H1-F1 conversion / general student visa questions

I'm in the same boat. Applying for 2016 fall intake. My understanding is that the H1 can be transferred and there's no need to worry about OPT. As long as you have at least an year left on your 6 year H1, companies will hire you. Although, if you have only a year left your green card application should begin right away once you join the company. The bottom line is that once you start your F1, your current H1 period will freeze and be re-opened once you find a job right after graduation. Others can correct me if im wrong...

Hi All,
My situation is something different. I am currently working in US and on H1B visa. I still have 3 years left on it. However, My ambition is pursue part time mba. I am yet to write Gmat. Its high time I take it seriously and complete the Gmat and join a college asap. Is there anyone here sailing on the same boat? I would like to get some idea's or suggestions on how to handle my visa situation. Please help. Thanks a ton.

Can anybody please confirm three things if possible based on personal accounts?

I am currently on H1B and still on it's first year.

How long does it take to get decision on COS from H1B to F1?
Can I resign after I get F1 status or do I have to resign before that?
Will my new employer after graduation be able to use my current H1b?

Really would appreciate any help!

asd

Hi Guys! M bumping this old thread up for discussion to reopen to help the admits from this year. I'm going from H1 to F1 too. From the past discussions I understand that H1 to F1 can be done and the time left on H1-B can be utilized again. I'm in India right now and getting ready to get my F1 stamped. I just wanted to ask if there is a separate form or any other documentation that is needed to be done for such cases (H1 to F1 getting stamped in India) apart from the normal DS-160 that we fill. Also while filling the DS 160 are there any important things to be kept in mind.

1. About a month, if you get an RFE should be another week or two.

2. I resigned before getting the F-1, if you are in the process of applying F-1, your H1-B status is still valid.

3. Yes.

Hi guys,

I am planning to transfer from L1 to F1. I would like to work for my employer as much as possible and to tell as late as possible.

I heard that COS of status can take up to 6 months. Can I have my COS approved but still work for my employer until the school starts?

Hi All, qshdz RahulCFL

I am from India and currently working on H1 (since a month only). I wish to start my MBA starting this fall (July-2017). Request your kind help with below queries-

1. I wish to transfer my H1 while in US only (without travelling back to India). By when should I apply for H1 to F1, so that I can continue working till June end?
2. How much time it takes to get an approval from USCIS? I have heard that it takes few months but one can start the school with the acknowledgment/filing receipt (which is received within few weeks of application)?
3. I understood that remaining time on H1 can be reused. Would it matter if I change my field/responsibilities?
4. If I seek sabbatical form my current employer, can I still do internship in some other firm?
5. High level actions/steps to be taken for transfer would help a lot..

Thanks you so much!

Guys, any inputs please? Thanks

Bumping this thread and seeking answer..


I'm on H1B and admitted to a top Bschool. Now, I want to change status from H1B to F1.

However, when I discussed with my attorney, he said that since I have already used my H1B and have only 1.5 years left, I will not be eligible to reuse this time after graduation as I will complete more than 6 years of physical presence in USA.

Has anyone faced a similar situation? What did you do?

Do you have an I-140 approved?

Not Yet. Does it makes any difference?

I assumed you responded to my message.

Well, if you have I-140 approved, you can get extensions on it. In that case H1B 6 years don't matter. I am not sure about your situation as I didn't know that remaining in US would count towards your 6 years. Maybe somebody else here can help. Either way, I'd advice you to consult with a couple other attorneys (if you haven't already) to see what can be done.

AspireMBA2017 , mspmet,

I am in a similar boat. I have lived in the US for more than 6 years , am currently working on H1B and am applying to Business Schools. I don't think I will have enough time to process my COS which is taking about a year.

Could you please write an update about what you ended up doing?

Did anyone else travel back to their home country?
Whats the process and how long does it take ?
Once your F1 is approved, what happens to H1B ?
Can you come back and work until school begins?

Any help would be immensely valuable.

Hey nkan13!

Glad that you asked this question before applying... It might save you some $$$
So here is my story -
after applying to 7 B-schools and converting 3 (Cornell, Oxford, ESADE), I decided to join Cornell. However, the biggest question was Change of status.
I had 1year and 3 months of H1 left at that moment, with no I-140 (it was in process). So, I decided to do some research, including GMAT club which you can see above, before accepting offer. Unfortunately, I found that the land of opportunities have some vague visa laws.
After talking to the current students, ex-students, Visa department of Cornell, researching USCIS, and spending $$$ on attorney, I found that it will be a 'huge' risk if I change the status and join Cornell full-time.

In a nutshell, if you have more than 2 yrs of H1B left or if you have at least a year old approved I-140, you can apply, but there is a high chance that your F-1 visa will be rejected if you already have an I-140 'intent to immigrate'.

So, after counting my chickens, I decided not to pursue full time MBA (I din't accept Oxford and ESADE for obvious reasons - less opportunities).

So, I applied to a couple of Executive MBA programs, and I'm glad that I got accepted to Duke and Ross. I'm a current student at Duke, and I think this was a wise decision as we are getting the same support as full-time students, with same course, same trainings, same clubs, and same experience. Also, since I have less than 10 years exp, I'm eligible for on campus recruiting
On top of it, I still have my job, an I-140, a 3 year H1B and comparatively less loan on head when I will graduate.

Hope this helps. If you want to talk to me, let me know and I will give you my personal number via IM.

Hello from the GMAT Club MBAbot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

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