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Can H1B holder Study? H1B Visa holder study MBA, MS – Full time or Part time ?
One of the passion that drives many people after working for a while is to pursue higher education like MBA or MS in USA. Many of the H1B visa holders want to do MBA from US schools as it adds greater value for their career. Some of them are not sure if they can study full time or Part time, what are the rules, etc. Especially with the new H1B rules from 2011 quota release in January 2010, it is getting tougher and one of the best ways to make your profile more valuable is to add higher education under your belt. This article will list all the details about “ Can H1B holder study in US and all visa questions ”
Study Full time vs Part time as H1B holder ?
One of the myths many of the professionals working on H1B visa in US have about Part time vs full program is, they are often confused by distance education or online education programs. In countries like India, Sri Lanka, or Pakistan, part time education means a complete different thing. The course structure is different and sometimes the degree you get is different too in these countries. But in US, it is different. When I say different, both Part time and Full time students study the same course material and they get the same degree. Then what makes the difference?
- For MS or MBA, if you enroll in 6 credits (typically 2 classes) or less in any US University for a semester, your education status is considered part time. It means you are going to school part time.
- If you are enrolled in 9 credits (typically 3 classes) or more, then your status is Considered Full time student. You are a full time student
That’s the only difference, it is only enrollment of credits or classes that makes a difference in Part time or Full time student status. Universities tailor their MBA/ MS program class schedule in such a way that it is attractive for students who work full time. The MBA/MS classes are held during evenings after 5:30 PM until 9:30 or to facilitate part time students enrollment and flexibility for them to take classes in evenings. Online degree is completely different, do not get confused. Some universities offer MBA Classes on weekends for flexibility, these are exactly same classes as regular. Just timings are different for flexibility. The work load and expectations are same irrespective of when the classes are taught and the degree and curriculum is same for the most part.
H1B visa and Status issues for Studying ?
As a H1B holder, you can study full time or part time. It is up to you how many classes you can handle. Personally, I did take 9 credits and worked full time too. It is how you manage and balance your work and studies. As H1B visa holder, to be in proper status you have to be paid by your H1B visa sponsor every month and you have to be on their payroll. That’s all it matters, as long as you are paid every month and you have your pay check running by your sponsor, you do not need to worry about any visa issues. If your H1B sponsor cares about your higher education and wants to pay you while you are going to school full time, that’s fine too. The key thing is you have to be in legal H1B status and be paid every month. If you cannot handle work and school, then you may change your visa status to F1 visa. But, if you change your status, you will have to take 9 credits every semester to be considered full time student. You cannot be a part time student on F1 Visa and you cannot work full time.
H1B visa and in-state tuition:
Tuition fee is something very expensive as Out-of state student or international student. If you work in a state for more than an year and pay taxes you can get in-state tuition. It saves you a lot of money. Check this article In-state vs Out-of State tuition. Can you get in-state tution if you work in US for more than year ?
MBA or MS in USA ?
If you are not sure, should I do MBA or MS and which is right for you, you must read this article about: Should I apply for MBA or MS after bachelors? It has all the information about fees, education, funding, etc. As a rule of thumb for MBA, it is recommended to have work experience of at least 2 to 3 years. You may read this article, When should you do MBA ? Directly after B.tech or with Work experience ?
If you do have any questions feel free to ask in the Forum, I can do my best to answer your questions.
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{ 170 comments… read them below or add one }
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Hi,
I am on H1B and planning to do MS, is it compulsory to crack GMAT?
Amit,
Depends upon the school’s requirements. Some schools waive off GRE for MS when you have prior experience and letters of recommendation.
Hi Saurabh,
I am planning on taking up a full time MS course here in the US starting september 2013.
However ,I have a full time offer with a company but my H1B will start only in October 2014 as this year my H1B could not make if thru the lottery and my company has kept my offer in place saying they will apply for my H1B next year.I wanted to know that next year when i convert to H1B can i still continue my masters part time or will I have to take 9 credits as what course I am enrolling in is actually designed as a full time course.I spoke to the advisor at university and the international student services office and they say that there is no restriction as such but they sound pretty unclear.
I would really appreciate advice from your side.
Thankss..
Kjain,
When you move to H-1 status next year, you can continue MS on a part-time basis. As your status would have changed to H-1, your main focus will become working full-time and then study on the side. You will have to check w/ your school on many credits you still need to take to remain enrolled. Also check w/ them about the fees as you will change from F-1 to H-1 as may be subject to in-state or out-of-state tuition fees vs international fees on F-1.
Thanks for the information sourabh.
I was reading an article on redbus where it says that if you do change to H1B before completing masters ,which is my case,it can raise a red flag with USCIS.
Is that true?
