visa status of international students who decide to drop out of a PhD

[pringles]

I am a second year PhD student in a top ranked school. I had a really bad adviser and two years into grad school, he decided to kick me out of the lab. So this seems like this is the end of my graduate career. I am hesistant to start over again because I have wasted so much time. If I decide to drop out of the PhD program and get a job does anyone know how the visa situation works out? Is it even legal to do so?

[fuzzylogician]

As far as I know, as soon as you are not a student you are out of status and you need to leave the US. I'm not sure if you can use any OPT (or the J-1 equivalent if one exists) if you don't graduate--but I think you can't and you are supposed to leave the country immediately or change status to another valid status (e.g. tourist). This is a question you need to clarify with the international students office at your school.

[aberrant]

Someone can correct me on this one, but as far as I can recall, you can be a OPT when:

 

1. you have been previously enrolled in your school and physically stayed in the U.S. for 1 academic year under your F-1 VISA, and

2. you have completed your degree.

 

Unless you can get out of your program with a MS almost immediately, otherwise, you are supposedly not allow to stay in the U.S.

 

Applying a OPT and getting an approval takes about 3 months, but let's just assume 3 +/- 2 months depends on your situation.