US is an icon of destination for most of the students and working professionals today. Many of them are just dreaming about it rather than finding the facts and paths. This is to highlight some of the basic factors and to give a glance on working/ studying in the US.
How to work in US?
It is not possible to enter in US without a job offer from a US company/ admission from a US University. So there is no way that you can get a visa, enter in US at your own cost and then find a job. US does not entertain such visas like other countries. The feasible path of working in US is on a non-immigrant visa such as L1, H1 or student visa like F1. US too have an immigrant visa offered which is EB class visa, however it is very tough to be qualified under this visa conditions.
Non-immigration class
L1 Visa
The well known visas L1 and H1 comes under this category. L1 is a work permit for intra company transfers. That is when there is a requirement for an employer to transfer their employee to US under special knowledge category or to setup their branch in the US. Obviously, employer has to file the L1 visa on behalf of their employee. Initially L1 visa is granted by USCIS (US Citizanship and Immigration Services) for 3 years and extendable upto 5 years. Along with employee, spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age are also allowed under L2 visa classification. Spouse of an L1 visa employee also can work in US under L2 visa.
There are two categories in L1 visas. L1-A for executives/ managers of the company and L1-B for special knowledge skilled employees. L1 visas are tied with the employer and hence cannot work for other companies in US on L1. L1 visas can be filed by the employers at any time in the year.
H1B Visa
H1B is a work permit for specialty occupations. Again there must be a job offer from a US company to be qualified for this visa. However it is possible to switch the company after landing in US.Initially visa is granted for 3 years and may extend up to a maximum of 6 years. There is a cap of 65000 on the number of H1 visas every year. On top of it, another 20000 H1B visas are issued for the Master's degree holders from the US Universities/ institutions. The filing starts on 01-April of every year and the person can travel on or after 01-Oct of the same year. That means if a person files H1B visa on 01-Apr-2014, he/she can travel after 01-Oct-2014 only, even though the visa is approved earlier than 01-Oct-2014. If the number of applications are more than 65000, USCIS follows the random selection process (i.e. lottery system) to choose the 65000 petitions out of the total applications received. During Apr-Oct, USCIS reviews and approves the chosen 65000 petitions.
Family of a H1B visa holder can also travel to US under H4 visa category. Spouse and unmarried children under 21 years of age are allowed along with H1B visa older. Spouse of a H1B visa holder is not authorized to work in US.
Some facts about H1B:
* Even though the quota is 65000 + 20000, there will be some more visas available which are denied, rejected or withdrawn from the last year quota. These unfilled numbers will be carry forwarded to next year.
* H1B petitions for employment in Universities, Hospitals and Non-profit organizations are cap exempted and can be filed at any time during the year.
Immigration Class
As per USCIS, there are 140,000 immigration visas available for foreigners every year. Visa classes from EB1 to EB5 are the immigration visas. However the expected eligibility criteria for these classes is very high. These visas are usually approved for highly educated (Masters/ Ph.D) and experienced (10+ years) research scholars and scientists or the experienced people who filed many patents in their technology area.
EB-1: Extraordinary ability, Outstanding professors and researchers, multinational managers/ executives
EB-2: Advanced degree, Exceptional ability (Masters/ PhD with 10+ years of experience)
EB-3: For skilled workers not available in US
EB-4: Religious workers, Broadcasters, Physicians etc
EB-5: Business investors investing in US business
There are fake consultancies in India who encourage the professionals with 10+ years of experience to file EB2 visa but it is not that easy to get the visa approved under this category. Do not get trapped by such fake offers.
EB-1: Extraordinary ability, Outstanding professors and researchers, multinational managers/ executives
EB-2: Advanced degree, Exceptional ability (Masters/ PhD with 10+ years of experience)
EB-3: For skilled workers not available in US
EB-4: Religious workers, Broadcasters, Physicians etc
EB-5: Business investors investing in US business
There are fake consultancies in India who encourage the professionals with 10+ years of experience to file EB2 visa but it is not that easy to get the visa approved under this category. Do not get trapped by such fake offers.
Student visa class
F1 (Academic Student) and M1 (Vocational student) visas are intended for the students who want to study in US. These visas can be applied at any time during the year after getting the admission in a US institution for a full-time course.
Family of F1/ M1 visa holder (spouse/ children) are allowed to enter in US under F2/ M2 visa class respectively.
Only schools certified by the Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) are authorized to accept international students. Check whether the school/ college which you got the admission into is listed in SEVP certified schools or not, using the below link.
http://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/school-search
Different educational programs offered in US
Go through the below link to find the options you have, to study in US.
https://www.educationusa.info/5_steps_to_study/
Student Employment
F1 students cannot work off-campus for the first year and can work withing the campus. After first year of education, they can take the outside employment which should be related to their area of study and should be approved by the school/ college officials.
Cost of study
The cost of study in US depends on the state, institution and the course. Compared to engineering, medical and management courses are costlier. For private universities it ranges from $15000 to $30000, for public universities, it ranges from $10000 to $20000 and for community colleges, it ranges from $8000 to $12000. These costs are just the cost of education excluding the cost of living. The cost of living is approximately $15000 to $25000 per year including rent and living expenses for a family. Again the cost of living varies from state to state.
For more details...
The official USCIS website is the best source of information for any kind of visa related details.
http://www.uscis.gov/
Other good websites that can be referred are:
http://redbustous.com/
http://www.ustraveldocs.com/
http://www.immihelp.com/
Go through the below link to find the options you have, to study in US.
https://www.educationusa.info/5_steps_to_study/
Student Employment
F1 students cannot work off-campus for the first year and can work withing the campus. After first year of education, they can take the outside employment which should be related to their area of study and should be approved by the school/ college officials.
Cost of study
The cost of study in US depends on the state, institution and the course. Compared to engineering, medical and management courses are costlier. For private universities it ranges from $15000 to $30000, for public universities, it ranges from $10000 to $20000 and for community colleges, it ranges from $8000 to $12000. These costs are just the cost of education excluding the cost of living. The cost of living is approximately $15000 to $25000 per year including rent and living expenses for a family. Again the cost of living varies from state to state.
For more details...
The official USCIS website is the best source of information for any kind of visa related details.
http://www.uscis.gov/
Other good websites that can be referred are:
http://redbustous.com/
http://www.ustraveldocs.com/
http://www.immihelp.com/
