International Student Guide for Gaining Experience in US

Here is a Mathematics problem for you. Shahrukh Khan has started his degree at Pace University

when he arrived in the US in January 2024.

He completed the Spring semester and both summer sessions.

When will he become CPT eligible?

• June 2024 (Summer Session 1)

• September 2024 (Fall Semester)

• August 2024 (Summer Session 2)

• 
  December 2024 - January 2025 (Winter Break)

Madhuri Dixit started her degree at Pace in September and will be CPT eligible in May. She knows that large-sized and mid-sized companies recruit for internships and jobs several months to 1 year in advance.

When is she allowed to start applying for internships and attending employer events?

• September, or as soon as she creates a Resume with the template from the INSPIRE Program.

• February, when the smaller-sized companies begin recruiting.

• December, when she completes the INSPIRE Program.

• May, when she becomes CPT eligible.

Aishwarya Rai is in the final semester of her master's program, and she secured a full-time internship to work 40 hours per week during the Spring semester.

Luckily, she has only 1 course remaining and plenty of time.

Could she accept the internship?

• 
  No, students can only work up to 30 hours per week during the Spring semester. 

• Yes, but only if she can get a special permission to violate federal government regulations for CPT from the Career Services office.

• 
  No, students could only work part-time (up to 20 hours per week) during the Fall/Spring semesters. 

• 
  Yes, students can work full-time with no limitations.

Shahid Kapoor secured an internship, and his CPT Employment Verification form was approved by Career Services. The next day, Bill emails his Career Counselor with the following message:

"I request you to generate my I20 form today."

Select all of Shahid's errors.

• The International Students & Scholars Office (ISS) generates I20 forms, not Career Services.

• 
  He did not wait the 5-7 business days that is required for I20 form processing.

• The expression "I request you to..." is not a polite way to make a request in US professional culture. 

• He should request that Career Services generate a Social Security letter as well.

Babu Rao secured an unpaid internship for the summer for 30 hours per week. His on-campus job allows him to work up to 10 hours per week during the summer months.

He is CPT eligible, and the internship is directly related to his academic major.

What is his next step?

• Contact Career Services to begin processing the CPT, regardless of whether it is a paid or unpaid internship. 

• Panic! Then, run to the International Student & Scholars (ISS) office to demand a new I-20.

• Request a Social Security number from the Social Security Administration office.

• Start interning immediately. No paperwork is needed, as the internship is unpaid.

Johnny is attending an Employer Spotlight Event for a marketing company. He would like to know if he is eligible to apply for their internship as an international student.

During the event, he asks "Does your company sponsor an H1B visa?" The company professionals and HR representatives say they are not certain, and they seem uncomfortable.

What should he have done instead?

• 
  Before the event, research the company on Handshake and Interstride to find out if they hire international students under CPT/OPT.

• Do not attend employer events unless he is certain that the company sponsors. It is a waste of time.

• 
  Connect with the company representatives after the event and ask, "I know we have never worked together, and you do not know about my skills. But could you sponsor my H1B visa someday in the future?" 

• Attend the event and ask the company representatives, "Is the company is E-Verified for OPT STEM extensions?"

Mila Blue is interning in the summer. The work is directly related to her field of study, and she is building important skills. Her supervisor is very supportive.

However, she just learned that the company does not sponsor H1B visas. Also, she hopes to receive another internship offer from a more impressive company.

What should she do?

• Quit right away and wait for an offer from the other company. There is no need to waste time interning at a company that will never sponsor a work visa.

• Complete the internship and focus on building strong relationships with the supervisor and the team. Those relationships will be helpful in finding future opportunities as well as for future references, recommendations, and background checks.

• 
  Submit a 3-day notice to quit before the official end-date of the internship.

• 
  Stay in the internship but invest very little effort in the work.

Jordi applied for a Data Science position. He completed a technical interview and felt he performed very well.

Two weeks later, he has not heard from the company. So, Jordi decided to reach out to them.

Choose the most professional message:

• Email the Human Resources representative 4 times to ask about the next steps of the hiring process and send 2 messages via LinkedIn about her candidacy. 

• 
  Email 3 members of the Human Resources team and copy 6 people working at the Data Science team, saying
  

  "I completed the technical interview 2 weeks ago, and I still have not received a response from you." 

• Email the Human Resources representative and say
  

  "I request you to get back to me as soon as possible."

• Email the Human Resources representative to reiterate her interest and qualifications for the position and conclude with
  

  "I look forward to hearing from you soon."

• Email the Human Resources representative and copy their supervisor, saying
  

  "You said you would email me in a week. Please see what you can do because the Recruitment Team has still not gotten back to me."

Munni was contacted by a recruiter on LinkedIn about an open position at Microsoft. They conducted 1 interview about her background, and she was offered the job.

The recruiter asked for her birthdate, visa number, and social security number via email. He said he will send her a check to purchase training materials, which she will deposit and send the remaining money back to him. 

What should she do?

• Suspecting that this is a scam, contact the Career Services office to check the legitimacy of the offer. Do not deposit the check, and do not provide the personal information.

• Do not deposit the check but provide all the personal information.

• Accept the position and deposit the check right away. What a great deal!

• Do not provide the personal information but deposit the check.

Mia is an International Student, studying Biology on an F1 Visa, and she will be CPT eligible in May.

During an interview for a summer internship, the employer asks her, "Are you legally authorized to work in the US? And will you need visa sponsorship?"

How should she respond?

• I am authorized to work in the US during my degree and for 3 years after graduation as part of my education visa. There is no need for sponsorship during this time. If I were to continue with the company afterward, then I would need employer sponsorship. But I expect by that time, I will have demonstrated my value and fit for the organization. 

• I am not sure.

• No, I am not legally authorized to work in the US.

• I need visa sponsorship.

• I am authorized to work in the US, but after my internship, I will need visa sponsorship.