job prospects for international students after graduation Forum

[bunty99]

Does anyone happen to know how difficult is it for international students to get a job in the States after graduation (assuming I'm from a T14 school)?

Does the kind of law you intend to practice affect your job opportunities?

I don't wanna end up with 120k in debt and realize I can't find a job later.

[liz102]

I have been told that it is very difficult but if you attend NYU and Columbia you are at an advantage compared to other international students

tag

[The Kid]

I have been told that it is very difficult but if you attend NYU and Columbia you are at an advantage compared to other international students

Why?

[NewHere]

It's no more difficult than for a US student, assuming that
1. you're doing a JD and not an LLM, and
2. your reading, writing, and speaking in English are at a native or highly proficient level.

If you have language skills that are in demand (Chinese, Spanish, Japanese), you may even have a slight advantage over US students.

(I'm an international student, a 3L at CLS. There are quite a few of us here. As far as we know, we all found a job.)

[Renzo]

It's no more difficult than for a US student, assuming that
1. you're doing a JD and not an LLM, and
2. your reading, writing, and speaking in English are at a native or highly proficient level.

If you have language skills that are in demand (Chinese, Spanish, Japanese), you may even have a slight advantage over US students.

(I'm an international student, a 3L at CLS. There are quite a few of us here. As far as we know, we all found a job.)

I'm just curious, are you on a student visa or are you a permanent resident? It seems like that could be a real obstacle.

[NewHere]

I'm on a student visa. Not an obstacle.

Edited to add: it may be an obstacle for smaller firms who don't have experience with this. It's not an obstacle for large firms and NGOs.

If you want to work for the government, it may or may not be an obstacle depending on what country you are from. (Check the state department list of countries in a 'current military alliance' with the US. If your country is on the list, you can apply to most entry-level govt. jobs. If you come from a country like Iran or N. Korea, then you can't.)

[Renzo]

I'm on a student visa. Not an obstacle.

Edited to add: it may be an obstacle for smaller firms who don't have experience with this. It's not an obstacle for large firms and NGOs.

If you want to work for the government, it may or may not be an obstacle depending on what country you are from. (Check the state department list of countries in a 'current military alliance' with the US. If your country is on the list, you can apply to most entry-level govt. jobs. If you come from a country like Iran or N. Korea, then you can't.)

Really? I mean I believe you, but I had an acquaintance who lost the H1B visa lottery twice before he got one.

[NewHere]

There are two potential obstacles:
1. the employer not wanting to deal with it.
2. the person being denied a visa.

I was arguing mainly that the employer part wasn't an issue, because the question was about getting a job, not about getting a visa.

About the visa part, four comments:
1. The H1B lottery is relevant after (more or less) the first year of work, because for the first year you're covered by OPT, which is practically guaranteed.
2. The H1B lottery has different categories for people with a bachelor's degree 'only' and for those with a master's or higher. For the master's category, the chances of success, before the economy tanked, were almost 90% (I'm told).
3. Now that the economy tanked, the H1B quota was not reached in 2009, and it is possible that it won't fill up in the coming year(s) either. That means that in 2009 there was no lottery, so that everyone who applied and met the criteria got an H1B visa.
4. Some categories of foreigners (Canadians and Mexicans, I think, and there are a few other nationalities) can get around the H1B visa altogether, through other arrangements.

[The Kid]

2. The H1B lottery has different categories for people with a bachelor's degree 'only' and for those with a master's or higher. For the master's category, the chances of success, before the economy tanked, were almost 90% (I'm told).

Hi, Newhere. I've found great advice in your posts all around the forum. Let me ask you two things:

1. Kind of a silly question, maybe, but here we go: for the purpose of the H1B lottery, a law school graduate is included in the master's category, isn't he?

2. If you don't mind, please have a look at my question in another discussion (last post in http://www.top-law-schools.com/forums/v ... =2&t=62509). I just wanted to keep the thread rolling.

[NewHere]

1. Yes. (I should have included that information.) The master's category includes everyone who has more than a bachelor's degree. (PhD, master's, JD, ...)

2. I posted in that thread.

[The Kid]

Thanks a lot. BTW, What do you think of a dual degree program such as the one offered by Cornell (in which one may be entitled to enter the bar in the US and in France)? In view of the restrictions an European citizen may face (visa, green card process etc.), is it worth considering?

[NewHere]

Sure worth considering. (I considered it and decided against it, but your decision may be different.)