PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — One of the first legal steps that is needed before leaving the island to study in the United States or Canada is to have a student visa or study permit. For some students this is a simple process while for others it can be challenge.
Consequently, to help students with this process, The Student Support Services Division (SSSD) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs is hosting a workshop entitled, “Applying for a U.S. Student Visa or Canadian Permit” on June 1, 2023. This free workshop will be held from 6:00 P.M. – 8:00 P.M. at the Government Administration Building and is open to students who will be going to the US or Canada to study in August as well as students in pre-exam classes and their parents..
“Applying for a U.S student visa or Canadian study permit ties into immigration matters and is a very important step for students preparing for their studies in the United States or Canada. If any errors are made with the application process it can hinder the student or cause their application to be denied,” SSSD officials noted.
The workshop will explain the steps students need to take to when applying either for their U.S. Student Visa or Study Permit. This will range from the documents they need to receive from the school to the documents they need to gather and the fees they need to pay. It is important to for students who are scheduled to start school in August or September to know that they can attend this workshop even if they have not yet received their acceptance letter or I-20 from a school.
Students are encouraged to contact the career guidance counselors at SSSD to reserve a seat since space is limited. Participants are also encouraged to bring their own writing materials to the workshops and they are encouraged to be on time. For more information, please call +17215431235.
The Student Support Services Division is located in the Gatspy’s Building, across from the Police Station and next to the Windward Island Bank (WIB) in Philipsburg. SSSD provides many services to students including psychological services, counseling services, speech language pathology services, social work services, educational diagnostic services, career services, and parental workshops.
