Hello!
I have got some questions about opt. Im probably gonna end up with a bachelor in Computer engineering. After im done with my bachelors, will i be able to to search for any job in my field or only jobs where the company specificlly is looking for an opt guy? Will i have the same chances as any americans looking for the same job to get the job if no security clearences are needed in said job? Or will Americans always be prioritized? Do OPT students get worse job agreements than any american for doing the same job?
And also, i think i heard about that the stem extension would be raised to 24 months instead of 17, is that true? I couldnt find anything about it on Homeland security.
And if there Are there any internaional students out there who has done opt after 4 years. How was it? What are you doing now? Did you get sponsored with an h1b visa after showing what you could do for the company? Answers are greatly appreciated.
Companies will generally take your visa-status into account when hiring. Many companies will not hire recent college graduates on temporary visas, period. On the other end of the spectrum, a handful of companies specifically recrruit OPT students because they’ll generally get more talent for less money.
It does seem to me that OPT and H-1B workers often get paid less than their American co-workers, but that’s that my personal impression from limited information from my friends, classmates and coworkers.
Companies that hire OPT students may or may not intend to sponsor them for an H-1B visa later. H-1B visas are tied to a specific employer. You’d be tied to that employer until you obtain your green card. In order to sponsor you for a green card, your employer would need to advertise your position nation-wide and document that there were no qualified applicants. If your employer does decide to go forward with that process (most don’t), you are looking at a 10 to 20-year period from the date you start working on OPT until you get your employment-based green card. (Currently the waiting times for an employment-based green card are longest for applicants from China, India and the Philippines.)
In practice, the only reliable way to obtain a green card is through marriage to a US citizen.
As of right now, the OPT extension for STEM majors will be discontinued effective next February, thanks to a court ruling that you are probably aware of. A new proposal for an OPT extension is currently going through the rule-making process. The proposed rule does have a provision for a 24-month OPT extension, but it’s far from finalized yet.