The costs of colleges and universities abroad can be astronomical. After considering the cost of tuition, books, housing, food, and transportation, it can become a difficult discussion between parents and students. By virtue of obtaining U.S. residency, the government will provide grants, scholarships, and 0 per cent government assistance loans to students. In essence, parents will not be out of pocket for educational expenses. It makes sense to take a look at U.S. residency programmes if your children are considering universities there.
Free Public School Education
As Green Card holders have the same benefits that U.S. citizens, do children between the ages of 5 to 18 are eligible for free public school education.
University admission
EB-5 investors increase the chances of their children getting accepted to prestigious universities in the U.S.. As Green Card holders, they no longer fall within the universities’ self-imposed quotas for the number of international students they can accept. While the programme will not provide entry to the university, it will present students with a better chance of their acceptance into these universities.
Lower tuition costs
International students pay up to three times more than domestic U.S. students for public higher education. As an example, the tuition cost for one semester for an undergraduate resident at The University of California - Berkeley is $8,967.25 compared to the substantial amount of $23,844.25 for an international student. Additionally, it is significantly more difficult for international students to secure financial aid or student loans. Green Card holders may attend U.S. colleges and universities at the same cost as citizens and may qualify for merit-based benefits reserved only for U.S. citizens.
Employment opportunities
Having a Green Card means that a prospective employee does not have to be concerned with visa processing issues. Employers do not have to worry about the costs of obtaining and maintaining the candidate’s visa. Therefore, in a scenario where two candidates are in competition for the same job and the only difference is that one has a Green Card and the other does not, it is likely that the employer would choose the one that already has their Green Card in hand.
Pre-university benefits
As previously mentioned, Green Card holders can obtain free education in public schools. This means that parents can save thousands of dollars in education money. This is a huge benefit for families relocating to the U.S. as they are able to funnel all that money they would have to otherwise spend on their children’s education into other expenses or even save towards a college fund.
Free government grants and scholarships
As Green Card holders, students are eligible to receive Federal Student Aid, which could assist in the payment of their tuition fees, housing, books, transportation and all other costs associated with being a student.
