In the last blog, we discussed how a sponsorship strategy can ease the talent acquisition challenges that SMEs face.
In this 3-minute read, you will learn the basics of sponsoring international talent. It is not that difficult, nor expensive.
First of all, we are talking about international students that are already currently legally in the U.S.
International students hold an F-1 student visa and as part of this visa, they are expected to carry full course loads each semester before graduation. During the summer, international students are allowed to work full-time as interns through the Curricular Practical Training (CPT) process, which is handled by their school’s International Student Office. During the school year, international students can still work, but only up to 20 hours per week via their CPT. The work must be directly related to the students’ degree curriculum. There is no processing cost for an employer to hire an international student as an CPT intern before graduation, as long as the proper paperwork is done correctly at the employer, student and school levels.
After international students graduate, all international students are granted one year of working permission in the U.S., formally called Optional Practical Training (OPT). For STEM degree holders, the OPT duration can extend another 2 years. There is no cost for an employer to hire an international student as an OPT intern after graduation, as long as the proper paperwork is done at the employer, student, and school levels. For companies that sponsor a STEM student’s OPT extension, they must register with USCIS’s E-Verify system, and check E-Verify regularly to ensure all training and other requirements are continually met. Each OPT student works with their supervisor to create a training plan. The student will need to pay USCIS a one-time processing fee for form I-765 (the application for employment authorization).
In brief: there is no processing cost for an employer to hire international students as part time school year interns, part/full time summer interns, or post graduates full time for up to three years.
If the employer intends to continue employing their OPT intern beyond three years, the next step is to sponsor their working visa (H1B) for up to six years, or permanent residency (green card) without an expiration date. At this stage, the employer will begin to incur costs: to obtain an H1B visa, the cost is approximately $960 for the USCIS filing fee, and about $1,200 - $3,000 for immigration attorney fees. [1] The employer must pay all fees incurred in the H1B process. To obtain a green card, the filing fee to USCIS is $1,760, and the attorney fee ranges from $3,000-$8,000. The employer is not obligated to pay for the fees in the green card process.
Compared to the talent retention problem, the employer’s financial obligation to sponsor international talent is reasonably low. By implementing a sponsorship process, the benefits can easily outweigh related costs by tenfold.
Based on extensive experience, F1 STEM Job provides SMEs’ HR staff with a sponsorship solution that can be easily implemented. Hopefully, this eases the talent acquisition and retention challenges. Growth, should be the focus.
[1] H1B processing fees https://internationaloffice.berkeley.edu/ucb_departments/h-1b/fees
