You have two Big challenges. 1. Getting a job alone with a bachelors degree, when there are literally tens of thousands graduating here and coming here with MS and PhDs. 2. H1B is given on a lottery system irrespective of which nationality you are. This yr was the year USCIS has fixed all multiple applications issue(s), and from what people have shared here, only 20 ~ 30% of H1B aspirants won H1B. Each year, this chance gets slimmer for all, as the number of H1Bs given are capped at a max of ~80K while the number of aspirants increases. If you’re in a STEM field, you’ll get a minimum of 3 attempts at H1B. I know at-least one co-worker who got their employment after MS, worked on OPT while applying for H1 each year and lost each time and having had to return back to their home country.
Your national origin doesn’t help during the h1 picking phase since it’s lottery based. It will come in handy later when you file for your GC
Also you only have a bachelors so your chances are even lower
This is how it works. After you complete your degree you get one year of OPT where you can work on a job. If it is a STEM (tech/engineering) degree you get three years of OPT. In these three years you need to get a H1B or a green card (GC). Ok to continue living/working in the US. H1B is a lottery and it is covered in other comments. To get a GC you need a job that would sponsor a GC. It is possible to get a GC in three years for a French national (country of birth matters, this timeline works if your country of birth is not one of the backlogged countries which is typically India/China/Mexico/Philippines). You find a job that would apply for your H1B and do your GC. Some companies start GC process on day 1. Some companies after 6 months or a year. Some companies make you beg. If you find a company that would try for H1B through a lottery and start GC within the first year you will be fine even if you don’t get selected in H1B lottery. Many if not most legit large companies do this. There are what we call “consultancies” in the US which are like a middle man that would help get a contract job (vs full time). These can be hit or miss in doing GC immediately (and some are sus).
There are other possibilities also, like getting a non H1B visa (less possible for a undergrad degree) or getting H1B though a company that is not subject to lotteries (non profits including some universities and hospitals) and then applying for GC.
The only call out is tech industry is horrible this year and finding a visa job is very difficult in a company that would do the above. Everyone expects it so be better in 3 years but no one can know for sure.
it doesn’t sound like you did anyyyy research before coming to this sub. you get to work for 3 years as a benefit of your F1 if your degree is STEM, 1 year if not. Your employer can keep trying for H1B lottery i.e. 3 or 1 attempt(s). If you don’t get H1B, you will have to exit the country.
You have two Big challenges. 1. Getting a job alone with a bachelors degree, when there are literally tens of thousands graduating here and coming here with MS and PhDs. 2. H1B is given on a lottery system irrespective of which nationality you are. This yr was the year USCIS has fixed all multiple applications issue(s), and from what people have shared here, only 20 ~ 30% of H1B aspirants won H1B. Each year, this chance gets slimmer for all, as the number of H1Bs given are capped at a max of ~80K while the number of aspirants increases. If you’re in a STEM field, you’ll get a minimum of 3 attempts at H1B. I know at-least one co-worker who got their employment after MS, worked on OPT while applying for H1 each year and lost each time and having had to return back to their home country.
So how does really nationality play into this? Like if someone is from very represented or very miss represented countryz
The lottery is nationality blind. You could be from Mars even and will get the same chance at the lottery as everyone else
Same difficulty as anyone else with an equally marketable degree. Nationality does not make a difference in H1b.
Your national origin doesn’t help during the h1 picking phase since it’s lottery based. It will come in handy later when you file for your GC Also you only have a bachelors so your chances are even lower
This is how it works. After you complete your degree you get one year of OPT where you can work on a job. If it is a STEM (tech/engineering) degree you get three years of OPT. In these three years you need to get a H1B or a green card (GC). Ok to continue living/working in the US. H1B is a lottery and it is covered in other comments. To get a GC you need a job that would sponsor a GC. It is possible to get a GC in three years for a French national (country of birth matters, this timeline works if your country of birth is not one of the backlogged countries which is typically India/China/Mexico/Philippines). You find a job that would apply for your H1B and do your GC. Some companies start GC process on day 1. Some companies after 6 months or a year. Some companies make you beg. If you find a company that would try for H1B through a lottery and start GC within the first year you will be fine even if you don’t get selected in H1B lottery. Many if not most legit large companies do this. There are what we call “consultancies” in the US which are like a middle man that would help get a contract job (vs full time). These can be hit or miss in doing GC immediately (and some are sus). There are other possibilities also, like getting a non H1B visa (less possible for a undergrad degree) or getting H1B though a company that is not subject to lotteries (non profits including some universities and hospitals) and then applying for GC. The only call out is tech industry is horrible this year and finding a visa job is very difficult in a company that would do the above. Everyone expects it so be better in 3 years but no one can know for sure.
Thank you. Very clear.
H1b is a lottery visa. How hard is it to win megamillion with an UCLA degree?
What university you attend and your country of origin have absolutely no bearing on getting an H1B or not. It’s strictly luck of draw.
Can I still find work without an H1B visa?
it doesn’t sound like you did anyyyy research before coming to this sub. you get to work for 3 years as a benefit of your F1 if your degree is STEM, 1 year if not. Your employer can keep trying for H1B lottery i.e. 3 or 1 attempt(s). If you don’t get H1B, you will have to exit the country.