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Obtaining work visa after being a student (help me stay with my g/f!)

Obtaining work visa after being a student (help me stay with my g/f!)

Old Jan 27th 2004, 1:17 pm
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Default Obtaining work visa after being a student (help me stay with my g/f!)

I am a student who is just finishing up his master's degree in Journalism at a university in Ohio. I am living with my girlfriend here and I do not want to leave her. We do not want to get married now and so I want to obtain a visa to enable me to stay on. What are my options? Does it mean finding a job before May? Does the salary have to be a certain amount? For example, could I simply be a high school coach in a sport? Any help offered would be great. Thanks.

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Old Jan 27th 2004, 1:37 pm
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Default Re: Obtaining work visa after being a student (help me stay with my g/f!)

Originally posted by ksubb
I am a student who is just finishing up his master's degree in Journalism at a university in Ohio. I am living with my girlfriend here and I do not want to leave her. We do not want to get married yet and so I want to obtain a visa to enable me to stay on. What are my options? Does it mean finding a job before May? Does the salary have to be a certain amount? For example, could I simply be a high school coach in a sport? Any help offered would be great. Thanks.

You may be able to apply for a 1 year OPT (optional practial training). This would mean that you could work for an additional year after you finish your studies. I work at the University of Maine and know several master's students who have done this (they have all been on F1 visas). Best thing to do would be to check with your international office at the University.

Good luck
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Old Jan 27th 2004, 1:54 pm
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Default Re: Obtaining work visa after being a student (help me stay with my g/f!)

Originally posted by ksubb
I am a student who is just finishing up his master's degree in Journalism at a university in Ohio. I am living with my girlfriend here and I do not want to leave her. We do not want to get married now and so I want to obtain a visa to enable me to stay on. What are my options? Does it mean finding a job before May? Does the salary have to be a certain amount? For example, could I simply be a high school coach in a sport? Any help offered would be great. Thanks.
I agree with the suggestion of OPT. It's pretty much "automatic approval" after you finish a degree in the US (i.e., I've never heard of anyone being turned down).

It's 7 years since I did it, but back then (a) you didn't have to have a job lined up, and (b) you had to apply for it before you graduate.

The only glitch is if you have used OPT while you were in your degree program (some students use it to work while studying, for example), any time on OPT while studying is taken off post-study OPT. So if you worked one summer for 4 months *on OPT* (doesn't include student work on campus, etc.), then you'd only get 8 months OPT after graduating.

If you find a good job via OPT and do well, your employer may consider putting in for an H1 visa to hire you.

See the folks at your international student office. They should know all about this.
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Old Jan 29th 2004, 12:56 pm
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Default Re: Obtaining work visa after being a student (help me stay with my g/f!)

If I had a job offer as a high school track coach on $3,000 a semester would this be enough to get me any work permit? Obviously I would seek further employment for more funds but would the original offer enable me to get a work visa?
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Old Jan 29th 2004, 1:12 pm
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Default Re: Obtaining work visa after being a student (help me stay with my g/f!)

Originally posted by ksubb
If I had a job offer as a high school track coach on $3,000 a semester would this be enough to get me any work permit? Obviously I would seek further employment for more funds but would the original offer enable me to get a work visa?
Not if your training is in journalism.
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Old Jan 29th 2004, 1:23 pm
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What if my undergraduate degree in England is in Physical Education and Sports Science?
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Old Jan 29th 2004, 2:04 pm
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Originally posted by ksubb
What if my undergraduate degree in England is in Physical Education and Sports Science?
OK, now you've got me stumped. Re: OPT, the answer is almost definitely no, b/c the degree you have studied for in the US is journalism - OPT is permission, essentially, to do a 12-month "internship" in the field you studied for your US degree. Have you tried approaching the local rag and seeing if they will hire you on an internship? This seems by far the most obvious initial answer to your desire to stay on.

Re: getting a visa, the answer is also *probably* no for the job you mentioned, b/c (a) it's part-time (very part-time - $3,000 p/a), and (b) the school probably wouldn't sponsor you for a visa.

BTW, do NOT work as a coach while you are on OPT. You would be violating the intention of OPT - Optional Practical Training in the field of your US degree. Don't risk deportation because that would be the end of your romance.

The good news is that you could look for a PE/coaching job during your year of OPT, and try to get an H1 for the second year based on your PE degree.

Where did you study PE (which UK college)?
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Old Jan 29th 2004, 2:24 pm
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Originally posted by dunroving
OK, now you've got me stumped. Re: OPT, the answer is almost definitely no, b/c the degree you have studied for in the US is journalism - OPT is permission, essentially, to do a 12-month "internship" in the field you studied for your US degree. Have you tried approaching the local rag and seeing if they will hire you on an internship? This seems by far the most obvious initial answer to your desire to stay on.

Re: getting a visa, the answer is also *probably* no for the job you mentioned, b/c (a) it's part-time (very part-time - $3,000 p/a), and (b) the school probably wouldn't sponsor you for a visa.

BTW, do NOT work as a coach while you are on OPT. You would be violating the intention of OPT - Optional Practical Training in the field of your US degree. Don't risk deportation because that would be the end of your romance.

The good news is that you could look for a PE/coaching job during your year of OPT, and try to get an H1 for the second year based on your PE degree.

Where did you study PE (which UK college)?

$3000 per semester not pa.
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Old Jan 29th 2004, 2:36 pm
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Originally posted by manc1976
$3000 per semester not pa.
That makes a huge difference then.....
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Old Jan 29th 2004, 2:37 pm
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still got **** all to do with journalism though
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Old Jan 29th 2004, 6:59 pm
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Just get married and have done with it for God's sake.
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Old Jan 29th 2004, 10:08 pm
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Originally posted by manc1976
still got **** all to do with journalism though
When I mentioned the salary, I was referring to the coaching job as a potential avenue to a visa, not as a job he can do under OPT. He is eligible to apply for a visa based on his undergraduate degree. However, a part-time job paying $3,000 isn't going to get him a visa (regardless of whether it's p/a or per semester).

The simplest solution (besides marriage) is the OPT/internship at the local paper, and then look for a job that could be connected with an H1 (based on either degree). Sometimes when we suggest the best option, it falls on deaf ears though. Some posters seem to look for the difficult route.

So, ksubb, either (a) get married, or (b) look for a journalism internship/job. Then take it from there. Keep it simple. Forget the coaching job.
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Old Jan 30th 2004, 12:43 pm
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The biggest downside to the OPT program is that once youve finished you are not elegable for any other visa for a period of 2 years after you leave. Not good if you end up wanting to get married.

Where abouts in Ohio are you?
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Old Jan 30th 2004, 12:47 pm
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Originally posted by Duncan Roberts
The biggest downside to the OPT program is that once youve finished you are not elegable for any other visa for a period of 2 years after you leave. Not good if you end up wanting to get married.

Where abouts in Ohio are you?
That's a new one on me. I obtained a visa after/during OPT in 1997. Have the rules changed?
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Old Feb 3rd 2004, 1:29 pm
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Thanks for the help. I think I'm going to go for the OPT. Out of interest I asked at the international office if my job had to be related to only what I had studied here and they told me they had one student rumoured to be working at Dairy Mart! Additionally they said that you can get a HB1 straight after the OPT.
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