

Ask HN: When should I apply for a job in the US? - spinatelli

Hi everybody!
I recently graduated my MSc in Italy and the US (double degree program). A couple months ago I applied at some interesting middle-sized US companies and I have been told to reapply after some months, as the h1b cap had been reached already. So I got a job in Germany, which is cool, but I&#x27;d really like to go back to the US and work for some of the most interesting companies right now. So, when would be the best time to apply in order to a)maximize my chances of getting an offer, b)maximize my chances of getting an h1b?
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keerthiko
IANAL, but I'm going to be frank. The H1B situation is a giant shitshow right
now and for the foreseeable future, so don't hold your breath on this one. It
has been since 2012 in case you haven't been paying attention since before
this year.

To answer your question, the cap is expected to be reached in the very first
week of the season because of the lottery, which will begin April 1. In the
expected <60% (because you have an MS, otherwise <45%) chance that your
application is actually even processed through the lottery, you can only join
your employer in October of that year. So essentially you want to get your
offer by March 10th at the latest, so have your interviews with them sometime
by January. The important thing is you need to find a company with a position
that is ok to be left unfilled by a perm till next October.

For most small-to-medium sized companies, this is a long and risky commitment
without even getting the benefit of your service. It costs more than hiring a
local in terms of USCIS and IRS fees as well as for the HR work. So most
companies, unless pressed hard or you have such a compelling case, will shy
from extending you an offer even if you are an excellent candidate for the
job.

This was not the case till 2012, when it was just a matter of doing a small
bit of paperwork pretty much anytime starting from April all the way till
around November, and get the H1B ready by October. Until that date, the
candidate could be brought on deferred payment with a B1 or other visa and get
settled in before October too, and then transitioned when the H1B visa was
ready. Now none of these things are available anymore due to much more
stringent H1B rules, and essentially it's a logistics nightmare for a US
company to hire a non-trade-partner-national.

In the meantime, I'm not sure if you've done it already, but you should have
the OPT option available to you if you graduated from a US institute, which
will give you a year + 18 months since you're in the STEM service. This is low
overhead for any potential employer, and you can ask them to resolve an H1B or
other visa while on your OPT.

Source: wrestling with USCIS for my visa for the last 3 years

~~~
NhanH
Just a few corrections on the numbers on your post, the idea is correct: it's
<55% for MS candiate, and <30% otherwise). Also OPT is 12 months + 15 months.

The chance for getting H1B has been steadily decreased in the last few years,
and it's highly doubtful anything will change in the next 3-4 years.

------
informatimago
I have no idea on H1B, but in the meantime, you can Next Green Card Lottery is
in Autumn (November IIRC, but you would have to send the papers to the US
ambassy in your country one or two months before).

[http://www.uscis.gov/green-card/other-ways-get-green-
card/gr...](http://www.uscis.gov/green-card/other-ways-get-green-card/green-
card-through-diversity-immigration-visa-program/green-card-through-diversity-
immigrant-visa-program)

But really, you want to go the the USA?
[http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/21/us/gun-drone-
connecticut/i...](http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/21/us/gun-drone-
connecticut/index.html)

~~~
spinatelli
I thought about the green card lottery as well, and I will probably
participate, but it's nothing one can count on :)

And yes, although the US have many flaws, I'd like to live and work there for
some time (probably not forever) :) Coming back is easy and can be done at any
time, while getting there is hard part..

