Hi dear friends,
I’m currently a second-year Ph.D. student holding an F1 visa. Due to the bad relationship with the research advisor, I quit from the current Ph.D. program in April and found a company that willing to sponsor me a work VISA. My sponsor submitted the H1B petition and finally, I luckily got picked in the pool and the petition got approved. Now I’m waiting for the official documents.
As you all know, it is almost the fall semester, the time that the regular international student has to register the course (as a full-time student) to maintain his/her F1 status. Here come to my questions:
- Do I have to register the course as usual to maintain my F1 status to stay in the US? (Since my VISA status is changing, I don’t know if I got some special period that I can legally stay in the US.)
- In this summer semester, I registered 2 credits of CPT so that I could work for my sponsor in the summer. (PS: international students are not required to register as a full-time student in the summer term, but they have to register 9 credits hour to be a full-time student in fall and spring terms) Can I register 2 or 3 credits CPT course in this upcoming fall as a part-time student and work for my sponsor again?
- I do investigate the possibility of doing a part-time Ph.D. while holding an H1B work VISA. There is no law prohibits H1B VISA holder studying as a part-timely in the college. My question is how can I maximize my benefits in the transition period (F1-to-H1B without OPT: assuming I will receive the official H1B VISA by Oct. 1st) without breaking the laws and rules.
My case and description may be wordy, but I do need your help and advice. Please feel free to leave anything. I will be very positive to share my experience and get your advice. Thank you in advance.