H1 to F1 to H1

[h1rocker]

Hi friends,

I am entering US on h1b in October 2014 through a top consultancy company in India. My h1b is filed as computer programmer. My aim is always to pursue a master degree in one of the premier universities in US as its my dream for a long time.

I want to know if I change to f1 visa utilizing just 8 months of my H1b, If in future after my Masters, what is the process of getting a new job ? Consider the case my h1b is filed for computer programmer and if my new job role after Masters is business analyst or Consultant, how can i utilize the case that i have already gone through lottery process ? If an h1b is applied by new recruiter do i need to go through lottery process again?(h1b was filed for computer programmer and new role is consultant or something different suppose). Can i get h1b without subject to CAP ? Please help on this scenario.

-h1rocker

[Venkat20114]

H1B for 6+ years

Very simple: You have an approved H1B, enter U.S. after Oct 1st 2014 with a job on H1B and you have 6 years of H1B time no matter what you do. Quit job and go to school on F1 Visa if you like, your visa goes from F1 to H1B and H1B time clock pauses, you have the balance of the 6 years on your H1B and your H1B never goes away. No quota ever needed again, just change of status/employer with a new job to get back on H1B form F1. Get in GC process to get I-140 approved then you can extend the6 year H1B for many many more years. Stay in IT jobs, it doesn't matter how H1B is exactly filed, just stay in IT jobs. Best bet: Work on H1B, get masters degree at same time at night, find employer to pay for your master degree. Why stop working?

[rainmaker]

MBA after H1B visa

Hi there,

I am working for an IT company on H1B visa (expires Nov 2018) for the past 3.5 years. I am planning to enroll in a full-time MBA program in US next year around August 2017. Have few concerns:

1.If I graduate as MBA, can my old H1B visa be still put to use (transferred/COS) in a post MBA visa filing, considering my previous visa was filed in software domain, and my job profile could be significantly different after I graduate.

2. If I change my status from H1b to F1 visa in Aug 2017, so that I graduate after 2 years in Aug 2019, how long would I have before I exhaust my available visa options to work. Will I get 1 year OPT period+remainder of old H1b visa (Aug'17 to Nov'18=1 yr 3 months) i.e a total of 12 + 15 = 27 months before I must apply for green card or go for fresh H1B?


3. Is there a way I can avail 3 years of OPT after MBA like the one given for MS in STEM courses. This could very well mean getting MBA in STEM domain e.g Business Analytics. Please advise.

Thanks
- rainmaker