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by microarchitect 4758 days ago
What's this about a student visa?

A student visa is a completely legal way of entering the US.

PS. Post the Boston bombings the immigration officials at the port of entry are required to verify valid student status before letting students (F1 visa holders) into the US. This means the chances of people entering the country illegally through a student visa are slim to none.
2 comments
GauntletWizard 4758 days ago
It's fairly common to come in on a "Student" visa to study at a community college or take night courses while also holding a full-time job. It's also common to skip the facade entirely - Use visa to gain entry, take job on forged credentials, stay past expiration. The student visa does allow the holder to work, but it is intended to be secondary to the education, and history has shown that it is not.
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microarchitect 4758 days ago
This is not as easy you make it sound. First, when entering the US, the immigration officials verify whether student status is valid using the SEVIS database. Second, all changes to student status must be reported to the SEVIS database by the school. If the school finds out that a student is doing unauthorized work, or if they find that the student's academic progress is unsatisfactory (likely if they are working full-time) they are required to terminate student status and report this to SEVIS.

The generic issue of using forged credentials to get an unauthorized job is applicable to any visa. And if I wanted to overstay my visa, it would be dumb of me to choose a visa that was as carefully tracked and monitored as as the F1 visa.

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enupten 4758 days ago
I don't think someone who went JHU, and was planning on joining MSR, would be, to not put too fine a point, the kind of person you're alluding to.
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robomartin 4758 days ago
I am talking about using a student visa to get in and then stay and work permanently and not study. In other words, using the visa fraudulently. If you want to stay and work go through the proper legal process and get a resident visa.

Again, legal immigration.

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microarchitect 4758 days ago
Overstaying on an F1 visa is quite hard because the school is required to report all changes in academic status through the SEVIS database.

If you want to stay and work go through the proper legal process and get a resident visa.

F1 students are allowed to work 20 hours a week when the school is in session and 40 hours a week during the summer.

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