What is your exact goal? Is it a permanent job in the US, or is it just a good, permanent job not in your home country? Australia and Canada both have much friendlier immigration options for recent graduates of their universities. Take a look at those options too.
My company has sponsored a number of employees for a green card. But these are foreign nationals with graduate degrees and nearly 20 years of industry experience in a specialized techical discipline.
What incentive does an employer have to sponsor a foreign, fresh graduate with only an undergraduate degree and no substantial work experience in a discipline with PLENTY of available America grads?
It’s expensive, and time consuming for an employer to go through the immigration procedures, and the employer has to demonstrate to the US government that it can’t find a similarly qualified citizen to hire.
Don’t hold your breath… Reform is probably coming to the H1-B visa process. Right now, too many Indian consulting companies are abusing the visa. There have been numerous high-visibility news stories about it (e.g., Disney), and American voters are angry.
@chopsmo, there is for I 140. Not H1 B. There are, as you note, many ways to a green card, but the ones that are education based, ie outstanding researcher, do require that the organization demonstrate that it is equipped to make the most of the skills. It is true that once the researcher has permanent residency, he can go elsewhere, including somewhere where his skills are not used at all. I don’t know how heavily that part of the application counts, but it takes up a fair amount of ink. Org. charts and resumes of the team they’ll work with. – can’t imagine that we submit that for kicks. And no, that’s not on the H1B form.
Ideally, i would like to end college and be allowed to stay in your country working in something related to my major and then, when i gained experience, i would go for a MBA, also in US. That’s my goal. After that, of course, i would like to get a permanent residency immigrant visa (green card).
For many international students, the goal isn’t so much to immigrate as to recoup investments. Because salaries in the US are higher, it makes paying back their parents or national loan easier and faster. In addition, opt adds experience which is crucial to getting a real job in any country.
Most young people with top credentials, work ethics, and ambition love the idea of the US. Once they’ve been there a while, they may or may not want to stay (and, for those who want to stay, these are * exactly * the kind of young people we’d want as immigrants : educated, eager, loving the US and its culture, wanting to contribute to our economy.)
They don’t think of it as ‘I’ll study there to immigrate’ (most 17 year olds have no idea how wrenching that can be, let alone the administrative details abs hassles it entails). They think of it as 'If I study there, I may as well capitalize on it by gaining work experience, and since of course I’ll love it there, why not live there? " … Keep in mind that most teenagers find thinking of their life at age 20 hazy, lots of projection but not ‘real’.
As for H1B’s, I hope their number goes up BUT ONLY for the people they were meant for - let’s close that loophole that allows offshoring companies to get/buy a thousands of them at once, use them for people who’ve never been to the US and against American workers. (the original H1B design is for exceptional, experienced people educated above, and, for the majority, young graduates from the US who are, individually, necessary for an American company to function better or develop in some way. As such, it didn’t displace American workers and helped out economy. I hope we’ll get back to that intent.)
So, op, your odds are better if you study CS or math, or if you are exceptional at any university.
Couldn’t say better, that’s exactly what i think. Thanks for the advice.
I’m considering majors like Applied Maths (in Economics), Economics and Mathematics, Economics. Maybe i should choose one of the first two since they’re math related majors then.
Your general plan is a decent one. The bachelor’s degree in STEM, followed by approximately two years of increasingly responsible work experience during OPT, could set you up for admission to a good MBA program. Bbut please know that the better MBA programs consider two years of work experience to be a bare minimum, they prefer more experience than that.
And as MYOS1634 has written above, your goals may change after you have been studying for a while.
With the extended OPT time i have more chances to get a H1B Visa. If i get one i can work more than two years before the MBA. But let’s see, there are still a few years before i have to make that decision.
Yes, and if you tell any officer during your visa interview that our intend to work on the US, or plan to stay past opt and work, there won’t be any decision to make because student visas are only given to people who come here to study, and intent to work means immediate denial. Since your number one goal is to study, focus on getting into one college. As a student who needs financial aid, even if you’re high ranked in your country, it’s definitely not a given.
I’ve heard about that, not planning to do that. My only focus now is to get into an excellent college and get the best academic experience possible. This was just a question that came to my mind when i was considering after graduation work opportunities.
Btw, i bought Fisky Guide to Colleges as you recommended. Hopefully, it will give me another perspective regarding colleges quality and overall academic experience.
** Let’s review your plan:**
- you're a Portuguese HS senior now
- wait to apply to elite American schools until after senior year, to enable senior year grades to boost presently lackluster GPA, and study for SAT/ACT, etc ( which you are confident you will get very impressive scores).
- use gap year work on a canned, killer EC project out-of-the-blue to impress the admissions committees, because you presently don't have much EC involvement during high school
- get admitted to a elite American school that will give a large FA package, then graduate w a math-related undergraduate degree
- get hired in the US without US citizenship/PR for a math-related job, with only an undergraduate degree and no relevant work experience.
