<p>1 year if you dont have a job. 6 years if you have an H1-B</p>
<p>So it takes at least 6 yrs to get a green card even after you are employed?</p>
<p>Since you've been discussing OPT in this thread, I thought I'd pass along a site that does a very good job of explaining what OPT and how it works:</p>
<p>And for details on how to apply for a green card through employment, see:
<a href="http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/residency/employment.htm%5B/url%5D">http://uscis.gov/graphics/services/residency/employment.htm</a></p>
<p>Thanks for the links</p>
<p>"If I have OPT for a year and return to school for another degree, can I have another year of OPT?
Yes, but it must be a different degree level."
this is interesting, it must be new, since i thought you could only have OPT once. As far as i understand, now you can have OPT after you get a Bachelor's, then another one if you get a Master's and then another if you get a PhD, right?</p>
<p>I'm not an expert, but it sounds like to me Frolik. </p>
<p>Two things to keep in mind about OPT is that it must be work directly related to your major course of study. I think that means that if you majored in engineering and decide to take a job as a waiter after graduation, it would probably not be approved for OPT. </p>
<p>Also, if you work in the states during the school year, or during summers, that work time may be deducted from the 12 month OPT total. So, if you worked three months every summer for three years, you'd have already used up 9 months of OPT. During the school year, part time work is counted at 50% of time --- i.e., if you work for six months during the school year for all four years, you may have already used up your OPT. I am uncertain if work study jobs would fall under this classification, however, so before doing ANY type of paid employment in the US, it would probably be a good idea to check with your college's office of international students just to be sure it will not affect your OPT.</p>
<p>What do u think about the green card lottery?</p>
<p>carolyn, i'm confident that working at your college/university doesn't count against OPT. this includes summer work as long as it is within the institution. however, if you got a job at the town it would count</p>
<p>Frolik, I'm not as confident as you that that is 100% true. I think it is probably best to ASK if any employment on campus will affect your OPT after graduation before you start working. There may indeed be circumstances where it will. Here is a very good package of information from the U of Florida that goes into the details for internationals who hope to work while studying in the US:</p>
<p>Carolyn,</p>
<p>are Co-op programs also counted as OPT?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>i'm hoping to work in the states after graduation too, and i have a few questions. but first, here's the background. i'm from singapore, which has just signed an FTA with the USA, which contains a clause making provisions for a certain number of work permits. as of today, the quota of work permits way exceeds demand, so it shouldn't be too tough to obtain one. in light of this, would it still be necessary to convince the I-20 interviewer that i have absolutely no intention of working in the states? also, can one 'graduate' from an I-20 to a work permit?</p>
<p>bump........</p>
<p>A bit more than 30% of MIT international graduates stay in US.</p>
<p>Where do you have that number from?</p>