U.S. Vice Consul Winifred Hofstetter will give a student visa presentation open to the public at the International School of Curacao on April 7, 2011, at 19:00. Mrs. Hofstetter will present an overview of the student visa process for the United States, speak about documents and materials needed, and give other relevant information.
The U.S. Consulate General in Curacao recognizes the importance of this personal interaction with prospective foreign students interested in studying in the United States. Such studies have important side results of unparalleled mutual understanding and international cooperation.
Foreign students can apply for their visas 120 days before their U.S. studies begin. At our embassies and consulates around the world, we assign a high priority to student visa appointments, resulting in reduced wait times, shorter lines, and faster issuance of visas. U.S. embassies and consulates issued over 450,000 student visas in the last fiscal year, accounting for 82% of student visa applicants worldwide, an increase of 13% from the previous year.
We also recognize that community colleges play an important role in our higher education system by increasing access to career-relevant skills, providing intensive English language instruction, and preparing students for further study. Diversity is one of the strengths of the U.S. educational system, where students can choose from over 4,000 accredited higher education institutions and transfer from one institution to another. Therefore, we strongly support legitimate, qualified students embarking on studies at community colleges. U.S. universities and colleges enjoy pre-eminence throughout the world and our campuses flourish in a climate of international exchange. American students overseas and foreign students in the United States contribute greatly to global awareness and mutual understanding, and our country and our world are richer for it.
For more information about student visas and studying in the U.S., please visit our webpage at http://curacao.usconsulate.gov or the State Department Education site at http://educationUSA.state.gov/