question about english lessons for fiancee-

[keith]

I am getting two different stories about getting my fiancee enrolled in goverment english classes--- One county tells me that if she is here on a I 129 fiancee visa that she qualifies for english lessons (unfortunately this county is not the county I live in)  the county I live in says she needs to show proof of permanent residence which means according to them that we would have to first be married and then have submitted the paperwork for permanent residence which also according to "them" will take about 30 days. This is a problem because it would not allow my fiancee to be enrolled in time for the January classes and we would have to wait until May...
Anyone with any ideas? that can speak from experience or knowledge???
thanks,
Keith

[SteveM]

... in response to question about english lessons for fianc..., posted by keith on Nov 27, 2001

Keith,

Don't know why it has to be there OR here as far as English lessons go.  In our case it was helpful to do both for our son (my wife was already pretty far along).  The lessons in Russia were $1/hour, so if they didn't get him perfectly fluent, it was no great loss.

As far as residency, at least in Maryland it does not mean that you have permanent resident status.  We were able to get past everything simply by getting her a state ID card (for those without driver's licenses), adding her onto my bank account, and completing a "documentation of shared housing form".  You will need to do this anyway for school enrollment if you have any K-2 children.

As far as adult ed classes, they are variable at best, but I did notice a huge improvement in my wife's English when she was taking them, even though she didn't think she got much out of the class.

Just my 58 kopecks,

Steve M.

[BarryM]

... in response to question about english lessons for fianc..., posted by keith on Nov 27, 2001

One major thing to consider is that English lessons in Russia are taught by Russians with a Russian accent. When they come here, they have trouble with pronunciation and understanding many American accents.

It's much better for your RW to learn English from a Britian or American just like it's better to learn Russian from a native Russian. The accent makes all the difference. My having a Russian teacher has convinced me of that. Pimsleur is easy compared to trying to understand a normal conversation. Hearing and understanding the words in a normal conversation makes all the difference. When the words are spoken slowly, the pitch, rhythm, and pronunciation are different.

It comes down to understandability and employability. Most of the available jobs your RW will start with will be service related. A heavy accent will create difficulties with employment. It boils down to learning to pronounce English incorrectly. It takes years to unlearn bad pronunciation. I know Russians who learned English in Russia and they have a terrible time with pronunciation. I know Russians who learned English by American teachers here who are quite easy to comprehend. That is a big thing to consider for your RW.

-blm

[tim360z]

... in response to The advantage of taking English here, posted by BarryM on Nov 27, 2001

A very good point about who teaches your English teacher is.  A few months ago I met a lady who is a translator/interperter at the UN for Russian diplomats.  What virtually impeccable English...almost every nuance.  One would think she was an American who spent some time in Britian.  The diplomatic language school she went to outside of Moscow employed both Brit's and Americans.  And it was not quite a "kings English" thing...she had all the slang down pretty good too.

[KenC]

... in response to The advantage of taking English here, posted by BarryM on Nov 27, 2001

n/t

[KenC]

... in response to question about english lessons for fianc..., posted by keith on Nov 27, 2001

Keith,
My wife had to pay the non-resident fees at college until she got her green card.  Just submitting for an AOS does not make her a perminent resident.  It was the same for Michigan and California.  Maybe Florida is different.
KenC

[apk]

... in response to I hate to tell you, posted by KenC on Nov 27, 2001

Non resident fees in California are for just one year.
The green card has nothing to do with it, my wife Anna just registerd for a ESL course (no credit, no fee) and also registerd for a evening Art course (no credit, $40 fee) at the local community college. The administrater told her she can register for full credit courses next year at $11 per unit.

[Bob S.]

... in response to I hate to tell you, posted by KenC on Nov 27, 2001

California rules are different also, at least for the community colleges.

In the booklets I get in the mail, it says that the colleges determine residency as follows:
Legal resident
Must have resided in the state for at least one year

With that, the fees drop from over $100 per unit down to around $11+/- per unit.
Without state residency, even a simple 2 or 3 unit evening ESL class can cost upwards of $400 per quarter or semester.

[KenC]

... in response to CA Residency, posted by Bob S. on Nov 28, 2001

Bob,
It is even worse than that.  The ESL classes are taught by an associated school, not the university.  The fees for this school are even higher than the university fees.  For three classes, I paid around $1,500.  (University of California)
KenC

[Bob S.]

... in response to Re: CA Residency, posted by KenC on Nov 28, 2001

Yeah, those affiliated Kaplan and Berlitz (and there are still others) language schools charge through the nose whether you're a resident or not.  I think they like to stay close to colleges because most of their clients are international students attending the local college or uni (where they pay still more huge non-resident fees).  Plus you can sometimes get student visas through the language schools themselves.

[Richard]

... in response to question about english lessons for fianc..., posted by keith on Nov 27, 2001

Two questions:

1) who (ie what agency or whatever) is sponsoring these clasess?  I'd like to know for when my fiance gets here.  (I'm in Florida also.)

2) can you pay to enroll her in January and then get the money back?

[mdante99]

... in response to question about english lessons for fianc..., posted by keith on Nov 27, 2001

Are there any English classes for immigrants, paid for by the government?
I did not know that.
Any information would be appreciated by many  of us.

Mark

[KenC]

... in response to Re: question about english lessons for f..., posted by mdante99 on Nov 27, 2001

Maek,
There are usually free ESL classes offered by the adult Ed department of your local highschool system.  We have found these to be marginal at best.  Your local community college should have an ESL program also.  These are geared more to pass the TOFEL and are a bit costly as most of the students are charged the non-resident fees.
KenC

[Richard]

... in response to ESL classes, posted by KenC on Nov 27, 2001

You might want to check for an exemption based upon marraige to the non resident fees.  At one time, the florida state schools, including community colleges, would accept in state tuition rates from someone who is married to a a florida resident and plans on establishing a florida residense.  I don't know if it works this way elsewhere, but it's worth asking.

[keith]

... in response to Re: ESL classes, posted by Richard on Nov 27, 2001

I will ask, thanks