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Ask HN: Getting hired on an F1 visa

1 points by aportnoy 8y ago

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.

imaginenore 8y 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.