How To Get A US Work Visa: Working In The United States

International students in the US are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week on campus during their first year of education, and starting in their second year, they can apply for practical training. There are two types of practical training: curricular and elective (OPT) (CPT). Both can be finished either during your degree program or after you graduate, but they both have time limits of 12 months and must be in jobs that are specifically connected to your area of study.

You will have a “grace period” after receiving your degree, which provides you time to be ready to leave or apply for a new visa. Apply for a change of status for your visa as soon as you can if you intend to stay in the US and look for employment there.

The type of US student visa you possess determines how long your grace period will be. The majority of overseas students have F-1 visas, which allow them to stay for up to 60 days after their degree is over. F1-visa holders have this time to request for a change of status so they can stay in the nation for a year to finish their practical training after graduation.

Holders of M-1 and J-1 visas are only permitted to stay in the nation for an additional 30 days after finishing their course. You can participate in practical training if you are a student with an M-1 visa (for vocational courses), but you can only do so once you have completed your studies.

You may be able to extend your practical training time by an extra 24 months if you are a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) student, making your OPT stay in the US up to three years.

How to apply for optional practical training

Request the necessary paperwork from your university’s foreign office.
Request that your Form I-20 be signed by your designated school official (DSO) and that the necessary notation be made in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
Complete and submit the Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, along with the required payment and supporting documentation, to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Find the form here
The “Employment Authorization Document,” Form I-766, will be delivered to you once the USCIS has approved your Form I-765 (EAD). Once you have your EAD, only then should you begin working.

What happens at the end of your OTP period

Applying for the H-1B visa is a typical strategy to keep working in the US after your OPT period expires. For graduates with at least a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, this non-immigrant US visa is available to work in a “specialty vocation” that necessitates the theoretical or practical application of highly specialized expertise. Generally speaking, positions in engineering, mathematics, and business are classified as specialized jobs. You can submit your application for the H-1B visa here

To ensure that your application is filed on time, coordinate with any potential sponsors as soon as you can. Early March is the ideal time to start the application process, and your application should be submitted on or shortly after April 1.

The number of H-1B visas that can be issued each year is capped at 65,000 (20,000 of those are exempt due to advanced degrees and are only available to those with master’s degrees obtained in the US). The most recent filing season for the H-1B visa saw over 236,000 applications submitted; thus, the selection of approved applications is made by lottery. If your petition for an H-1B visa is granted, it won’t become active until October 1 of that year.

You may stay in the nation while your H-1B petition is being processed as long as your H-1B application is submitted before your OPT expires. You will be able to maintain your F-1/OPT status until the first of October, when it will automatically transition to H-1B, assuming the application is accepted. The “cap gap” refers to this automatic extension of OPT until October 1.

Some organizations, like colleges, school districts, and hospitals connected to medical institutions, are exempt from the H-1B cap gap. These firms may submit requests at any time of the year to sponsor a graduate for a working visa, and the graduate can start working with H-1B status right away after approval.

You may leave the country and attempt to re-enter the US with your original US F-1 visa status during the cap-gap period if your H-1B application has been granted and you have your Employment Authorization Document. You shouldn’t, however, depart while your application is pending.

Other available work Visas include:

E-2 investor visa and the O-1 visa

Another means to obtain a work visa is by applying for permanent residence other wise known as the teen card.

You can apply for “green card” status if you want to live and work permanently in the US. With over 140,000 employment-based immigration visas granted each fiscal year, this can be acquired in a number of ways, including through an offer of long-term work. A labor certification will often be obtained by your employer, who will subsequently file a Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker, on your behalf.