in HCM City. Still, a lot of overseas study consultant firms still work to help students obtain visas.

$50,000 and $35,000

On www.vatgia.com, an advertisement reads: “Do you want to settle in the US? We are seeking students who want to study pharmacy in the US and settle here after three years. The program fee is $50,000.”

Tien Phong reporters, after a lot of efforts to make appointments, came to the office of Hiep A Company, a company specializing in trade and construction. The reporters acted as students wanting to studying abroad and met Phuong Lan, the company’s chair, at the head office located in a small alley on Pho Quang Street in Tan Binh district in HCM City.

Lan told the reporters-students that she has an office in the US and she cooperates with the US Department of State. Her department has “reserved several seats” in the US and can help people settle there if they want.

“This is a specific training program at a company in southern California that has a close relation with Hiep A. Students will be able to study and work at the same time, so the job will bring income to students,” Lan explained.

Though the advertised package fee is $50,000, Lan told the reporters that they will have to pay only $35,000, including the visa fee, tuition and green card cost.

“The money will be paid two times. You must pay some right now to cover visa expenses, and you must pay the remainder before boarding the plane,” she added.

Loan also promised to obtain green cards for them after four months in the US.

Visas to the US in . . . Singapore?

Meanwhile, other overseas study consultant groups help students obtain the right to settle in the US if students study in a third country. Duc Tu Overseas Study Consultancy Company (DTU), headquartered in HCM City, is now seeking students for a new training program. Students will study nursing in Singapore, but will work and settle in the US.

A company officer said that the program has three phases. At first, students will follow “pre-nursing” (3-12 months) in Singapore. After that, they will be granted visas to the US for the “Direct Nurse” phase and then, upon graduation, the students will be recruited to work for Alliance for five years.

Also according to DTU, learners can extend their contracts when their working period terminates. The package fee is $14,900.

Asia International Talent Resource Investment JSC (AITRI) is also seeking students for a “Direct Nurse” program. The company introduces itself as the only company assigned by American Career, the coordinator of DirectNurse® program of Academic Alliance, to enroll students

According to Nguyen Ngoc Quynh, a senior official of the Ministry of Labour, War Invalids and Social Affairs, the US market has demand for foreign workers, but they must meet very strict requirements to enter the US.

Different kinds of US visas are granted to foreign workers. For example, H1A visa is granted to nurses who have degrees recognized in the US and have TOEFL scores of 550.

However, Quynh stressed that, to date, his ministry has not allowed any companies to select nurses for work in the US.

Source: Tien phong