US Green Card - Does it help or harm?

[Katsikaki]

Hi all, This is actually not my first post to TM. I posted here a couple years ago under another username when I applied for master programs. In retrospect, I disclosed to much information about myself so I decided to start afresh.

Here's my situation. I've just got my master degree in the US. During the course of the program, I met the love of my life whom I'm going to marry soon. I'm likely to be able to get US permanent residency from marriage by December 2010. I was going to apply for PhD Econ programs (in the US) for fall 2010 but now I am wondering whether it's worth to wait for a year until I get my green card. In other words, my question is:

Does permanent residency
1) improve the chance of getting admitted? (i.e. do schools have unofficial quotas for international students?)
2) improve the chance of getting funded? (i.e. are many fellowships restricted to Americans?)
3) hurt by any chance?

Thanks.

[tm_guru]

I can't imagine how it would have any bearing. Mainly it is just less admin for you, no need for complicated F-visas and I-20 forms and so on and so forth.

There are however additional funding options available if you have a green card, and getting a scholarship or grant from the NSF is a help with admissions. You would also be eligible for federal student loans...

[tm_guru]

Actually, come to think of it, the process of filing for immigration based on marriage is more complicated than filing for multiple F-visas, so scratch that...

[Gecko]

If there is a quota I'll be in trouble..

[tm_guru]

I think a quota, even 'unofficial', would violate the law. They cannot discriminate based on race, religion, sex, or country of origin.

[kimbanator]

Originally Posted by tm_guru

I think a quota, even 'unofficial', would violate the law. They cannot discriminate based on race, religion, sex, or country of origin.

Private schools have significantly more leeway with this. Quoted from Stanford's site:

"The Department receives more than 700 applications per year, and approximately 50 are admitted. The entering class size usually consists of 25 students. On average, approximately 50% of our admits are international students. The Stanford Economics Department is committed to redressing the historic under-representation of women and minority groups in the economics profession."

[Gecko]

The quota is unobservable and unverifiable ~

[Katsikaki]

Thanks for the input. So it seems that your opinions lean towards "no" to my answer.

1. Just found an old post that may be relevant:
International diversification? Is it better to be norwegian than chinese? (ht tp : // w ww.urch.co m/forums/phd-economics/121741-international-diversification-better-norwegian-than-chinese.html)

2. I vaguely remember that recently someone mentioned in this forum that schools tend to admit students with similar profiles every year. (For example, MIT admits 3-5 students every year from country X) I can't find that post again and don't remember what point the person was trying to make. If it's merely a matter of academic background/LORs, I may as well be considered as a US student because I did my undergrad in the US.

3. For a moment I thought I would have an advantage as a minority student if I apply as an American...until I realized that Asian Americans are not counted as minorities for admissions purpose.

[tm_guru]

Originally Posted by Katsikaki

If it's merely a matter of academic background/LORs, I may as well be considered as a US student because I did my undergrad in the US.

Much more of a factor of relevance for admissions than your citizenship status.

[tm_guru]

Originally Posted by Gecko

The quota is unobservable and unverifiable ~

I just doubt it. At the top universities, they simply want the best students. They don't care where you are from.

But as with everything, admissions are difficult to get right, and a certain amount of admissions is based on whether they have had succesful applicants from that school/country before and know the level of preparation that an applicant from that country has gone through.