From: grimaldo@tokyo.seri.philips.nl (Emilio Grimaldo)
Subject: Re: Anyone had applied for Practical training before?
Organization: Philips Semiconductors, The Netherlands 
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL4
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 17:15:42 GMT

hpyeo@IASTATE.EDU (Sandy) writes:
: Hi, I have a question concerning Practical Training. 
: 
: I plan to apply for my practical training after I graduate this December. 
: But I haven't been offer a job yet. I wish to go home for holiday and then
: come back to look for a job. Will I have any problem getting my visa changes 
: Sorry if my question is not clear. I tried my best to put it in words.

   Hi Sandy, my name is Emilio and I went through the same problem years ago.
   This is how it works: When you graduate you are allowed (by right I think)
   to have PT for up to 1 year. You can ONLY accept (for the PT permit to be
   legal) employment in your area of study so Electrical Engineers CANNOT
   accept employment as programmers even though that subject is covered in
   the curriculum. Then the PT is ONLY valid IF you have an offer. The PT is
   partitioned in 2 6 month periods, if you do NOT get a suitable job offer
   withing the first 6 months you LOSE the right to the 2nd period, so you
   MUST land a job within the first 6 months after graduation (so if you go
   on holidays you lose...), the time that passes is lost so if you get a job
   after 5 months you can only use 7 months of PT.            

   Once you get into your PT you have the next challenge, to get the company
   to hire you and get the Green Card (if you consider it worth).

   Then December, as far as I know when you graduate your F-1 visa expires
   but not the right to PT, yet if you leave the country you will have to 
   apply for another entry visa (tourist) and of course the people in the
   consulate will obviously see what are your intentions and will most likely
   deny your visa and you will lose your PT. You can better find out in more
   detail but I am almost sure you will find yourself in the position where 
   you must decide (that's life) whether you sacrifice Xmas holidays with 
   your family and friends home for the opportunity to have PT in USA.

   Once you lose your PT, you can a) attempt to get a green card b) get
   married (a bad choice) or c) enroll into another program and when you
   finish it you are again elegible for PT. You should have applied to the
   IAESTE (deadline was Sept., at least in '89) for the opportunity to have
   PT overseas (or Canada), that's what I did and that is how I ended 
   accepting a job offer here in The Netherlands...

    Hope this helps,
		     Emilio
		     "Was once in the USA..."
		      Good Luck!

: 
: Thanks for any info that will be provided. 
: 
: 
: Sandy
: 
: 

--
NAME:    D. Emilio Grimaldo T.                                   _/_/_/_/
EMAIL:   grimaldo@tokyo.sce.philips.nl                        _/_/_/ 
ADDRESS: PO Box 218,BE-543,5600 MD Eindhoven,The Netherlands   _/_/_/_/ 
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