Jobs for non-US citizens?

[virtua]

Has anyone ever succeeded in finding a job in the US as an alien?

What kind of job do I have to look for so I could be sure that employer will sponsor my visa?

[fernandes]

There are a few things that you need to make clear so that we know exactly what you are asking:

Are you talking about getting a job as an international student or after graduating? Would an internship/coop be considered a job for you? Will you be applying to a job after getting your degree in the US?

 

[AP]

Also, if you are asking as a student, are you asking about on-campus or off-campus jobs?

[TakeruK]

I know a few international people that have successfully found jobs in the US both in industry and academia.

In academia, you don't really have to worry too much if you have a PhD because that makes you eligible for various skilled worker visas as well as temporary academic visas. Almost all universities will be willing to help you get the right immigration status---getting a job is probably harder than the immigration hassles (although I can imagine that citizens of some places might have a harder time than others).

Outside of academia, I think H1-B is the best shot and most of my friends have gone this route. The challenge is that you have to find a company that is willing to sponsor you on H1-B status. This costs them money, time and mostly importantly, there is a quota on H1-B. I think this means that companies might want to make sure you're a proven good worker before they are willing to sponsor you (since if they choose you, they can't choose someone else). Also, there is a nationwide cap on H1-B applications they will process. I think it's 65,000 per year plus an extra 20,000 for those with US masters degrees or higher. It's first come first served so you have to apply really early. I think the US Immigration fiscal year is October to October, and they open applications for the upcoming fiscal year on April 1. So, April 1 2016 was the start of the applications for the fiscal year beginning October 2017. I did a google search and found that they reached the cap of applications by April 9 2016, so there are no more H1B applications available until next year.

So, because of the very tight timeline, you generally need to be able to work in the US and convince your employer to support your H1-B petition the upcoming April. Most of my friends who go this route do so by working on F-1 OPT after graduation and use this time to find a place that will sponsor their H1-B and also to prove themselves. I remember that in another thread you were considering withdrawing early from your program---if you want to work/stay in the US, it might be better to finish your program so you can use your OPT.

All of the above is assuming you meant a post-graduation job. If you are looking for work while you are a student, then you could qualify for CPT or OPT while studying too. There are limits on how many hours you can work (20 hours per week during school year, no limit when school is not in session). Talk to your international student office to find out how to use these benefits. OPT and CPT is managed by your school, not the employer.

[kznw]

What about jobs during the school year? If I'm correct, most offer only on-campus jobs. Is it easy getting those?

[Neist]

2 minutes ago, kznw said:

What about jobs during the school year? If I'm correct, most offer only on-campus jobs. Is it easy getting those?

I worked for a large-ish public university for 9 years hiring student workers, and yes, from my understanding, a lot international students typically only qualify for on campus jobs during the school year. I believe there's also a limit to how many hours one can work. although it's probably at or greater than what one's funding or one's graduate program would allow (I think it's around 20-30 hours, I can't recall).

As for how easy those jobs are to get, it's hard to say. If you're a PhD candidate in petroleum engineering, it's probably going to be a little more difficult getting a job shelving books in the library. You'll probably appear overqualified. However, if a student is, say, a CS PhD student, it's probably going to be easier getting a job in a computer lab somewhere on campus.

My experiences are limited to the university I work for, so I can only comment from said experience. So, my experiences probably aren't universal. 

[virtua]

Thank you, TakeruK, you answered all my questions.

[ShogunT]

3 hours ago, TakeruK said:

Outside of academia, I think H1-B is the best shot and most of my friends have gone this route. The challenge is that you have to find a company that is willing to sponsor you on H1-B status.

@TakeruK already put up a good pile of information. I just want to add one more.

The EB-1 visa (Green card) does not require the any company to sponsor your VISA. You "just" have to be at the top of the food chain in your field.

[PoliticalOrder]

5 hours ago, TakeruK said:

It's first come first served so you have to apply really early.

It's done by lottery, not first come first serve. 

[TakeruK]

1 hour ago, PoliticalOrder said:

It's done by lottery, not first come first serve. 

The way I understood it was that they open up the applications and they will accept applications first come, first served. But if they exceed the cap in the first 5 business days, then they will use a lottery method to determine which 65,000 out of the 200,000+ applications to process. So, yes, whether your applications gets processed will be chosen via lottery but there is a limited number of "lottery tickets" (so to speak) and whether you can enter the lottery is first come, first served (i.e. you won't be able to have your application chosen via lottery if you submit it in like June, because the applications will be closed by then). 

You are right though that I did not word that very clearly in my original post! Sorry!

[PoliticalOrder]

^ Yes, that is correct. There is a hard cap. Basically you have to make sure your employer/their immigration lawyer sends the application by express courier on the day that the application is open (they will not accept apps before). Then once that fills up to the hard cap, THEN they have a lottery to see who gets selected for processing (which isn't necessarily a given you will receive the visa but you should if your paperwork is properly done). 

If you get in your application on the day it opens your chances of obtaining the visa (if all paperwork is legit) is something around 1/4 or 1/5...a little higher if you have a MA/PhD.

[Jon Snow]

So many useful information.......Thanks TakeruK, Neist, ShogunT, PoliticalOrder.