how does an immigrant to the U.S. becomes a certified teacher?

August 24, 2005 11:15 AM

i have a cousin who immigrated from the philippines and wants to accomplish the following: 1) change her visa status and 2) to be certified as a teacher of special education or elementary education in NY or NJ. she's thinking of spending quite a bit of money on the services of PSIT to facilitate the process but i am looking for alternatives. can anyone help with reputable alternatives or an effective program?

the website for PSIT screams "shady" and it's not listed in any better business bureau and, though i'd love to become versed in the nuances of immigration law, i've gone just about crazy doing searches on the veracity of this company's "services."

i know NJ offers "alternate route" for teachers without traditional teacher education opportunites. does anyone have eny experience with this?

posted by anonymous to education (9 comments total)

What's she changing her visa status from/to?
posted by jamesonandwater at 11:29 AM on August 24, 2005

How did your cousin immigrate from the Philippines? (i.e. what is said cousin's present status) Does your cousin have permanant resident status?
posted by reverendX at 11:31 AM on August 24, 2005

Depending on the district she lives in, the member of Congress might have staff dedicated to helping constituents (even non-citizens) with immigration issues. For free. Quality of service will vary greatly, but she might get lucky.
posted by jaysus chris at 12:49 PM on August 24, 2005

the member of Congress might have staff dedicated to helping constituents

The best you can would be a letter on this route which means that any files/applications will not be lost in paper shuffles.

If your cousin is an immigrant, then why would she need to change status?

The website is indeed shady, and possibly illegal. I would expect to see a change in the site in the near future. The school may actually be legit, however it does not appear on this list of Homeland Security Approved Schools certified to give out the I-20 (which is needed to obtain an F-1 non-immigrant visa).
posted by Pollomacho at 1:39 PM on August 24, 2005

After doing some poking around at my undisclosed super-secret workplace, I would advise you that giving PSIT your money is not something your cousin wants to do.

Have your cousin apply at CUNY or Columbia or Hofstra or one of the other million NY area schools directly, but this one is not it.

Incidentally, the F-1 track is not an immigrant track, it is a non-immigrant track meaning that the alien is expected to return home when done. Same goes for H-1b or H-4 visas.
posted by Pollomacho at 1:56 PM on August 24, 2005

Oh and the first link is here. Sorry!
posted by Pollomacho at 2:04 PM on August 24, 2005

turns out she has a tourist visa (B2) which expires in november; she is hoping to have it changed to F1(student) or H1 (working - if there's a school willing to sponsor her).

for the last two visas, it seems that she'll have to return to the philippines and re-apply. this is not really an option.
posted by ronv at 11:36 PM on August 28, 2005

...oh and as a result, she's seriously looking into PSIT again because it seems like a way to facilitate an expedited visa that will allow her to stay in the u.s.
posted by ronv at 11:44 PM on August 28, 2005

the member of Congress might have staff dedicated to helping constituents

The best you can would be a letter on this route which means that any files/applications will not be lost in paper shuffles.

For anyone coming to this question via a search, I'd still tell you to try contacting your US Rep. Some of them will just send a letter and as a result your case will be handled more carefully. Others will have someone to hold your hand through the whole process. It really depends on the member and his/her casework philosophy.
posted by jaysus chris at 2:25 AM on December 30, 2005