What are my options if I settle in the US if I travel there on a Student Visa?|103779

I_m planning to travel to the US later this year to study Engineering and assuming everything goes ok and I decide I want to settle there, what would be my options for doing so? Would, for example, I be able to get an employment based Green card if I was able to find a job? I_ve been looking on various US government websites and I_m struggling to make much sense of it all.

Employment based green card is very tough to get, especially if you only have a Bachelor Degree (assuming you_re still in high school now).

You could, however, try to find an employer who_s willing to submit H1B visa petition on your behalf. H1B is valid up to 3 years and you may renew it once more (for another 3 years). Once you_re employed and if they deem you valuable enough, they might be willing to sponsor a greencard for you. I know this is possible because a friend of mine who has a Master Degree in pharmaceutical was lucky enough to find an employer to sponsor her work visa. A year later, they approached her and let her know they_re willing to start the green card application process.

Having a visa is different from having a green card. A visa means you are a guest in the country. You are working, married, or in school and plan to stay for a set amount of time and then go home. Having a green card means you are a permanent resident of the U.S. You have to apply for it once you have lived here for a certain amount of time and you have to have someone vouch for you, such as a spouse, employer, etc to say that you are a good person and you plan on being a good resident of the U.S.

Your best option is to get a student visa and see how you like it in the U.S. If you decide you like America and want to stay here and get a job, you would need to apply for a work visa. You have to have a job with an employer to vouch for you before you can do this. Once you have the visa, as long as you keep it up to date, you can stay for as long as you would like or as long as the terms of the visa allow (it differs with every person). However, I would suggest that after a few years, apply for a green card. You would have established a good record in the U.S. and paid taxes so getting one shouldn_t be an issue. After several years, you can become at citizen!

If you can find an employer who can sponsor you an H1B Visa, then you can stay in the US as long as your employer is your sponsor. So, while being a student, start scouting information which company that gives H1B Visa.

Your OPTIONS are.. to stay on in the U.S. as an ILLEGAL ALIEN.. in which case.. .you will be ARRESTED and DEPORTED when they catch you. You CAN NOT CONVERT A TOURIST OR STUDENT VISA to a WORK VISA in the U.S. any more than YOUR country would let a U.S. citizen convert THEIR temporary visa to a work visa.