F1,CPT, OPT,H1B – All about student and work visa in USA

Are you confused about CPT and OPT?
How can you work on a student visa in the USA?
How can you work after graduation in the US?

It is important to know about student visa and work visa before you join any academic program in the USA. Many Indian students plan for higher education but are not aware of the visa structure or their stayback options.

- F1 visa : For students

Without a student visa (referred to as a F1 visa) you cannot study in the US. When you receive acceptance from a university, it will send you a Form I20 within a time of 1-2 weeks, which is a necessary requirement to apply for the F1 visa.

However, some points should be noted in this aspect :
1. Having an I20 alone does not mean that you will get the student visa. You need to apply for it and pass through the interview process as well.
2. An I20 from a good reputed university increases the chances of getting the student visa. This is another reason why students are urged to apply to good universities.
3. You can study, do an internship and work for a limited time after graduation on student visa. (Depending on your OPT period)
4. With a STEM affiliated degree, you can work in the US for 3 years as an employee.

- OPT & CPT

CPT (Curricular Practical Training) is a program which allows International students to gain practical experience on a temporary basis through employment, paid/unpaid internships, cooperative (co-op) education. The CPT program is directly related to their major and is an established part of the curriculum. It must be completed before the graduation date.

OPT (Optional Practical Training) is a program that temporarily allows international students with an F1 visa in the United States to work in relation to their major of study after completing their graduation.
For a normal student, you are allowed 12 months of OPT. And for students who have STEM accredited degrees, are eligible for a 24 month extension after the completion of 1 year OPT period.

- H1B Visa : For work

In order to work for a longer duration, you cannot keep using the CPT and OPT. You will need the highly competitive work visa – referred to as H1B visa.
Here are some important points about the H1B visa :

1. To work long term in USA, you NEED H1B visa sponsored by a company.
2. H1B visas are issued for specific roles and some fields are friendlier to getting these eg. IT, software engineering, finance etc.
3. Indian students should consider whether they can get work visas after graduating in their desired field or not. If H1B visas are not easily issued in your field of study, one may have to come back to India for employment after graduation.
4. Even when you get H1B visa, you can only work that employer. This means, you cannot work part time at any other place in parallel and you cannot start your own company while working on H1B visa.
5. H1B visas are issued for 3 years after which they can be reissued for another 3 years – thus 6 years in total. By the end of your 6 years, if your employer has filed your green card application and it has reached a specific stage, you can keep extending your H1B visa on a yearly basis. However, if your green card has not been filed or did not reach that stage at the end of 6 years, you need to live outside USA for at least 1 year before you can get H1B for 3 years again.
6. H1B visas are extremely competitive and subject to strict quotas. If the govt. receives more H1B applications than the quota, then they are picked by lottery and your getting the visa depends on your luck.

Hope this helps!

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