International Student in the US: do banks care about STEM OPT visa extension?

Hi! I am an international student interested in IB in the US, going to a target. I wanted to ask if I have a greater advantage as a STEM major with the OPT visa extension? Because I would prefer to major in the Humanities but I wonder if banks nowadays turn away from international students looking for a H1B sponsor. Would having the OPT visa extension be much more advantageous? Thanks!

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Theoretically, the extension of OPT brings more attempts of getting the H1b in subsequent years.  But there is an evolving issue that the odds are lower now:

https://www.immi-usa.com/h1b-lottery-2016-results-chances-process/#What…

There are now so many H1b applications filed that the odds are about 10%. More than 750K applications represent almost nine candidates for each slot.
With the mass influx of international students and the rise of immigration towards Western countries in general, the odds may only be lower going forward.

Any international student in the US should plan their immigration journey carefully and have many backup solutions in place. With all these hurdles ahead, you would still have to find an employer to sponsor an international candidate within an industry that isn't on a hiring spree at the moment.

Ask yourself, if you were a gambler - would you bet ~200,000 dollars on a ~10% chance of winning? Even if you had two or three attempts at spinning the wheel?

 

Yes it does help. JPM only consider candidates with the STEM OPT. The bank I signed an offer with also said having the 2 extra years was a “big factor”.

 

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