MBA after MS in US - Work Options, OPT, STEM OPT, Second Mastsers

Hi there,

I completed my MS in US in 2017 and currently working on H-1B. I will apply to pursue an MBA from a US school this fall and have a couple of questions (post-graduation) for which I would appreciate your help:

  1. I understand that I won’t be eligible for OPT post graduation as I have already used it post-MS. But, I only used 2-3 months of STEM-Ext, can you please advise if the remaining duration could be used post-MBA?

1.a If not, what work-authorization options do I have? Since my H-1B is within the six year cap , that seems the only viable option to me.

  1. My current H-1B is based on my BS degree with MS in the same field making the petition stronger. However, post-MBA would be completely different from my BS-MS specialization field, my question is, if my post-MBA employer files my H-1B again, how could it be justified to USCIS? For example, working for a consulting company like KPMG post-MBA.

  2. Is USCIS likely to issue a COS RFE from H-1B to F-1?

Please let me know

thanks

  1. This is slightly tricky, I am not sure, if STEM OPT carries over or not. Check with DSO on this. For general OPT, definitely, you may try.
    Always, it is up to the discretion of USCIS, so be aware of it, when you plan for it.
    1.a. It is very limited frankly…maybe, you can do partime CPT as internship, again, you need to check with school on this.,
  2. Always the justification depends on the job you are applying for,. You can only connect based on the job at hand and justify your profile. They do not care, what all you studied in past, they only see, if your profile fits the job or not and if you have education for it as needed.
  3. In general, very unlikely…but, it is a possibility though.

Also, be aware you are moving from dual intent visa to non-immigrant visa, so that you understand the risks associated with stamping.

Thanks for the detailed response, Kumar. It truly helps. I think its just better to pursue a part-time/weekend MBA, takes away so many risks/complications associated with the visa transition.