Calling all Int'l applicants

Question

Thought it would be useful to gather ideas and inputs about issues that gen plague the Int'l applicants 

- Visa status
- H1B Quandry
- Student loans

For starters - me, right now on H1B, goin to take a gamble by stepping back to the F1 arena if I get an admit !

Is anyone filing for the EAD that has become current for all EB category recently ?

financeguy · Answer

Thanks for starting a nice thread. MBA is always a gamble for international students and ROI is much lower for them than US students considering the career/family/money risks involved.

But risks are always there if you want to make it big in life.

I am an applicant from Pakistan, now in Australia managing my own small business and planning to go to US for an MBA this year.

Thanks

grad_mba · Answer

Reposting the Q i posted on an other thread -

One more consideration -

For any Int'l applicant working say for the past 3-4 yrs will utmost have only an EAD. It takes a further good 2-3 yrs to get the GC.

you cannot attend full time school with just ur EAD after quitting ur job (in which case ur EAD becomes void)

you cannot get a F1 either - as u have expressed immigrant intent by applying for ur EAD !!

So .. whats the solution ?

-wait for ur GC which u might get in like 6 yrs from now ?
- marry a US citizen ?

On the serious side - what are the options for Int'l applicants who already have a H1?

aviroop · Answer

H1-B visa does not imply "immigrant status" - if that were so, each of the 65000 H1-B visa applicants would be treated as an immigrant.

you have to switch to F1, by sending in a form to INS - they approve that form and immediately cancel your H-1 and switch your status to F1. You dont have to leave the US to carry out this process.

So, I don't see a problem here. I have been to a lot of student sessions and met a fair number of applicants with H-1B visas.

bsd_lover · Answer

Well since I dont reside in the US, and have visited the US only once (for 2 weeks), I am truly an international candidate. I am not too concerned about the citizenship / work visa issue, since Australia has a separate work visa arrangement with the US. 

I am concerned about the loan and the banking system in the US. How easy is it to finance the MBA? What types of loans are available ? What kind of collateral do they require ?

Also what type of paperwork is required to get the F1 visa if you are not already in the US ?

grad_mba · Answer

aviroop, I wasn talking about H1B status as being considered 'immigrant' status.
I was asking about the i-480 application - a.k.a EAD application which you file once your priority date becomes current.

Now filing this exposes your immigrant intent and you cannot get a F1 after u file for EAD (atleast that what I have heard)

going from H1B to F1 is not an issue as you stated.

mNeo · Answer

I am also in a similar situation. I had posted similar questions on - https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic ... multaneous

and

https://www.gmatclub.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=45988 (The later part of the thread)

In the end I just decided to go ahead with both the GC and MBA applications without worrying about them so much .. this was the only way I could stay sane.

aviroop · Answer

sorry, I midunderstood your post - 
As far as I know, you can still pursue school - the school will not give you an F1 visa, but something on the lines of your EAD - I know coz one of my friends (from europe), came down here, filed an application for immigration, and then went to school - he did not get a F1 visa - I am not clear what he did, but I will call him to find out

grad_mba · Answer

An interesting article I came across - https://www.collegejournal.com/mbacenter ... alsop.html Guess il always have the tech cushion to fall back on ! or atleast I think.

gmat_march · Answer

I'm sure all of you, who have done Masters from US have used some of your CPT, and most of your OPT (EAD period). I know that there is a limited time one an use for OPT/CPT (1 year) for a masters (be it Science or BA). 
So if I have used 8 months of CPT working as an intern already, I have just months of CPT left for MBA. Same for OPT. 
This disappoints me.
Does anyone believe the rules play otherwise ..?

Calling all Int'l applicants

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