Hiring me (an expatriate)

You are an international individual with an F-1 visa status. What does that mean for my company?

An F-1 visa is a standard U.S. visa for international students to study in the United States. Recent graduates are granted one year of OPT work authorisation. If your company is enrolled in the E-Verify programme, you can extend my OPT for an additional two years of work authorisation (due to my area of study falling under STEM), for a total of three years without visa sponsorship.

OPT, E-Verify, STEM, H1-B. What are they?

Adapted from my friend Desmond Du’s website:

OPT stands for Optional Practical Training, which is a program that allows international students who have completed a degree program in the United States to work for up to 12 months in a job related to their field of study. OPT is typically available to F-1 visa holders, and it must be completed within 14 months of completing their degree program.

E-Verify is an electronic system that allows employers to check if their employees are authorized to work in the United States. When an employer uses E-Verify, they enter their employee’s information into the system, which then checks it against government databases to verify their eligibility to work in the US. E-Verify is used to help ensure that employers are hiring employees who are legally authorized to work in the US.

STEM extension, also known as the OPT STEM extension, is a 24-month extension of the OPT program for individuals who have graduated with a degree in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) fields. This allows them to work for an additional 24 months after their initial OPT period, for a total of 36 months of work authorization. To be eligible for the STEM extension, individuals must work for an employer who is enrolled in the E-Verify program and meet other requirements.

H-1B is a non-immigrant work visa that allows U.S. employers to hire international individuals in specialized occupations. H-1B visas are typically used for individuals with a bachelor’s degree or higher in a specific field of study, and the employer must demonstrate that there are no qualified U.S. workers available for the position. H-1B visas are typically issued for a period of up to 3 years and can be extended for an additional 3 years. There is an annual cap on the number of H-1B visas that are available, and the application process can be competitive.

In summary, if you are considering hiring a recent international graduate, they may be eligible for OPT or the STEM extension, which allows them to work for a period of time in the United States after completing their degree. If you are interested in hiring them for a longer period of time, an H-1B visa may be an option to consider.

I have little to no experience hiring expats but I am interested in learning more about the international hiring process, how I can become more informed?

Adapted from my friend Desmond Du’s website:

1. If you are interested in hiring international individuals but are unfamiliar with the regulations and laws regarding employment, you can familiarise yourself with them by visiting the Department of Homeland Security’s site, ‘Study in the States’.

2. Register your company for the E-Verify programme so that your company can hire international people for an additional two years. The process is easy, overall, the process of enrolling in E-Verify involves registering on the E-Verify website, signing a Memorandum of Understanding with DHS, and using the system to verify the employment eligibility of new hires.

We, as international individuals, greatly appreciate any support you can provide in our journey to work and live in the United States.