hi sajha users,

my opt is expiring on june 05,06 and my sponsor is applying my h1 on apr15,06. so, i am planning to go back to nepal after i get my h1 docs. and i am planning to come back in oct, 06. so my questions are:

What process do you suggest me to do to apply h1(do you prefer premium over normal processing?)? since, to get h1, it takes a max of 150 days(ie beyond my grace period.

Is there any obligations for those people who worked in his OPT for 3 months and go back to nepal for visa stamping?

i will be really thankful for the help.

Thanks a lot guys. yeah, there is only two options i have after august. i am leaning more towards going home but at the same time i wanted to keep the backup option on getting I-20. Mr. BhaskarNJ, you gave me the idea of getting the I-20 and i understand why you recommended me. there is always a chance of getting rejected no matter what, you never know. but what about getting I-20 from some colleges that has the classes starting on intersession semester. for fall, intersession classes starts around mid-sep. so that way, i don't have to worry about of going off-status.

mr.harris, what about the company that is owned by indians because i am working for them. is it hard for the counselors to believe on them? the company is a consulting company and has pretty good reputation. it was established around 1999 and up-to-date there are around 450 consultants working for it. so, it has pretty good reputation in the market.

and as far as getting my h1 papers via airmail is kind of uncertainty. you never know how long it's gonna take to get the papers back in nepal. i don't trust the postal system being sent to nepal. so, i am thinking to do premium processing. what you think?

thanks a lot again guys!!

Bhaskar, can you take online courses and get i-20? i thought you couldonly take 1 online credit per semester as an international student.

I am glad that you got some good advices. Get full information before attending course with Kaplan so that you are eligible as a full time student to get I-20. Good Luck.

Once USCIS approves the H1B paper, why should the consular deny a visa stamp? That will be a rare example if it happens.

Dyamn, you can't get I-20 only for online courses. Even you are already in the US on F1 status, enrolling online courses only doesn't maintain your visa status. International students must enroll and attend classes while maintaining minimum course load set by the university.

Normal course load for international student is:
Undergraduate 12 credits, graduate 9 credits; working hours allowed max. 20 hrs/week during class in session, 40 hrs/week during breaks. Some universities allow to take 9 credits for undergrad and 6 credits to graduate as a minimum if they are on assistantship.

Thanks for posting this tread

Dude, you can't take online courses these days.....There used to be days when you can enroll on online courses and maintain the F-1 status, but not these days, which is too harsh especially in these situations.
Since I've already mentioned about enrolling in Kaplan center, one of you guys will sure be confused on whether to take online classes or attend the classes. Guys, attending classes are mandatory for F-1 students(even for kaplan students) and it(kaplan to be precise) coems with some strict rules and regulations . Make sure you carefully and strictly follow 'em ( you'll know on the day of your enrollment!!)
Reply me for any other specific questions...
Bhaskar

Harris, I don't wanna be mean but this ----->
"Normal course load for international student is:
Undergraduate 12 credits, graduate 9 credits; working hours allowed max. 20 hrs/week during class in session, 40 hrs/week during breaks. Some universities allow to take 9 credits for undergrad and 6 credits to graduate as a minimum if they are on assistantship. "
DOESN'T APPLY IN KAPLAN...They've some "severe"(only if you'll be working in your project while attending Kaplan, otherwise the coolest Rules....)
I thiink Kaplan needs to send me a keg of Sierra Nevada by now...ha ha...but Kaplan you saved my days! Thanks...
Bhaskar

Hey Bhaskar, so what are you saying, if we can't take online courses then how can we enroll in Kalpan and maintain the status? so are you saying that Kalpan is no good anymore or should we find a Kalpan center in our location where they offer physical classes. Please help..and thanks a lot Bhaskar

"should we find a Kalpan center in our location where they offer physical classes."
Kaplan is the best dude. Unless you wanna spend an extra 1000-2000 bucks for a college I suggest you to go for kaplan. But ,You're absolutely right, find a kaplan center nearby, Call 'em and ask the details. They're especially great in giving the correct information.
As I can smell that you've already gone to their website(keep up your curiosity!!) , yeah they offer two kinds of classes, online and the usual class....Physical class, in your words, is for us (seeking F1..)

