andreean1987

is it risky even if you are able to transfer you H1b visa to another company? In other words i found somebody else who is willing to take over my first h1b visa. will my first employer give me trouble? in other words most likely i will have a contract to break to transfer to another employer or some employees sponsor h1b with no working contract mandating a specific time to work?

In this post, I want to give rise to the question of the implications of an H1B. The employers who are willing to sponsor you want you to sign a contract that would mandate you to work a certain amount of time for them? Is this work enforcement even legal in United States?

For example, if I want to leave my initial H1B after 4 month can I do that or do I have to stay with the company years because they were my petitioners and now they force me through a contract to stay with them.

I know all situations are different and vary from company to company but your experience with petitions is valuable...

Thanks

hello

yeah i am looking for long term stay not just for the duration of OPT that's why i want to know from begining if they will sponsor me than loosing my time and then finding out sponsorship or PR petition is not possible

I also found one thing... the fact that they will petition you for H1B does not mean they will petition you for PR so making sure an international student is eligible for both is very important

still OPT is the best option for the beggining first months because I need a Visa Screen and that takes time to get...time perfect for establishing credibility and seriosity while my VisaSCreen will be pending

Hello

I am a US college student about to graduate in 5 month...I have a question to some former international students in US: How did you ask your employer about H1b sponsorship? I am saying this especially because I have OPT option and it is not an immediate need for H1b. However, I want to know if they would sponsor me after a certain time. I have a meeting with a prospective employer and I do not know if I should bring up the fact that I am international and I would need sponsorship in the future. I am just afraid they will say no in the beggining beofre i start working and they would sponsor me if they I will prove myself as a loyal and good employee. What are the main reasons that employers tell us they do not sponsor? if it is the money reason, i just talked to an immigration attorney who told me that money is not an issue because a lawyer, third party, can pay the fee to the givernment on my behalf so it would not cost money for the employer.

Is there a way you can ask to have a better chance for a positive answer or it is just a matter of luck based on the sponsoring policy of the company?

When did you guys ask for sponsorship? before starting or after starting OPT? Wjat is better?

Thanks

i am a clinical laboratory scientist aka medical technologist which seems to be in demand

thank you everyone for your support and advice...I am just a little overwhealmed by all these advantages and disadvantages

the reason why I would have to transfer the H1B and do not start the initial H1B with the Californian employer is because I would not be eligible for the H1b from day one. California requires a licensure to hire somebody and it takes me around 4-5 months to get that license to work in the state of california. what they told me is that they can hire me under an unlicensed position in the meantime and once the license comes in they can upgrade my position. the problem is that this unlicensed position is a high school level position under my field( lab assistant position vs clinical lab scientist position in which the posting says the school requiored in lab skills and high school...whereas I could get hired on OPT because it is directly related to my major of study- clinical laboratory- i do not qualify for h1b in the beggining until my license comes)

that is why i said i can't start my H1B with this California employer therefore my options would be: start on OPT with this California company on an unlicensed position or start under H1B with an out of state company and then trensfer this H1 to cali...however I am afraid they will say no to the transfer because I did not work for them, they do not knwo me and how I work

thanks

it seems that there are not significant reasons OPT would be better than H1B if I would have a clear h1B sponsorship. Through this forum I learned that h1b it is just harder to get than OPT but not necessary worse to have if the plan is to immigrate. It might be easier to stay on OPt for a few month before h1b , 2-3 or a little longer until I find the best employer who is willing to sponsor. the problem I have is that I am very limited on the location I need to work and getting an H1b in other location is probably not a good idea if my from beggining is to transfer.

canadian_wife, did you get transferred after your OPT? during job interviewes did you tell them you have OPT or just you are work eligible? My attorney and advisor in school told me not to volunteer extra information if i am not asked by the employer at the interview

also, after how long on H1b can you get petitioned for green card? in other words is there a time you have to stay on h1b before green card petition by the company? Is there anyway I can petition myself for green card while on OPT? or it has to come from the employer solely

Thanks so much!!!

thanks...you mean read on my options once I will get H1?

