Hey,

I am in a great Dilemma. I am currently in H4B visa.. that doesnt allow me to work here in US but I get instate tution . I am going to grad school in spring 2008. I have no US working experience.

I will not get OPT unless I remain in F1 visa for a year and is not allowed to work wiht the visa I am in now .

What do you think frens is it good for me to stay in H4B visa or change to F1 visa and get some work?? or work illegallu under H4B visa. More than money I want to improve my communication skill .

Please I need your suggestions !

You can stay in H4 and finish your school in which the tuition is so much cheaper then F1 and then after you graduate you can try for H1 directly.

Hi Sampada,

Make sure that you are eligible for in-state tuition while in H4 visa. My understanding is that you need to have at least an I-55 stamp on your passport apart from residing in the state for 6 months to 1 and 1/2 years (depending on the state) before you are eligible for in-state. I have seen that in the websites of several schools ("in-state tuition eligibility").

If you can get in-state at H4, that is great. Don't worry about OPT for now. By the time you graduate, your spouse may have already gotten the green card. If the in-state does not work, then it's worth changing visa to F1.

Chicagoan,

I have already paid instate tution fee for the first sem so no need to worry about it. Anyways I was just worried that if i dont work I may lose my speaking and interactive skill.

So there is a trade off........!  Any more suggestions !

sampada

Sampada Darling change your H4 to F1 before 4 months of your graduation. You can certainly do that. That makes you pay the Instate tuition and you will also get OPT as soon as you complete. Regarding the work you want to do during your study dont think about that coz you will not earn that much you have gained from Instate Tuition. If you want to work not for money but to improve communication skill try some volunteer work.

Bajae,

The problem is that someone told me that you have to be in F1 visa for a year at least to get OPT and in case you want or got the chance for CPT then H4B visa doesnt allow me to work.

Do you have any idea about that H4B visa and OPT ???

Kya chha yaar ! Kti dukkha dina janako ani kti chusako US lye international student lie...

Sampada wrote:

"Kya chha yaar ! Kti dukkha dina janako ani kti chusako US lye international student lie..."

Come on Sampada, consider yourself very lucky. You are going to pay in-state tuition, which reduces the cost by half. Your spouse is in H-1, that means somebody in the family is bringing the bread home. Compare yourself to other students from Nepal who do not get in-state, who do not have any family member and have to pay tuition as well as room and board all by themselves! And by the time you get your degree you would probably have a green card through your spouse! Trust me you are in a lot better shape. US has been pretty kind to you.

Sampada,

BTW, do you have to get TIN over SSN to study? What docs did you need for applying TIN and how long will it take to get it?

yes sampu, you are very lucky individual.  you did not have to work hard here to get your degree.  you have room to live, food to eat and at the same time going school and that too paying only instate like all the americans do.  very lucky indeed.  so, stick with H4 and enjoy your cheap education.  you can find job later with your masters degree.  as somebody said, prolly by that time you will have EAD or greencard, so no problem at all.  consider yourself lucky.  prolly you have not seen so many nepali students out here who are struggling to pay tuition. 

MS SAMPADA...

START WOKING AT MCDONALDs' NIGHT SHIFT!

U'LL BE LOVING IT!!!

 

Chicagoan and _*,

I really understand how hard it is for a single F1 student who dont have someone to support like I have. Its even hard for me to imagine. Thats why I am saying why they are giving a lot trouble to international student ( I was refering myself too as international )

But we are in trade offs. I dont have SSN as you guys do. SSN na hunu kti jhayou hunchha I know.Ani staying in H4 visa will never be leally allowed to work unless we have green card or someone sponsors me with H1B. Feri its not guarenteed that I'll have work permit or green card by the time I graduate.

I know just having good GPA is just not enough so just wantd the feedback !

Delicate,

Whats TIN..? H4B are elligible to study . So I just had to submit my I-94, immunity proof, GMAT and IBT score and essay, also my husbands Bank Statement, H1B proof and so so. By the way whats TIN ??

Thanks so much anyways,

Sampada

Sampada,

It's a tax ID number. If you have to go to school, then they need some kind of number that is assigned to you to identify (Just like SSN, but you can't get SSN since you can't work). For more info, visit http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=96696,00.html?portlet=1

Does anyone know how to get this number? I just went to Local IRS office and said they can't do it because it should be only for tax purpose which means the H4 holder was supposed to be working last year to file tax return, and apparently the H4 holder wasn't even here in US that time.

Hey,

I do have the TIN no and I got that number when my husband filed for Tax return last year. It took long time.. I first got TIN and only then my husband got the whole sum of tax return.

So, anyways I didnt need that when I applied for school, I dont know if there are alternative ways to get TIN but I got when I was included as my husbands Dependent in the Tax return for the first time last year.

Sampada

If you are H4 and want to go to school, the school creates something called "dummy ssn" for you. It is for their internal purpose and doesn't mean anything. So, you don't need TIN. TIN is needed if your spouse wants to declare you as a dependent so that s/he can get a bigger tax break. It is solely for the tax purpose.

But more than that, I am still confused how a dependent on H-1 can pay in-state tuition. Its really good. I don't know what state Sampada is in, but in the websites of many schools it is clearly written that one needs to provide proof of permanent residency in the form of at least I-55 stamp to be considered for in-state. So, sampada wherever you are you are in a real good State!

 

Sampada/chicagoan,

If it's fine for school purpose, do you also think it's fine for med insurance purpose too? Because if you apply for medical insurance along with your dependent, then they'll ask for SSN no. One of my friends told me that if H1 holder is the primary insurance holder, then you don't need SSN info for your dependents. Anyways, I've to ask the insurance company for more clear answers on this matter.

"One of my friends told me that if H1 holder is the primary insurance holder, then you don't need SSN info for your dependents."

Yes that's right. As long as the primary insurance holder on H1 has family insurance, it does not matter whatever visa the dependent is in. I think your company's HR personnel can take care of it.

Casino wrote:

MS SAMPADA...

START WOKING AT MCDONALDs' NIGHT SHIFT!

U'LL BE LOVING IT!!!

..Casino..I don't think Sampada will be allowed to work in McDonald's. One needs to have a work permit to do that.

Chicagoan ,

Isn't California a beautiful place ???

You are right different states have different rules regarding the instate tution fee for the dependents. Here if you have H1B and his dependent too staying in california for more then a year then you get in state tution fee. I heard that you can even get reimbursement ( up $2500 or more.. we'll know in this time tax return) for certain amt paid for the dependents tution fee.

Also, someone told about the medical insurence.. H1B's dependent are medically insured by his company so no need for SSN for that too. I'll be getting the medical fascility as much as someboby working in the office working will be getting.

Sampada