Right, that makes complete sense.
Many years ago a friend’s family offered me $30k to marry her so she could get her green card. If students are spending upwards of $200k for a shot at a H1b than that marriage would have been a bargain in comparison. She’s happily married now with kids. And her spouse did not magically become $30k richer for it.
The not so good universities spend a ton of money on marketing.
And some very good universities do too.
The American education brand was strong a decade ago, so any American university would be considered good. Further, people outside the US are often surprised by how many scams are prevalent in the US. The general belief used to be that the US was a largely sensible country where people did things the right way.
Minor nitpick, you get two years of extension if you graduate with a STEM degree.
It’s 1 and a half year, and the reason it exists is (a) most students graduate and start jobs after the current year’s H1B process is already over, and (b) if you don’t get your employment visa in the first round (since it’s capped at 60k), then they want to give you a second chance.
> Only if your employer has already applied for your H1B. Doesn't seem like so to me, the requirements for the extension are (from [1]): >> Have a degree in an eligible STEM field from a Student and Exchange Visitor Program-certified school that is accredited when the student submits their STEM OPT extension application to USCIS. >> Pursue their STEM OPT extension through an employer that is enrolled in USCIS's E-Verify employment eligibility verification program. >> Select a STEM OPT employer that provides the student with formal training and learning objectives. Work a minimum of 20 hours per week per employer.
[1]: https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/stem-opt-extension-overview