Ask YC : Do startups hire graduating students on F1 visas ?

[arohann]

Hi,

I'm an CompSciEng grad student (Masters) about to graduate and am considering applying to startups and smaller companies instead of the usual big stalwarts.

Question is : do such smaller companies hire international students (on F1 visas) ? What is the general trend and also, how does one find such companies ?

Thanks Arn

[amrithk]

I heard the U.S. govt recently extended OPT for 2.5 years. You should be able to work in a startup for at least that long. If you have contributed a lot to the startup's growth, hopefully they won't mind sponsoring you for a H1-B visa after that period.

[arohann]

Yes, they have but there are some conditions that have to be met before tehe 2.5 years apply. How do I find startups ? Most job search engines don't classify companies as such.

[babul]

Yes.