# Can an international student armed with a state uni degree find a job?



## leoanderson (May 6, 2014)

Hi guys!

Prospective student in the USA, undergrad degree at City university of New York (CUNY). Field of study in accounting. Aiming for long term employment in US, with the intention of getting a green card eventually.

Just wanted to clear some doubts:

1) How much use is a state university degree in accounting for applying for a job into an accounting or finance related firm (preferably a foreign friendly which would be willing to sponsor my H1B1) Having said that , i understand that it has less value as compared to the ivy league or more reputable universities. Cant afford the high cost though. :wacko: Hence the value for $.

_People in the accounting finance industry, any input would be appreciated_


2)What are steps i can take as a student to maximize my chances of securing a job? e.g. internships

_Uni students who have similar plans to work and live in USA long-term, do share your experiences and plans!_


Cheers to summer
LEo


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

Student

Short term, non immigrant visa, but allows for OPT after studies, which is basically for on job training
F1 visa, from an accredited school, to get this as a rule of thumb, you have to show that you have means to cover the cost of tuition and other living expenses, so around $10K on top of tuition per year at the very least. This can be from having cash in the bank, letc.

This visa doesn't allow you to work whilst studying for the first semester of the course (6 months), and then after that, only for 20 hours a week on campus.
Student visas (F) are non-immigrant but in some cases it may be possible to switch to H1-B or a similar visa class on graduation and progress from there to a green card. This is not guaranteed. bear in mind most employees want experienced staff


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

Normally a degree in accounting is pretty marketable, as long as it's from an accredited school (as CUNY certainly is). You might, however, want to check to see what sort of on-campus recruitment program or facilities CUNY runs. 

Getting hired as a NRA (non-resident alien) might pose something of a challenge, however. The requirements for an employer to sponsor your visa are steep (and somewhat expensive). You might have better luck looking to return home for a couple of years and then take your US degree and "foreign" experience and see what opportunities that opens up for you in the US. 
Cheers,
Bev


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## leoanderson (May 6, 2014)

Davis

Noted! demonstrated financial capability would be crucial in securing F1.

Do you know of any foreign friendly firms which have a reputation for sponsoring H1b1? Seems like a good strategy to focus on job search and applying for internships at such firms vis a vis those who cant wouldnt.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

I assume you're a citizen of Singapore judging from the flag you picked. That's helpful because there's a special annual quota of H-1B1 visas reserved for Singaporeans, and Singaporeans haven't been exhausting that quota immediately every April. Consequently, while a prospective employer still has to spend time and effort sponsoring you, they can do so at any time during the year. And that makes you easier to hire than an H-1B.

Thus I'd be focusing first on Singaporean companies that need talent within the United States. I'm guessing a little bit here, but I tend to think you'd be a more attractive candidate than a recent graduate from elsewhere simply because you're already in the United States and reasonably familiar with daily living. So you'll be able to "hit the ground running" with a new employer. You also should be attractive to a Singaporean company with a U.S. branch office or subsidiary that routinely interacts with its home office.

Anyway, make a short list of the companies that fit the profile I just described, then see if you can pursue an internship (if possible) and/or full time employment with any of those companies.

On edit: See if you can earn non-trivial income (from legal work) in the United States over at least 10 calendar years. That's tough to do on an H-1B1 alone but may be possible with a combination of your student visa followed by an H-1B1, especially if you took those ~20 hours of work as soon as you were legally able. (You could get very close, anyway.) The reason is that if you can make non-trivial contributions to the U.S. Social Security system for at least 10 years then you'll qualify for future retirement benefits. I'm pretty sure Singaporeans can collect those benefits overseas when they qualify. I'm not saying you should make _every_ effort to do that, but if you find you're getting up around 7, 8, or 9 years try to make it to that magic 10 if you can. There's a big difference between 9 and 10.

That doesn't mean you have to work the whole year. For example, you could start working in September, 2014, then stop working in March, 2023, and that'd still probably be enough to qualify. It has to be non-trivial contributions within 10 calendar years which is not quite the same as 10 years of work. The definition of "non-trivial" ("4 quarter credits") changes every year, but if you're working much at all chances are you'll easily meet that requirement.

The U.S. and Singapore do not have a Social Security treaty, so your goal (if you get within striking distance) ought to be 10. For citizens from treaty countries it's 2.


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## sgporc (May 14, 2012)

BBCWatcher said:


> I assume you're a citizen of Singapore judging from the flag you picked. That's helpful because there's a special annual quota of H-1B1 visas reserved for Singaporeans, and Singaporeans haven't been exhausting that quota immediately every April. Consequently, while a prospective employer still has to spend time and effort sponsoring you, they can do so at any time during the year. And that makes you easier to hire than an H-1B.


note that H1B1 is non-immigration intent. not too sure about the actual legalities, but that either means you cannot even apply for a green card while on a H1B1, or that you can but once you have applied, you will not be able to renew the H1B1, which may be a problem if it expires before you get the green card.



BBCWatcher said:


> Thus I'd be focusing first on Singaporean companies that need talent within the United States. I'm guessing a little bit here, but I tend to think you'd be a more attractive candidate than a recent graduate from elsewhere simply because you're already in the United States and reasonably familiar with daily living. So you'll be able to "hit the ground running" with a new employer. You also should be attractive to a Singaporean company with a U.S. branch office or subsidiary that routinely interacts with its home office.


My feel is that Singapore companies needing talent within the US would find no shortage of willing relocators from their own Singapore pool of employees, unless the US local knowledge is that much of a premium for the position (eg. licenced US attorney). That said, one possible stepping stone to a future in the US would be to join a MNC in singapore for a few years then request for an overseas transfer.

Yet another option would be to include "finding a native spouse" as a must-do as part of your studies there...


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Accounting, the original poster's field of study, often requires local knowledge. The U.S. has its own unique corporate and tax accounting rules, to pick two examples.

Relocations from Singapore still require immigration sponsorship -- and relocation expenses, acclimation, and acquisition of local knowledge.

I'd say Leo could be an attractive candidate for a small, specific group of employers.


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## leoanderson (May 6, 2014)

BBCWatcher said:


> Accounting, the original poster's field of study, often requires local knowledge. The U.S. has its own unique corporate and tax accounting rules, to pick two examples.
> 
> Relocations from Singapore still require immigration sponsorship -- and relocation expenses, acclimation, and acquisition of local knowledge.
> 
> I'd say Leo could be an attractive candidate for a small, specific group of employers.



Hi BBCWatcher,

Thank you for your reply. I was wondering if you had any idea of who this specific employers are. 

REgards
LEo


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

I think I answered that question already, but, to give one example, there's a Singaporean bank beginning with the letter D that conducts some business in the United States.


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## Bellthorpe (Jun 23, 2013)

All of the Singapore banks conduct business in the US.


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Hence "to give one example."


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