My spouse is currently on H4. We hope to get her H4 EAD in a month or so (applied in August) and meanwhile she got a Spring 2020 admit for MS program(STEM) here in States and thus she can get a F1 status. We are confused if we should wait for H4 EAD or convert to F1. What do currently companies prefer in terms of status - F1 vs H4 EAD from job hiring perspective? Looking for recommendations TC: 180K. (not in TCS anymore).
F1 .. I recommend stamping rather than COS .
H4 EAD, as your spouse can work along with study from day one. I think companies are not biased to one status over other. They care more about is how good a candidate is and if a candidate can crack their interview. Once employed as Full Time, your spouse’s employer can sponsor H1B on both statuses and in Masters quota.
F1
Benefits and freedom of f1 is much more
For home mortgage, H4 EAD is better than OPT.
F1. More freedom
Thanks for suggestions, it would help me if someone can share points about freedom and benefits of F1 over H4 EAD. Need not to be a detailed explanation, just some bullet points. Thanks in advance.
Freedom: Your spouse is no longer tied to your visa. Benefits: - no need to worry about h4 ead rule revocation. - will be considered under h1B Masters quota. Go through this blog for more info https://www.happyschools.com/study-h4-or-f1-visa/
F1 any day.