Dear Resident Brother:
We thank you for your kind remarks. The iMahal
Dear Mentor: Archives contain hundreds of past questions and answers from our audience. Just as you did, we would encourage our audience to review the
Dear Mentor: Archives before submitting their questions. A vast majority of questions we receive have been answered by us in the past, so we appreciate it when people take the time to search before submitting their entries. So we thank you doing your research and then asking us some very specific questions.
Let us deal with your situation first. As soon as you become a permanent resident (green card holder) of the US, you are eligible for in-state tuition and all government grants and loan provisions, whether or not your employer is involved in your further education. Many employers in the US pay for the tuition for pursuing acceptable programs of studies on a part-time basis, in addition to continuing your job. A few employers even pay for tuition for full-time studies with the understanding that you would return for employment upon completion of your studies.
Your brother's situation is quite different from yours, as you have noted. Let us break down his situation into three parts: admission, financial assistance, and international student visa. All these issues have been discussed in great detail in the
iMahal's Authoritative Guide for Studying in America and Canada.
As you will see, the admission criteria vary across schools. Most schools require some sort of standardized entrance exam, such as the GRE, but not all. So it is likely that you can find schools where he can obtain admission. His tuition will be that for international students and not for local residents, regardless of your personal residency status. Financial aid for international students at the MS level is available but highly competitive. Your residency status will not influence his chances of obtaining financial aid.
This issue of obtaining an international student visa is somewhat different. The US immigration officials want to ensure that the candidate has sufficient financing for the duration of his stay in the US for studies. Particularly, the candidate must demonstrate cash for financing the education and living for the first year, with a clear means of obtaining financing for the subsequent years. The fact that you may be in a position to finance his education, full or in part, directly through hard cash can help facilitate the financial requirements for obtaining the international student visa.
Thus, your permanent residency in the US can play a limited role. But, the role is limited and it would not influence the success of your brother in obtaining admission and/or financial aid.
Dear Mentor:
