There are two kinds of student visas. One's an F1 student visa; one's a J1 student visa. An F1 visa is more of the traditional student visa. Typically, students who have found a university that wishes to accept them apply for this specific F1 visa.
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Students have to demonstrate that they have the ability to pay the tuition for the full time that they’re going to be here. People cannot obtain an F1 for an associate's degree or even for high school, but most F1s are for four-year institutions of higher learning.
And then when the student is done, they can stay in United States for an extra year and work on that F1 with an employer as long as it's something within their field of study. For STEM students, they have the ability to extend their stay in the United States by an additional two years.
The reason the STEM extension for optional practical training (OPT) on F1 visas is so important is because that allows them to go through the H1B lottery three times. So, every year on April 1, there's a lottery to determine who gets work visas. So, having that opportunity to stay here longer gives you a better chance of getting selected in the lottery.
Graduating as an immigrant is stressful. Graduates have to get a job basically within the first 90 days after graduation. If foreign graduates do not get a job within the first 90 days, the government will consider them out of status, and they are expected to go back to their country. The government views people who stay as people who are not either contributing to the country or are no longer in need of staying at all. One option, however, is for recent graduates to try and apply for an H1B visa.
Because of the complexities involved with studying overseas and while using a student visa, it can be a good idea to learn the limitations of your student visa. Reach out to the Hacking Immigration Law, LLC for the help you need today.
