Ask HN: Getting hired on an F1 visa

1 points by aportnoy 7y ago ↗ HN

I'm a recent graduate in math (BS) and am working at a university lab as a statistician. I am on an F1 visa and have the option of getting an OPT STEM extension so I can work for 3 years total. I love my current job but I want to transition to industry and have a higher pay than what a university can offer.

How hard is it to get hired at a startup/company to do stats/data science/machine learning while on F1?

Are people at all interested in hiring someone who only has 3 years of legal presence guaranteed?

How common is it for startups/companies to hire a person on OPT with the goal of sponsoring an H1B later?

Would be grateful to hear HNers' takes on this topic. See my profile if you'd like to email me.

1 comment

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imaginenore 7y ago ↗

Well, if you're good, there's a good chance they will hire you and convert you to H-1B. But you need to have work experience. You can work up to 20 hours/week on campus on F-1, so go talk to your IT department, explain you want to work.