Staying in the USA After Graduation

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Whether you’re yet to begin your studies in the USA or are nearing completion of your degree, a question that many Indian students grapple with is whether and how they might stay on post graduation. This post will give you insight into some of the more popular options that can help you achieve your goals.

What are your options?

One option that many international students consider after completion of a Bachelors degree is getting into graduate school for a Masters or PhD, or business or law school. But if studying further is not your aim, the next obvious step is securing a job.

In today’s scenario, the jobs with the best prospects for international and American students alike, owing to the greatest demand for qualified graduates to fill available vacancies, are those belonging to the broad category of STEM i.e. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. For non-STEM graduates, on the other hand, the employment prospects vary greatly. For instance, while management degrees may seem to have more job prospects than art for internationals - which is true to an extent – art majors have been known to be hired by design companies. What securing a job comes down to is plenty of timely preparation (which nonetheless holds true for all international students, regardless of area). This preparation involves research into potential employers and what it takes to get an edge, as well as being informed of all the rules and regulations involved in taking up employment – including visas like the H-1B.

Decoding H-1B

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant temporary visa for specialist occupation. Specialist occupation refers to that which requires theoretical and practical application of a body of specialized knowledge. The minimum requirements for obtaining this valued documentation include – sponsorship by your US employer upon obtaining employment; a U.S. Bachelors Degree or its foreign equivalent; and a correlation between the job duties and your education and work experience. Such a visa is granted for a three-year period, which can be extended to another three years (but no more than six in total). Furthermore, this visa also makes its holder eligible to apply for permanent residency later on.

A limit is set on how many H-1B visas are issued each year, which has historically been 65000, with an additional 20000 visas issued for those who have completed a Masters degree from the USA (an advantage of the graduate school option).  All applications are primarily subject to a lottery system which determines those which will be considered for the granting of H1B.

What are the chances for Indians?

Back in 2018, a report released by the USCIS showed that of the 4 lakh-plus H-1B visa holders in the USA, around 3 lakhs were Indians. Each year, 60% of the H-1B visas are granted to Indian applicants. Judging by these numbers, the chances for Indians are rather high.

However, present circumstances must be taken into consideration – under the Trump administration, in a bid to upping the job prospects for Americans, the rules for H-1B visa processing are being tightened, making it a bit harder for internationals to get them.

The nuances involved in the process of sticking around after graduation in the USA are a tricky field to navigate – for clarity, get in touch with the Hurray Overseas counselling team, via email: overseaseducation@hurrayedutech.com, or phone: 8971357928.


Please feel free to contact us at 9900426501 or 9900621169 for one-on-one free Overseas Education, IELTS/ PTE consultation. www.hurrayedutech.com


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