I just saw visa bulletin for january- marriage to a GC holder has no wait time anymore? I know it used to be years....now it is C - current?

that means if one of us gets their gc, the other can get it in a relatively short time as well?

therefore, the best option would be getting an OPT and then change it in H1b as soon as possible with the best choice employer?

still, if i want to become a GC holder in 5 years or so, i will have to get an h1b at a point in time, there is no other way i guess b/c my boyfrined is a non citizen- on h1b as well

maybe i should make sure first i get a california employer and then start my h1b than getting an h1b in other state and then trasfer it. i am just afraid they will say no to the transfer procedure...that is because when i talked to HR people in a bog institution they told me it is not possible to get sponsored but they will do OPT for me..this way maybe in 29 months I can change their mind in terms of sponsoring or change easily employer in-state

my boyfriend unfortunately is in the same boat with me...a non citizen but who will be petitioned for h1b starting february 2011...he is a doctor and i think he falls in EB2 taking him a shorter path to green card am I right?

canadian_wife,

thanks so much for your advice. it really makes sense now...OPT is better for a student who graduated in US i guess- it an extra option for us who did not come with our degree from abroad.

my final goal is to be a green card holder, therefore the OPT would not just postpone this final goal? I understand that H1b might be trickier though and more risky in such an economy

after I am done with my 29 months of OPT and my employer is willing to sponsor me, how long will it take to green card? Do they have to petition me separately for green card? after how long? I am from Romania, and I think that fall into EB3 category and my best choice employer( i hope and I really pray for this:) will be from California

Thanks so much

if a hospital petitions for you an h1b visa and then you plan to transfer to another hospital is it an easy process? Do companies make this more readily than initial sponsorship? I am afraid that it is hard to transfer h1b visas....are companies seeing this as a hard process and they will say no or this only happens to the initial sponsorship?

thanks

thanks so much. I think I wrote my first post kind of confusing and I created a little misunderstanding. I am so sorry. I will try to explain further:

1. I will be graduation in 7 month( i know i wrote by mistake i am a recent graduate) and my major is in clinical laboratory science- a health care field which is in demand. My prospective employers will be a not for profit hospital or academic institution therefore the quota will not be the issue...i guess they can apply for me whenever they want...

2. my final goal is to work in california where my boyfrined currently resides. I am not sure I will get a job in the beggining in cali but I have a good chance in other states...and then eventually move in a few month. In these conditions I wanted to know if OPT or H1B is my best option....therefore when moving my employer would be either through OPT or H1b transfer in case i was already sponsored in another state....probably it is much easier to change employers on OPT than through H1b transfer...

i heard somebody saying that if you reside in US for 10 years you have the right to petition yourself or something similar for a visa or green card? Is that right?

OPT is often thought of as a way to find an employer willing to sponsor a H1B.

If that is your end goal, go for it now, you might not get another chance.

My final goal is to immigrate in US and become a green card holde. I know this will not happen tommorow but I need to take wise choices in terms of the steps I will take. The only reason why I would choose H1b in the beggining over opt is because it is faster to green card than having to stay on opt which does not give you any advantage to a green card? Am I right? This is through all I read but not sure if my thinking is correct. I am thinking that by being on OPt in am only postponing my path to green card. Why is that you have to go to your home country while the application of h1 is pensidng? can i just stay on OPT while that application is pending?

Thanks so much

hello

I am a recent college graduate who has the option of working on either OPT or H1B visa. My advisor told me to go for OPT because it is a better option than H1B. I do not understand why....isn't it that with H1b you are eligible for green card? Is ot easy to get the green card through H1 or your company has to be willing to petition your green card application which is different than the initial h1b application. I have right now a bachelor degree. is it better to get a masters and apply for h1b because I would be eligible for eb2 application?

Thank you

Sincerely

Andreea