Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2007 10:09 pm-
You can get a one-year work permit called an I-688B if you are there on an F-1. It's called "optional practical training". Your college should be able to tell you how to apply for it, but it does take awhile for the bureaucracy to move. The beauty of it though is that the employer has no idea you are on a work permit. You can get an SSN with your I-20 and then you can get a DL, so basically when you start work you show them your ID and your SSN and they have no idea you're on a permit, and it's all entirely legal.
The problem is that the I-688B is only valid for a year, so at that point you have to tell your employer what the situation is, and hopefully you can get a letter for a TN-1, if you're in a NAFTA category. An H-1B is an alternative but it's a lot more paperwork plus the quota makes it unlikely you will get one.
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Steve.