Work Visa after MBA with no OPT and 2.3 years of H1B left
I’m planning to join full time MBA on F1 visa, by stepping out of current H1B visa. By the time I switch to F1, I will have used 3.7 years of H1B years. I won’t be done with i140 by then. Assuming that I am very employable post-MBA, will an employer be comfortable in sponsoring (cap-exempt) H1B for me given that I only have 2.3 years of H1B left by which the i140 application has to be started and approved? Or is 2.3 years too less? Note: I don’t have any OPT left as I have already done one Masters degree
I don’t think you will be cap exempt after you switch status to F1. I was in a similar boat considering a MBA. On speaking to an immigration lawyer, I was told that you will have to go through the lottery again. The only way you can avoid the lottery is if you have your i140 approved. In that case you will be eligible for the extensions.
Not true. I have already availed cap exempt application in the past. I had moved back to India, out of H1B for a year. You can avail cap exempt anytime if you were on H1B in last 6 years. Information is clearly available on USCIS website
Thanks. This is super helpful. Could you share the link with me?
Amazon did that for B-School classmate of mine. I think most companies will prefer this against fresh application as they don't have to worry about lottery.
Do you know how many years of H1B your classmate had unused?
I think about 2.
@OP - Not sure of your overall years of experience but have you considered exec-mba or a weekend MBA Vs Full time ? . Keeping aside the aspect of stretch & stress managing both things , it might be a recommended approach in the current political scenario where immigration rules are getting scrutinized & changed. My take !!
I have definitely considered it. There are pros and cons of both. I’m oscillating between the two options. I would like to do a hard career pivot so full time MBA is better suited. Also, when putting in that much money, I feel it’s better invested in the full time experience. I am willing to slightly risk my work visa status in America. If it doesn’t work out, I will move to another developed country.