Work Visa Sponsorship

Question

I'm hoping to elicit some outside opinions about this because half of my class (08') is international and having a difficult time securing permanent employment with firms that offer work visa sponsorship. It seems like many companies are reluctant to sponsor international students, regardless of their MBA qualifications. 

This is not a recent phenomenon either. I know many former colleagues from India and China, who graduated from elite (M7) MBA programs and possessed additional marketable skills such as CPA and/or CFA licenses, but were predictably denied sponsorship after their one year H-1 visa expired. I have even heard of Goldman Sachs turning down sponsorship. 

It's disheartening that so many of my classmates (who are indeed far more talented than I ever will be) simply avoid career fairs because they know 95/100 companies require domestic work authorization. It's like digging for a needle in 10 haystacks. 

Why is our government so obstinate about giving talented MBAs work authorization? Even if all 300,000 of them stayed each year, we still would have a competitive advantage with a significantly better skilled/educated workforce. What gives??

It's pretty pathethic, but true.

Fig · Answer

Hats off for your attitude here... U are not concerned at the first place about this issue yet u have decided to talk about it.

Yes, I think that it's not an open approach the US use now. Most people, following US MBAs program, want to work in the US afterward. But, unfortunately, a lot of these international graduates will be in a big trouble to do so.

From an other point of view, this leaves rooms to other countries to "catch" talented people not only for their MBAs program but also for their companies

dosa_don · Answer

As someone who has gone through somewhat similar experience while I did my MS at a pretty school, I completely agree and laud your open mindedness. I used to skip going to the career fairs as I knew no company would even consider hiring an international student. Having said that, I believe the government is under some pressure to make some reforms and they have in fact taken some commendable initiatives- such as having a quota for students who have completed their graduate studies in the US. Just a couple of friendly corrections in your assessment

H1-B visa is for 3 yrs and you can get an extension once- so basically you can stay in the US on a H1 visa for 6 yrs. The H1-B quota is not 300,000 per year but rather 65,000. It used to be higher during the tech boom (about 150k or so).

BCC145 · Answer

H1 visas are granted for 3 years with optional 3 years extension. I believe your friends were talking about Practical Training visa, which is granted for all internationals that complete their education in the U.S. I am speaking as an international who was able to secure the visa. Are there any specific opinions you are soliciting? Ozmba has posted in B-School application forum that about 40% of companies are willing to meet with international students (https://www.gmatclub.com/forum/t55864). This number sounds about right to me based on my experience. Of course this number depends on the school you attend, region/location, job market etc. I think in general companies are cautious to hire internationals. For one thing, if a company decided to hire one then it must think about the additional costs. These costs can run up to $10k for each international hired (H1 processing, expedite, legal; and if asked, green card app fee, legal, green card processing fees etc., you get the idea). Why hire an international if you can get a U.S. citizen or a green card holder with the same qualifications without paying these costs? Will these internationals go back to their country after their H1 visa expired? Will these internationals be able to get into this year's allotted quota in time (if not then there is 1 year disruption)? If your friends really want to get a job, I suggest your friend to actually go to job fairs / recruiting events. Some employers know really well about the H1 visa process but some have no idea. When filling the interview screening form, either put in "you can work in the U.S.' (come on, technically you can with the visa right?)

or don't fill in this portion at all. The point is to get the interview first before getting rejected. This way your friend will at least have a chance to persuade the interviewer that he/she great for the job. Also, when asked in person whether he/she is authorized work, be honest and talk about the H1 process.

riverripper · Answer

Haven't you figured out the US government has it backwards...The try to tell us that of course we need unskilled worker visas but we need to keep out the well educated. Soon the world will be based on the euro and 50% of Americans will work at Walmart and McDonalds. When we graduate with MBAs I would seriously consider trying to get paid in Euros, its the new way to do business. 