"so are you saying that Kalpan is no good anymore "
Dude I'm asking them for some nice ale for advertising their business....
cheers
Bhaskar

Hope that helps!
Bhaskar

Mr. BhaskarNJ, you gave me the idea of getting the I-20 and i understand why you recommended me. but what about getting I-20 from some colleges that has the classes starting on intersession semester. for fall, intersession classes starts around mid-sep. so that way, i don't have to worry about of going off-status.

sorry delicate, i didn't mention that one yet, but it's good that you asked!! Actually that's the best way to go unless you go for the regular processing. A big time money saver and yeah of course our precious time!! Here is one thing you may face if you don't go for premium:
H1 approval might take longer than expected, can be as late as end of november/december....With this precaution, you shouldn't enroll in colleges where the session starts from september or october...
Go for the premium, get I-20 from a college, Forget Kaplan....
That's the final answer for premium goers..
But regulars,sit tight, Kaplan is always there.....And guys, don't forget to hunt for some other language/gre centers....Let me know if you find one cheaper and flexible...
cheers,

BhaskarNJ,

thanks a lot man, but i don't know, i am just thinking to go to nepal and come back. i just think it's not worth sitting here and going to college forcefully. that's why, just leaning towards of going back to nepal after doing the premium processing. what you think?

does any one know if one can get H1B visa for Technical Support job ??

i am working for Microsoft thru a staffing agency but i dont know if there is any chance for H1 B.

Delicate, it's up to you man....Whichever way sounds good to me...I haven't been to Nepal since I got my H1B, so I don't have a precise information on how to deal it from Nepal. I saw a thread somehwere in kurakani, couple weeks ago, dealing with the H1 from Nepal. Better check with your employer , and make sure you collect all the materials that will be needed to show to the consular...Good luck dude..

"Does any one know if one can get H1B visa for Technical Support job ?? "
Definitely one can get H1B sponsored for tech support. But depends on the employer. I know Manpower in minneapolis sponsors H1B for techies.
But, most of the time, employers try to avoid this sponsoring hassle. So for right now you can initiate this process by asking your employer, probably the Manager of your staffing company.....coz most of the people working there in HR might not know about this stuff...So don't waste your time scaring them, talk to the big guy directly and give him the scenario!!
cheers,

GREAT POST GUYS !!!

LOT OF INFORMATION..

HEY BHASKAR!! LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE TOO MUCH MINNESOTA AND JAPAN CONNECTION. SO WHY THE HECK DID YOU PUT THAT NJ IN YOUR NAME ?

Nice Thread..

Guys i m in a same situation and need some advice. I am currently working now and my employer offered to apply for H1B on April 1st. My Opt expires in June. I will have 3 month+ gap of unemployment. If i could obtain my F1 status and obtain CPT (that will allow me to work part time), my employer will agree to continue my employment as parttime. Sajha Users, can you please give me some insight on if I can obtain F1 status and be able to work parttime as well.
Any advice is appreciated.

A friend of mine was working on OPT. He had his OPT expired on August 12, 2006. He had applied for H1 B from this company he was working with. His H1 B would start on October 1, 2006.

He was given an unpaid leave by his office for that gap. He didn't join any school. He joined the office on October, 2006 after his H1 B started. He is fine now. Well he had to pay for the insurance the company was paying on his name.

Probably he will go somewhere to get his passport stamped.

So this is it.

I hope this will give you some idea.

Best of Luck :-)

camoflaged..

to have upaid leave.. the person has to be employed... to be employed s/he should have valid visa.. (H1, OPT etc) if the person does not have valid visa, they cannot be an employee anymore so how can this work??