Career

In Part I about the green card (you can find it here), I talked about the internal application process in the company to have work (H1-B) and Permanent Resident (Green Card) visas sponsored.

Oh! Please note that what's in here is my experience with each one of them — I'm not an immigration lawyer and I don't know all the legal differences between them. The points I brought up here are the ones I found relevant to the moments of life I was living.

Below, I will explain each one of them:

Student Visa (F-1)

What it is: The F1 visa is a student visa granted to people who come to the United States for an undergraduate (Bachelor's), or a graduate degree (Master's or Ph.D.).

• You can work on campus, up to 20 hours per week
• Before I came here, I had to submit to the USCIS that I had a certain amount of money in my bank account (something around $8,000). This amount can vary from school to school since the university can send a letter explaining they are offering you a scholarship or assistantship to cover your expenses. In my case, I was granted a scholarship to cover my tuition, and when I arrive in the US, I started working as a Graduate Teaching Assistant and had this "salary" to cover my living expenses
• You can work as an intern through the CPT (Curricular Practical Training), and work in the US after graduation, in an area that is related to the area of study, through the OPT (Optional Practical Training)
• If you are pursuing a degree (bachelor, master, or Ph.D.), in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics), the OPT can be extended by 24 months, with a total of 3 years of work for a student visa holder
• I didn't have to pay Medicare and other state taxes (e.g. in Massachusetts we are obligated to pay for Parental Leave, so I would have needed to pay for that tax). Under the F-1 visa, you only pay federal and state taxes
• You cannot vote

Work Visa (H1-B)

What it is: it is a work visa granted and sponsored by a company. It allows US employers to temporarily employ foreign workers in specialized occupations. A skilled occupation requires the application of specialized knowledge and a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree, or the equivalent of work experience. Within the H1, there are several categories.

• You can work in any area that is related to your degree (e.g. I was obligated to work in an area related to Computer Science and to the role I was applying for with the visa). For questions, your employer will be able to assist you
• If you are laid off by the company, you have 90 days to find another job
• You cannot work and study at the same time because your work visa takes precedence (e.g. I couldn't apply for a Master's Degree while working)
• Your visa is tied to your employer. Every time you pass through Immigration on your way back to the US, they ask you a bunch of questions related to your work and your employer, and you have to present many different documents as proof of employment
• You pay federal and state taxes, and Medicare
• You still cannot vote

Permanent Resident (or Green Card)

What it is: a document that proves that the individual has permanent residency to legally live and work in the US.

• You can work in any area of the industry
• You can work in any domain expertise area
• You can work and study at the same time
• If you plan to stay 12 months outside of the US, you have to apply for your green card extension
• You can apply for US citizenship after 5 years
• After receiving US citizenship, you can pass your permanent residency status to your parents and single daughters or sons
• You can't vote — you are only allowed to vote if you are a US citizen

Below, I explain my green card process timeline, to make it easier:

• July 2016: I got approval from the university
• Mid-August 2016: student visa appointment in the US Consulate in Brazil
• 30/August/2016: departed to the US
• September 2016: classes started and student visa "started"
• June-August 2016: internship through CPT (F-1)
• December 2017: graduated from JSU
• December 2017 — March 2018: waiting for the OPT to arrive (maybe one of the most difficult times in my journey in the US as an immigrant)
• March 2018: started working for Dell with my OPT (F-1)
• October 2019: work visa kicked in (H1-B)
• December 2019: Green Card process started
• September — December 2020: GC put on hold due to COVID and layoffs in the industry
• February 2021: process resumed, recruiting process started and the PERM document submission started
• April 2022: I-140 Approved
• July 2022: Received the Permanent Resident Card

If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message or comment here. I will be more than happy to assist!

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