u/No_Honeydew1757

please be aware of what you post , just saying.

Hi All ,

I have a total of 6.5 years of work experience(Mostly in Python , TS and their related frameworks as a full stack engineer with even a bit of experience in AI). 3 in india and 3 in the US . I worked until june 2026 , currently as of now I am in the US but I plan to start my phd in august.

I plan to try phd for atleast 6 months if it goes well i will continue or else i will move back to india.

Now if i move back there would be a 6 to 8 months career gap in my resume , will this be viewed as a red flag ? i mean will it hamper callbacks etc.

Just want to get a perspective and if someone was in a similar situation or has experienced going through the same thing i would love to know your story and thoughts.

Thanks

Looking for some motivation and inspiration , if you had a career gaps due to health , exam prep(upsc etc) or any other reason and you were able to bounce back from it by getting a job how did you go about it. want to hear your story.

Thanks

Hi All ,

I have been working in the US offices since the past 3 years and now due to work authorization issues here I can no longer work in the US and have been offered an internal company transfer but the pay is extremely lowballed (its between 16-20 lpa) I have around 6.5 years if experience in total (3 in india , 3 in the US). I did ask for 24lpa but they won’t budge.

My sole aim would be if i move back is to look for something else as that ctc is atrocious for my pay and qualifications. Hence i just wanted to get an idea as to having Gartner on your resume helps a bit , not saying that it has a faang like reputation but still.

One way is to just not take the internal transfer and be immediately available in India. I have heard that notice period is also a dealbreaker for recruiters but not sure how true it is.

Another way is to just not relocate and fight it out here in the US , doing a phd and simultaneously looking for FT.

Only reason thats making me think is the pay , its really bad for my experience and i have heard nowadays in india freshers get that pay.

Any advice or suggestions would be really appreciated

Hi All ,

I have been working in the US offices since the past 3 years and now due to work authorization issues here I can no longer work in the US and have been offered an internal company transfer but the pay is extremely lowballed (its between 16-20 lpa) I have around 6.5 years if experience in total (3 in india , 3 in the US). I did ask for 24lpa but they won’t budge.

My sole aim would be if i move back is to look for something else as that ctc is atrocious for my pay and qualifications. Hence i just wanted to get an idea as to having Gartner on your resume helps a bit , not saying that it has a faang like reputation but still.

One way is to just not take the internal transfer and be immediately available in India. I have heard that notice period is also a dealbreaker for recruiters but not sure how true it is.

Another way is to just not relocate and fight it out here in the US , doing a phd and simultaneously looking for FT.

Only reason thats making me think is the pay , its really bad for my experience and i have heard nowadays in india freshers get that pay.

Any advice or suggestions would be really appreciated

This is specifically for people who did a masters and then due to some circumstances like h1b didn’t get picked , layoff or maybe personal reasons returned back.

How long did it take for you to find a job here especially in tech , and are gaps still viewed like a red flag ?

Thanks

A staffing company invited me for on site interview for one their clients , the interview is onsite at the clients location - wants me to pay all expenses. I am an international student if that matters. It’s a 6 month contract to hire role.

The client is one amongst the EV car companies. I am just double thinking if i should go or not. Flights are crazy expensive rn like 700$+ , the entire trip would cost me 1000$

Should i go ? or it would be extreme to spend 1000$ for a chance ?

Hi All ,

I lost all 3 attempts at my h1b lottery , I have 6.5 years of total experience. came to us in 2021 and graduated in 2023 with a MS CS from a T30 university. My company is offering me an internal transfer to india with a mediocre pay , they have global offices but are not willing to transfer me to those. I was exploring the day1cpt path and have a phd admit for august.

Now I have two options :

1. Start with the phd and fight it out in the US. By fighting i mean looking for a job and at the same time keep doing my phd.

2. Accept this 15lpa offer and move back to india; these folks say they will bring me back on L1 but i am not able to mentally buy it as i have not seen anyone in the past coming on L1 from india.

I am 28 , single and have no financial liability if that matters.

Advices , thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

1. are you all hoping onto a DBA or Phd asap ?

2. Alternate country ?

3. Leaving US or taking a transfer ?

In case of a DBA i have not heard any other uni other than westcliff which is shit expensive for a useless degree . ig almost 70k

1. Go for a higher degree and a reputed college , for example DBA at westcliff. Westcliff is a legit university , there’s a reason why its expensive but safe as well or do a phd from an actual university where you get funding

2. If you are going with a second masters go at your own risk , all these popular day1 universities like cumberlands , iwu etc are gonna be scrutinized more . USCIS was already aware of this but now they are literally calling “Day1CPT” out

3. Rules don’t apply retroactively but VO’s are not dumb , they would not create an exception for you if you enrolled for a second masters before the rule comes out.

Earlier under the biden administration day1cpt was taken with a grain of salt but under this new administration don’t even try to cut corners is what i am realizing. I read the OMB document twice and they literally mention words like “pay to stay” schools etc.

1. How is the course work ? and course load ?

2. What’s the cost per sem approx ?

3. Are all the lectures asynchronous? and are there any exams or just assignments ?

4. How is it in terms of RFE support ?

If there are any current students , i would be grateful if you could let me know about these.

Hi All,

I have come across people who are still going for a second masters and doing sevis transfer before the rule goes into effect which is likely around fall 2026. Even if one’s H1b gets picked next year , it will be outright denied i reckon.

Would like to know people’s thought process on this.

Hi All,

I am currently on F1 STEM OPT , and I have an elder brother who wants to visit me. He is applying for a B1/B2 visa . He held f1 visa before(it expired in 2021) and had done a masters(utilized opt and stem opt as well). He had also done a second masters but did not complete it , the reason for not completing was he couldn’t afford it and he did inform the college before leaving/dropping out.

So now in his b1/b2 interview , will this incomplete 2nd masters be a red flag or something that can bite him back ??

If anyone had gone through a similar situation , your experience and advices would be really helpful.

Thanks

Hi All,

Are there any colleges who have a start date in july ? If yes which are those and whats their start date ?

Thanks

Hi All,

My parents are soon gonna go for their tourist visa renewal. My concern is that what if the VO asks about me ? will me being enrolled in a day1cpt uni affect their approval ?

Thanks

Hi All,

I am currently on day1cpt at a university since Jan 2026 . I don’t want to continue anymore , as its kind of unsustainable at this point (i got laid off in jan) without income and don’t want to exhaust any more of savings. I have my flight booked for next month back to my home country.

Is it okay if i just drop a mail next month once i am back in my home country to my dso informing that i don’t want to continue the program anymore and want to drop out ? If yes then would this hamper my future visa applications like if apply for a tourist visa or some other visa ? basically will this haunt my chances for any future us visa ?

Thanks

Hi All,

I am currently on day1cpt at a university since May 2026 . I don’t want to continue anymore , as its kind of unsustainable at this point (i got laid off in jan) without income and don’t want to exhaust any more of savings. I have my flight booked for next month back to my home country.

Is it okay if i just drop a mail next month once i am back in my home country to my dso informing that i don’t want to continue the program anymore and want to drop out ? If yes then would this hamper my future visa applications like if apply for a tourist visa or some other visa ? basically will this haunt my chances for any future us visa ?

Thanks