soph.pia9

Hi,
My name is Sophia and I am from South Korea.
I graduated college last May and I an currently on OPT visa. My boss recently told me that they could not sponsor me with H1-B visa so I am currently job hunting.
Although, since it's getting harder and harder to find a company who is willing to sponsor, I was thinking about moving back near to my host (american) family and my boyfriend.
OPT visa is valid as long as I'm employed, right? So if I get a job at retail store or something like that, it still works until my visa expires, right?
Also, would it be possible for me to apply for visitors visa to extend my stay for 2-3 months so I can spend more time with my friends here in US before I return to Korea?
I tried contacting USCIS couple times but they never gave me any clear answers or instructions.

If you could help me, I would really appreciate it!

thanks!

Sophia

michaelr711

Absolutely not. OPT is only valid for employment in your field of study. It will not apply to retail work. If you move, you would need to find a new job, in your field, in your new location and report that employment to your school officials.

I unfortunately don't have an answer about your visitor visa - sure someone else can help with that.

scrubbedexpat099

You could seek a change of status to a B, would take longer than 3 months so you would be gone before they decided.

civilservant

Pretty much your only way of remaining in the US, short of finding an H1B sponsor, is to marry your 'boyfriend' and adjust status (providing that he is a US Citizen, of course)