int'l student placement at Baruch

[yandong]

Hello everyone,

As I was told, Baruch MFE is one of the "STEM" so that graduating student got 29 monthes(rather than 12 monthes) to look for job/work in the States without being honored H1B visa..

So does that mean we don't need to worry about the H1B thing at least within 2 year from graduation, as we could be hired through OPT rather than the very limited H1B?

Is there any restriction on working full-time after graduation on OPT, comparing to by H1B?

Also, I'm aware that there are a lot of prop trading firms in Chicago and asset management firms in Bay area, although most of them are small in size.. Would these firms recruite international students? I have heard rumours saying prop trading firms in Chicago are highly focused in recruiting local students and neglect int'l students...

Thanks in advance!!

 

[bhargav]

Most of the international students work on OPT at least until next H1B cycle.

Small companies don't sponsor H1B visas for international students AFAIK, there can be few exceptions

 

[yandong]

Most of the international students work on OPT at least until next H1B cycle.

Small companies don't sponsor H1B visas for international students AFAIK, there can be few exceptions

Thanks bhargav for the reply. That's to say the firms we could end up are quite limited...=.-

I am aware that for the extension of OPT to 29 monthes for STEM students, firms need to be e-verify. My friend in DB NY just told me many big houses are not e-verify, i.e. DB is not..

Question is: How popular is e-verify in the wall street firms...

 

[atreides]

All Internationals that graduate from a US College are eligible for the I year OPT. However, the new law is that within that 1 year you MUST not be unemployed for more than 90 days otherwise you lose you F1 status.

The OPT extension which just came into effect recently, allows "certain" students to extend their OPT for another 17 months once their initial 1 year runs out. To be eligible for the extension you must have a STEM degree and your company must be enrolled in the e-verify program. The problem is that not all companies are in the e-verify program. I'm currently at one of the Big 4 consulting companies and I was shocked to find out they're not enrolled in e-verify, so I'm screwed cos I can't use the OPT extension.

When I brought the e-verify issue up with HR, they said they plan to enroll in the program sometime, but as of now, if you don't get the H1B, it'll be cheaper for them to let you go than sign-up

Anyways, in theory you can work up to 29 months without the H1B.

 

[atreides]

As far as I know, the only difference with the H1B and OPT is that you are particularly advised not to travel outside the country while on OPT because there is NO assurance you can get back into the country, but no such restriction on H1

Is there any restriction on working full-time after graduation on OPT, comparing to by H1B?

 

[Stefan Zota]

Correct. This is the only short-term difference.

In a longer run, H1-B period accounts unofficially for green-card application. It is possible to apply for green-card as soon as OPT is done, however such a path is more difficult nowadays. A few years of H1-B before green-card is more common ..

 

[yandong]

Correct. This is the only short-term difference.

In a longer run, H1-B period accounts unofficially for green-card application. It is possible to apply for green-card as soon as OPT is done, however such a path is more difficult nowadays. A few years of H1-B before green-card is more common ..

Thank you for the reply, Atraides and Stefan Zota.

So the 90 days restriction in OPT means that after graduation you will have only 3 months to look for job?... Otherwise you will be invalidated of the F1 visa and have to go back home?...

 

[atreides]

The 90 day restriction means once you get your OPT approved then the clock starts ticking, ie the 90 days is from the OPT start date. As far I know the OPT start date can not be more than 60 days past your graduation date, ie say you graduate May 15, the latest start date on your OPT will be July 15, then your clock starts ticking from July 15. If you have an offer on hand you can choose an earlier start date for your OPT say June 1st , then your clock starts ticking on June 1st

I would recommend being in contact with the International office as these regulations are often changed

Thank you for the reply, Atraides and Stefan Zota.

So the 90 days restriction in OPT means that after graduation you will have only 3 months to look for job?... Otherwise you will be invalidated of the F1 visa and have to go back home?...

 

[Yan He]

Rules for International Students/OPT/H1B change all the time. It was 12 months OPT & 185,000 quota/year when I had my H1B years ago. With the changing attitude towards foreign workers, I will expect policies will change again.

So if you are not yet enroll even, don't worry too much about the details like 90-day gracious....