The Lion's Pride vol. 2 (Jun. 2014) | Page 107

100 culture. The immigration bureaucracy also reduces a student’s opportunity to grow and develop in schools. The legal restrictions affect the daily activities of students and prevent them from fulfilling their full potential in the United States. Foreign students are ineligible to build credit through the years in college. Federal laws prohibit the approval of credit cards to individuals who cannot verify income (BECU). In addition, students who have sponsors outside United States are also disqualified from loans and credit cards. The only opportunity for students to start building their credit is to find a US citizen co-signer who will accept joint liability on the account. To get accepted into an education institution and receive a visa, applicants must demonstrate their financial standing on a bank statement in United States dollars, but the document is not eligible as proof of money by federal law. So in order to buy a car, as an example, the students have to pay the whole amount up front no loans or financing options are available. The law restrictions have a negative impact on foreign students’ daily circumstances. Even after the recent global economic crisis, the United States still targets students from abroad, and loosening