not selected in h1b lottery

[patnik]

hi all. i just found out that i was not selected in the h1b visa lottery. i am from japan, and i am not sure if this site is specifically for indians, or if there are just a large number of indians who post here, but i was hoping you could help me.

i have been in the usa since 1998. i attended high school in pennsylvania and college in washington dc. i have since been working for aol on my opt visa for almost 9 months. aol sponsored me for an h1b visa, but i did not win the lottery because i do not have an advanced degree. the problem is that i do not want an advanced degree. i really don't have any family in japan, and my entire life is here, so i do not want to go back. i know that grad school is an option, as well as marriage, but i am an artist/graphic designer, and i really don't have a desire for further education.

does anyone have any suggestions for me? i heard someone mention about some type of appeal or something that i could do because i have been living in the us for so long already. is this possible? i don't really know much about immigration other than what my school told me, and they led me to believe that as long as i was sponsored for an h1b i would get it if i applied correctly and on time, so i have trusted that and was unprepared until i heard about the lottery two months ago. can anyone help me and mention any options i don't know about.

thanks!

[Subramanya]

H1 options

hi all. i just found out that i was not selected in the h1b visa lottery. i am from japan, and i am not sure if this site is specifically for indians, or if there are just a large number of indians who post here, but i was hoping you could help me.

i have been in the usa since 1998. i attended high school in pennsylvania and college in washington dc. i have since been working for aol on my opt visa for almost 9 months. aol sponsored me for an h1b visa, but i did not win the lottery because i do not have an advanced degree. the problem is that i do not want an advanced degree. i really don't have any family in japan, and my entire life is here, so i do not want to go back. i know that grad school is an option, as well as marriage, but i am an artist/graphic designer, and i really don't have a desire for further education.

---- You do not need any advanced degree to win the lottery. All you need is a degree and skills that are required for a job and your employer should be identify all the factors. We understand that you were not successful with the lottery system

does anyone have any suggestions for me? i heard someone mention about some type of appeal or something that i could do because i have been living in the us for so long already. is this possible? i don't really know much about immigration other than what my school told me, and they led me to believe that as long as i was sponsored for an h1b i would get it if i applied correctly and on time, so i have trusted that and was unprepared until i heard about the lottery two months ago. can anyone help me and mention any options i don't know about.

---- This site and the number of Visas are in no way reserved for Indians. It is a forum for expressions of thoughts irrespective of nationality, ethnicity etc. and if one has concerns and queries to get them resolved and sorted out. It is just that there are a number of Indians seeking all kinds Visas outnumber other nationalities.

---- Coming to the options for continuing your stay in US, you can join another course and take up a F1 Visa. Alternately, you can apply for B1/B2 Visa after your OPT is completed and then apply for H1 once again in 2008. We all hope that this lottery system will change and more rationale means of selecting candidates and approving Visas will be put into practice sooner than later

subramanya