First, immigrants can legally work in the United States and choose their favorite occupations according to their own conditions. Whether you start your own company or work for others, it is protected by American law. However, the immigration visa management in the United States is very strict, and the success rate of an undergraduate is not as good as that of an illiterate rural old lady who can only cut paper.
The second is to study in the United States and get a work visa after graduation, which is the choice of many people.
There are many kinds of work visas in the United States, and the most common one is the H 1-B visa that most people apply for. There are two kinds of H 1-B, one is called Cap-subject, and the other is called cap-escape. So what is Cap? The upper limit is the quota. The US Immigration Bureau only issues 85,000 H 1-B visas every year, and this 85,000 is Cap. The Immigration Bureau starts accepting applications every April 1. According to common sense, there is no deadline, but once 85,000 places reach the top, applications will be stopped. The competition for this quota is very fierce. Basically, your application must arrive at the immigration office in April 1, because this quota will be emptied in a day or two, and sometimes it can last for a week, but the sooner you submit it, the better. Applications submitted before April 1 will not be accepted. And the applicant is your employer, not you. H 1-B is the employer's permission to apply for your work in the United States. The law stipulates that all expenses must be paid by the employer.
Then your application was submitted in April 1, and after you accepted it, you have to draw lots. Since the economic recovery in the United States, the number of applications has greatly exceeded 85,000 per year. So the Immigration Bureau uses computer to draw lots to decide who can get the visa. This is done to be fair, not to judge the size of the company, the type of work or the salary. Of the 85,000 places, 20,000 are reserved for applicants with master's degree or above. So if you have a master's degree or a doctor's degree, you will draw lots among 20,000 places first. If not, the next round of 65,000 places will be drawn again with undergraduates. In other words, with a master's degree or above, you have more chances to be drawn than those with only a bachelor's degree. But due to too many applications, this advantage is not obvious this year. It can only be said that undergraduates are even more unlucky.
This year, 172000 people applied for H 1-B, which means that more than half of them were brushed off. The probability of being selected for a master's degree or above is 50%, and the probability of being selected for an undergraduate course is 43%. Applications that are not selected will be returned for a refund. There is only one lucky draw every year. If your company is willing to sponsor you to apply again, you can only wait until next April 1. In the meantime, if you don't have other identities such as OPT or CPT, you can't stay in the United States, let alone work. So many times the company will give up on you until the next year to draw lots.
That's Cap-Subject. H 1-B also has a Cap-exempt. According to the immigration regulations, such institutions can apply at any time within one year, and there is no need to draw lots or be limited by 85,000 places, so there is no need to apply in April 1. This kind of unit organization is a non-profit organization connected with universities, research-oriented non-profit organizations, universities and government departments.
After getting H 1-B, you can only work in the company you applied for and at the address specified in the application. You can't work part time. If you change your job or find a part-time job, your new employer must reapply for H 1-B. Under the same employer, you can stay in the United States for three years after getting H1-B, and then you can renew it for three years. After six years, if you haven't got a green card, you must leave the United States for one year before you can apply for H1-B.
Under H 1-B, if you are laid off or dismissed, you must leave the United States immediately, otherwise it will be considered as overstaying, which will be harmful to applying for a visa in the future.
If your first job is tax-free, your second job will be restricted after three years. Then from hat-free to hat-receiving, you have to draw lots, and you can't turn until you win. If you have been in the unit type of cap-subject, you don't have to draw lots to change jobs or extend your visa.
H 1-B is a dual-use visa, which means that taking this visa makes you tend to emigrate. Under H 1-B, your employer can give you a green card as a guarantor. According to the estimation of Immigration Bureau and various lawyers, the lottery of H 1-B will only become more and more intense in the future, which means that the chances of winning the lottery will become lower and lower, because more and more people will apply.
So I suggest that if you want to work in the United States, you should make plans in advance. First find a job in cap-exempt's unit, and use your time to find someone to fall in love and get married. The quickest and easiest way to solve identity is to get married. Now employers are increasingly reluctant to sponsor unless you are in the science and engineering industry. We liberal arts people can only bear it slowly. Or simply go to other countries, Britain, Australia, Canada, only the United States has such a sick lottery.
The third is to send it abroad. A company that works in a related company and then applies for a US branch or head office. There are always few jobs in multinational companies every year. You can also get an American green card for this job.