jrig84 Posted January 10, 2019 Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 Hey guys, Long story short. The wife and were in Dallas as students. I am Dutch, she is Brazilian. Both attended university. We were international students. I did my masters, she her bachelors. As Internationals we were very limited as to what work we could legally do, so our families were helping us pay for the tuition. Now in our last semester, my wife’s family suffered an very serious medical emergency and could no longer afford to pay. My family the same. Terrible timing! We talked to the university and they were very gracious. The told us that since we were both almost done, they’d let us complete our studies and pay them off gradually. (Obviously we’d get the diplomas once the balances were cleared). Now. Right after completing our studies I was able to find a full time job at a church. It didn’t pay well at all. But they wanted to bring my wife and I on staff full time and long term (I was able to do this legally as it was an OPT job). During our OPT year we got pregnant (total surprise) we were paying around 150-200 dollars a month. Fast forward to the end of the opt year wen the church was supposed to apply for a visa change for us, they never did. And having our current visas on the verge of experiration we decided to leave as we refused to do any illegal under the table work. Weve moved to Curaçao where I am from. (Dutch territory in the Caribbean). Took almost a year to find a job. We were not able to pay towards our school balance meaning it was sent to collections . My balance of 10.000 was sent to Williams and fudge. Hers was sent to CCA(4000). We want to clear the balance in the next 10 months. We will be living with family rent free during that time and the most we will be able to scrap together would be around 6000-7500 (600-750 per month for 10months). Is this amount that we could offer these collectors? Salaries here’s are terrible and the only window we have to do this is during the next 10 months. Hoping to hear from you all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrig84 Posted January 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 Oh and I haven’t had any contact with them yet. Apparently it was sent to collections about a year and a half ago. We just want o clear this up by the end of the year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clydesmom Posted January 10, 2019 Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 22 minutes ago, jrig84 said: Is this amount that we could offer these collectors? Yes, you could offer this. The major problem is that the school(s) you attended are not required to release the diploma until paid in full. You might start by getting a final bill from the school. It is possible collection fees or interest was added on that you could negotiate with the school directly to remove. ALWAYS start with the university before the collection agency. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrig84 Posted January 10, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 Thanks for your reply. I wasn’t sure if that was a reasonable amount to offer or not. I tried going via the school but they said to just go thru the collection agency. I’ve never dealt with a collection agency before. Bare in mind that I’m not a US citizen. Nor do I live in the US anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indotx Posted January 11, 2019 Report Share Posted January 11, 2019 On 1/9/2019 at 8:45 PM, jrig84 said: Thanks for your reply. I wasn’t sure if that was a reasonable amount to offer or not. I tried going via the school but they said to just go thru the collection agency. I’ve never dealt with a collection agency before. Bare in mind that I’m not a US citizen. Nor do I live in the US anymore. Just call or email them and ask how much they want to settle. Don't just take their words if you talk to them on the phone, everything has to be on the papers/in writing. Don't be afraid, a lot of experts and knowledgeable people here would help and guide you. Veel succes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoCares1000 Posted January 11, 2019 Report Share Posted January 11, 2019 Since you are in Curacao, they will have a hard time suing you so you have that leverage. As others have said, call them and see what kind of deal they are willing to make. Just make sure everything is in writing however. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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