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I am in need of some help and suggestion..what to do? Going back to school?
I am currently on my H-1B work visa. It will expire Sep 2011. Due to some personal reason, I have to stay in the country for at least another few years.
Looking at the current job market, it seems challenging to find a new job that offers green card sponsorship. Even if I am so very lucky enough to find one, I think most companies need you to stay with them for a period of time before they start the green card process, and by the time they start the process, it's already too late (I was told the green card process needs to start some time before our work visa expires. In my case, probably now is already the latest time to start the process? I am not sure how soon ahead the process needs to start in general before the work visa expires..does anyone have any idea?)
I have to plan out what to do to extend my stay in this country.. It seems going back to school is the only way (excluding the marriage option since I am not in such a position. I think we can start a business also? But I don't think I am financially strong enough to start one as I believe there should be some kind of financial requirement for starting a business)? Does anyone have any suggestion what I can go besides going back to school? College tuition can be very costly, and I would like to go for other option if there is any.
If I really have to go back to school, I have this list of questions
:
- do I have to pursue a Master's degree since I already got my Bachelor's degree?
- can I go to a community college as long as they can sponsor F-1 visa?
- after I complete my new degree, will I have another 1 year of OPT (optional practical training) and 6 years of H-1B opportunity like what I have with this Bachelor's degree that I got a few years ago?
- my Bachelor's degree is in Computer Science. If I go back to college to study in another acadamic area such as Music, after I graduate, do I need to get a job that will utilize my degree in Music? Can I still work in the Technology field using my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science?
- do I need to complete my new degree before I can start working again? Can I start working again while I am studying? If that is allowed, does that job need to utilize my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or can it utilize my new incomplete degree?
- how soon do I need to adjust my status from H-1B to F-1, suppose I stay with my current company until school starts?
I know this is a very long post with a lot of questions. I really appreciate your time and patience reading through it! Thanks a lot for trying to help! I wish you a happy Easter!
Looking at the current job market, it seems challenging to find a new job that offers green card sponsorship. Even if I am so very lucky enough to find one, I think most companies need you to stay with them for a period of time before they start the green card process, and by the time they start the process, it's already too late (I was told the green card process needs to start some time before our work visa expires. In my case, probably now is already the latest time to start the process? I am not sure how soon ahead the process needs to start in general before the work visa expires..does anyone have any idea?)
I have to plan out what to do to extend my stay in this country.. It seems going back to school is the only way (excluding the marriage option since I am not in such a position. I think we can start a business also? But I don't think I am financially strong enough to start one as I believe there should be some kind of financial requirement for starting a business)? Does anyone have any suggestion what I can go besides going back to school? College tuition can be very costly, and I would like to go for other option if there is any.
If I really have to go back to school, I have this list of questions
:- do I have to pursue a Master's degree since I already got my Bachelor's degree?
- can I go to a community college as long as they can sponsor F-1 visa?
- after I complete my new degree, will I have another 1 year of OPT (optional practical training) and 6 years of H-1B opportunity like what I have with this Bachelor's degree that I got a few years ago?
- my Bachelor's degree is in Computer Science. If I go back to college to study in another acadamic area such as Music, after I graduate, do I need to get a job that will utilize my degree in Music? Can I still work in the Technology field using my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science?
- do I need to complete my new degree before I can start working again? Can I start working again while I am studying? If that is allowed, does that job need to utilize my Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or can it utilize my new incomplete degree?
- how soon do I need to adjust my status from H-1B to F-1, suppose I stay with my current company until school starts?
I know this is a very long post with a lot of questions. I really appreciate your time and patience reading through it! Thanks a lot for trying to help! I wish you a happy Easter!