- work a few years to get experience and then get admitted to an MBA program in the US ( I'm assuming you also expect a generous FA package for international students)
- graduate MBA, get an even better job, get PR
Am I missing anything?
There is almost no merit-based aid for MBA students. They (or the company that they work for) are expected to pay full costs. Most US MBA students would pay for their education with loans, and plan on paying the loan off with the good job they get after graduation. International students cannot borrow those kinds of loans without a US co-signer. Before you get to excited about an MBA, you need to come up with a solid plan to pay for it.
If you want a US MBA, it might make more sense to study in your home country, and then come to the US for that MBA.
Pretty much everything but, since you obviously have time to spend here, i will try to explain to you what is my plan.
- First off, i'm on vacation, enjoying the beautiful sun in Portugal's beaches (you should try it one day, they say Algarve is a great place to relax and throw away our frustations). Between the sea breeze and the bikini womans sometimes i forget but yes i'm going to be a senior next year; it's always good to be reminded though, thanks Prime.
- I wouldn't say i'm waiting to apply until after senior year to boost currently GPA so much as i would say that i will be taking a year off to have time for self-refletion and personal growth, as i have more time to think about the direction i want in my life and to gain new perspectives; sounds a lot better right? Also, i wouldn't say i'm confident that i'm getting an "impressive" score on SAT so much as i would say that i desperately need to get an excellent score. And you might be thinking know Prime that i'm desperate for an excellent score because of my academic goals but no, i'm desperate because otherwise my mother would beat me with her kitchen spoon for the $95 that she would have wasted (and i probably wouldn't be coming to Algarve again so soon); know you can understand the reason beneath my confidence talking.
- Given the fact that there's no chance at all that, by myself, in 1.5 years, i might be envolve in extraordinary ECs activities, i'm asking you for your help in that particular part of my application, since that, just by your nickname reference and for the convictions that you present in your comments, i can tell that obviously you're a knowledgeable and perceptive person that is by far intellectually capable of helping me and, of course, has an outstanding academic curriculum and a prosperous career (otherwise you wouldn't be demoralizing students that want to achieve the academic sucess that you didn't have, right?).
- American, British, Canadian, maybe Australian who knows? I'm willing to get past throught a horrible accent if that means that i'm getting into a "elite" school with FA. All of these countries present great opportunities in that sense, as you know.
- Would be the first, i know. Poor me, frequenting schools with such a high statistic rate in after graduation employment and just because i'm an imigrant, even thought i excelled at school, i'm not going to have any job opportunities. Globalization what? So US graduates usually get hired for their first job after graduation presenting relevant past work experience, is that what you're saying? That i didn't know, always learning.
- Of course i'm expecting a generous FA package for my MBA. I will be hiding all the money i make under my bed so that way i don't have to pay for anything, but don't tell anyone alright Prime?
- Just living the american dream my friend.
Of course, American citizen graduates are not expected to have substantial relevant past work experience to be hired for their first job after graduation, but they do not need a work visa to work in the US. You do.
I’ve already pointed out in an earlier post:
Op does NOT have a ‘lackluster’ GPA. This impression was caused by his/her attempts at 'translating ’ it. Op has a 4.0 in a curriculum that checks the ‘most rigorous ’ box in us terms and predicted results that place him/her in the top students nationally.
Also, Portuguese schools actively discourage EC’s since they distract from the all-important national exams so it’s good op has any, and has meaningful plans to expand the ones he has.
All in all, taking a gap year to strengthen his application with the better ec (which he can start working on now) and the national examinations results (which s/he’ll have in Summer 2017) is a good plan. As for what happens in 2023 after opt… Seriously OP is dreaming right now and likely can’t imagine the world and himself, how much tjeyl’'have changed, just like as a 5th grader s/he had no idea what s/he’d be like at 18.
Thank you. It’s clear that you understand our educational system. Portuguese schools as well as the way our university admissions work highly discourage students from pursuing ECs, for them the only thing that matter is school grades and exam scores.
Hello guys.
Can I just ask if any of you has experience in the category EB-3 Visa for Unskilled/Other Workers? Is there possibility to be sponsored in this category while studying as undergraduate?
No. While studying as an undergraduate you are on a student visa, which only allows you to work 20 hours on campus in (usually) low paid positions such as retail in the bookstore, cafeteria, library, etc.
I know, but I was wondering If someone can sponsor you anyway. 
(In the category of unskilled workers)
Yes you can be sponsored in the EB3 category while you’re currently attending school on an F1 visa. The employer is submitting applications and going through the process for future employment. So you would not be working for that employer in F1 status until the entire process was completed and you had an employment-based green card with them as the sponsor.
You should look at the Department of State Visa Bulletin to see how long the queue is for people from your country (everyone is grouped into the “All” category, except for people from China, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, and the Philippines).
Because it can take so long - like years, you should definitely speak with an immigration lawyer before having an employer start the process on your behalf. Having a pending petition can impact your ability to get a new F1 visa in your passport - if you will have to renew it while you’re studying.