Seriously though, I think that people who are educated in the US should have preference for any kind of visa. The cost of a higher education over here is insane and it is horrible to allow someone to come over go into 100K of debt and then say you cant stay time to go home where you will make 20K a year and will never repay your debt. Plus we educated you but since you weren't born here you can take your highly developed skills else where. Thats just crazy, you find the best and the brightest from around the world. Bring them here and then keep them here to build up our competitive edge. Look at masters of engineer or computer science programs the proportion of foreigners is mindblowing...if billy bob from nebraska doesnt want to be a phd in chemical engineering but Sanjay gets that degree and then the US sends him packing back to India. How does that help us? It sucks for Sanjay too but India lucks out getting back such a smart guy.

The problem a lot of Americans have with the H1B are the outsourcing companies from India. Some companies import large numbers of people for specific jobs but pay less than the going wages for a typical citizen or greencard holder. Now yes they need to bring over people to fill voids but it is a way for some companies to cheap out. This is what really bothers americans because they feel that a job that they get paid 75K to do but someone else is willing to do for 60K is going to hurt their future earning potential. Well not only does it hurt others working in the industry but the visa holders themselves in a way because they are undervaluing their own work. A company that basically imported them to work here can pay less than the going rate, not give raises and bonuses they deserve...and what can that person do. 

Right now with the competition in IT jobs salaries would probably be going up even faster because americans arent going into IT like in the late 90s. So instead of a 5-6% average salary increase someone could be seeing a 10% increase if there was more competition for their services. That is how americans view it...people that hear about the H1B picture someone writing code and undercutting others salaries. They dont see the 2nd year MBA student not bothering to go to a Bain speech or a Goldman presentation because they wont be able to get a visa to get the job.

The visas suck anyways since your spouse cant work if they dont have a visa too. I met a recent grad whose wife had a Phd and couldnt work because she didnt have a visa. So her talent and knowledge was wasted. They really need to come up with a visa systems more like England.

BCC145 · Answer

I hear you river... the visa structure does suck.

MATT - I imagine your friends want a job because he/she want to permanently move to the U.S.? Or maybe about salaries... in either cases, your friends should seal the job deal with companies as soon as possible. The 65k H1 quota fills up extremely quickly (and I am talking in 1 day). They can start filing petitions around October so they need to make sure to get a job before that.

riverripper · Answer

It definitely has to do with salaries and sometimes spouses. I have met more than a few students whose wives are also getting advanced degrees over here. Someone can't take on 100K in loans then go back home and make what is great money there but 1/4 of what they would make here.

I met an alum at a Sloan event who said the only reason he took his summer internship job was because of the visa situation. The company offered to sponsor him and he didn't want to risk spending months looking for one only too miss the deadline.

tauslu · Answer

As a international student / worker, few things that might ease some of your concerns. 

Upon graduation from college from a U.S. institution, any international student is eligible for Optional Practical Training. It is basically a one year work permission. 

In addition, while going to college (either undergrad or grad) students are entitled to CPT (Coop Practical Training or something like that) This allows the students to work for co-op during their school and this might be a great opportunity for the MBA students who are looking at interns. 

Lastly, there is a separate quota of 20,000 for students who complete their graduate degrees (i.e. MBA) in the U.S. I know that it is not enough but it is better than nothing. 

For those who wonder, I am finishing up my third year in my H1-B and going for the second three years in January.

ioiio · Answer

You get only one year for each level of education. So if you have used it for say. ur MS degree, you cant use that 1 year for MBA. You can only use it again after a PhD. Almost every international student who applies for a MBA has a MS degree and everybody uses their OPT fully.

So, most international students must be in a "sponsoring" job 45 days after course completion or face a flight back home.

dosa_don · Answer

Well if you are married and your wife has a H1, you can be in the US on a H4 visa (I think).

3underscore · Answer

This is quite important - these ran out during April, but not on the first day. So they aren't as competitive as the pool where half the people simply drew short straws on day one due to the over-subscription of the H1-B.

Work Visa Sponsorship

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