

Non-citizens can now work on a U.S. startup for ~2.5 years after graduation - pk
http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1207334008610.shtm
The Department of Homeland Security just extended the Optional Practical Training period that international students gets on their F-1 visa after graduation from 12 to 29 months (for students graduating in science / math / engineering). This should be enough time to get a startup off the ground before having to worry about applying for a longer-term visa (usually an H-1B).
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adamsmith
This change is meant to help new employees at big companies, not necessarily
people in startups. Notice that the ruling follows on the heals of the 1-apr
H1B 2008 application date, wherein the quota was exceeded on the first day,
inducing a lottery. The same thing happened last year. Under this ruling new
students graduating and going to work at big companies will have two shots at
the H1B lottery.

That said, startups will benefit from the same treatment.

(See
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H1B_visa#Quotas_and_changes_in_...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H1B_visa#Quotas_and_changes_in_quotas))

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kul
what worries me is that if you're not american, you're a "non-citizen". I'm
still a citizen, just a british one. What's wrong with saying foreign
citizens?

this always freaks me out when I arrive at SFO.

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ardit33
me too. Especially when on the mounted TVs you can see only CNN, and most of
their reports are about the "war in terror", and all the scaremongering going
on, then you see the ocasional guard with the machine gun, then the voice
saying that we are in "Orange level of threat", (has it ever been blue or
green?). Added the knowledge that you can whisked away to Guantanamo Bay, and
have no recourse in courts whatsoever, it makes a very crappy experience.

No wonder tourists don't come as much in the US as it was before 9/11, even
after falling dollar they'd rather go somewhere else where they feel welcomed.

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taxes
"Added the knowledge that you can whisked away to Guantanamo Bay, and have no
recourse in courts whatsoever..."

To be fair, that can happen to you anywhere.

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ChaitanyaSai
The title is misleading. The 17 month period is an extension you qualify for
ONLY if you have already filed for an H-1B. This means you must already have
gotten enough funding to prove that your cash inflow can sustain your salary.

You can stay after the one year period even now provided you file for an H-1B
and get it.

This 17 month period is primarily to do away with the period between your OPT
expiration and start of your H-1B.

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pk
My take on the new rules is that anyone with a pending H-1B gets the 17 month
extension automatically, but that anyone else in the OPT period on an F-1 with
a science / technology / engineering / math degree working for a company that
required skills related to the degree could file for the 17 month extension
even if they don't have a pending H-1B.

Can anyone verify / refute this?

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ggrot
I find it strange that this kind of change comes from the Homeland Security
office.

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alaskamiller
Immigration and Naturalization Services would be the agency that used to take
care these matters. They've since been rolled into with the Dept. of Homeland
Security.