Furthermore I am currently on H4 would you advice to convert to F1 or remain on H4.The only reason I am doing so is cause there is no gurantee that next year H1B will not go into lottery.With f1 i will have more options open.
Please suggest
KJain,
It depends on the case. When someone moves from F-1 to H-1 within few days/weeks/months of landing in US, then it can cause USCIS to question the intent of taking up the F-1. However, if the person continues studies for a long time and then moves to H-1, then the question is not asked that much. There is a general 30/60/90 principle, according to which, chances of them questioning the intent is pretty low are staying on F-1 for more than 90 days.
My suggestion will be to move to F-1 as it opens up more avenues like CPT, OPT and Advanced degree quota for you. Although the fees might be more but one can get little creative w/ it. Check w/ school what OPT requirements are. If they need 1 year of F-1 term, then you can study on H-4 for first year and then move to F-1 from second. You can similarly check for CPT requirements.
Lastly, do not fall in trap of schools that flaunt CPT from day 1.
thanks a lot Saurabh for all the information..really appreciate.
Hi Saurabh,
I want to study MBA in US. Currently I am doing fulltime job in US. My employer would not allow me to study in US. I know it. Can i do fulltime/parttime MBA in US without my employer’s help? One option is to study MBA in F1 visa. Can I do it with H1b too? Does it require any employers approval? If I do MBA with H1B visa will i get change to participate in on campus job opportunity? My biggest question is do i need GMAT and TOEFL score to study MBA in a standard school with H1B visa?
Thanks in advance,
Krishanu
whether or not your employer agrees , you CANNOT study while on H1 B.
H1 B is purely work Visa
I have to correct my statement.
If your employer pays then its ok.
Krishanu,
You can continue to work full-time and study part-time on H-1. As long as you are working full-time, this should be fine. You cannot take any financial assistance from school for this (CPT, OPT etc). The fees can be paid either by you or the employer.
Thank you Saurabh for your reply. I have two more questions.
If my H1b visa get cancelled while applying for extension, then what will happen? Can I covert it to F1 Visa?
If I do MBA with H1B visa will i get change to participate in on campus job opportunity?
My biggest question is do i need GMAT and TOEFL score to study MBA in a standard school with H1B visa? Could you please recommend any university where I dont need to have GMAT score?
Hi. I got a MS degree 2.5 years ago in an american university and after that I was enrolled in both OPT and Post-Completion OPT since my Master is in Chemical Engineering. My OPT extension expired on November 22 and now I am full-time student in a PhD program in the same university. However the company for which I worked during my 29 months of OPT wants to be my Sponsor for the H1-B Visa, and I am willing to accept the job offer. Some questions in my case are:
a. In case H1-B is approved, what is the date when the F1 Visa is cancelled due to the approval of the H1-B?
b. When working for a company under H1-B status, is it completely necessary be a formal employee or is it possible to be hired in professional services basis?
c. If H1-B is approved and I want to keep studying partial time (or full-time if possible), Do I will still be elegible to receive Research Assistanships and/or tuition exeptioms from the University? Is this regulated by USCIS or by the University itself?
Thanks in advance.
Fernando.
Hello!!
I m in h1b status. I was on b1-b2 when i entered USA. Then i changed my status.
I m working fulltime right now. I want to learn cosmetology. Can i?
Nimmy,
You can take up courses on cosmetology while maintaining your H-1 status i.e. by continuing to work full-time as per the filed LCA.
thank you very much saurabh for replying.
i have already filed I140 ( last week)
i wanna go to india for my brother’s wedding end of this month ( january 2013)
is it safe to travel? will they let me enter in USA again? i have a 10 months old baby so i just dont want any problems.
Nimmy,
You will have to appear for H-1 visa stamping. If that goes successful, I don’t see any issues happening at PoE. Chances of stamping varies from case to case and depends upon your scenario and submitted documents.
Hi Saurabh,
Thanks for elaborative explanation.Is it necessary to give GMAT/TOEFL scores for all courses? Any courses we can simply attend without to worry about GMAT/TOEFL?
Hi saurabh
I am on ead now applied for h1b , now i have 2 questions
1. my ead will expire 10 months, I have MBA admit in hand , I applied for it for a safe hand if I get h1b rejected, so my questions is if h1b is accepted how can i change my status to f-1 if I want to study
2. If my h1b is denied i can study right , do i need to get my visa stamped? if yes do i need to go to India or any other place is also fine?
3. I have my student visa for 1.5 yrs still so even if i go to India before this duration do I need to get my visa stamped?
Raman,
1. File COS from H-1 to F-1 if you want to become fulltime student. If you want study parttime and still be a fulltime worker, then you can do that while continuing to be on H-1.
2. You can study on L-2 and later either file for L-2 extension or move to F-1.
3. Check w/ DSO about this.
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