Immigration Issues need to take a Month long break

I am looking for some advice on how to deal with my current situation. I am an international student and I graduated from college in 2016. I am currently in working in the US (under OPT) at a boutique, however my OPT work authorization expires in a few weeks and I recently managed to get approved for a green card. I will not be getting my green card work authorization for at least 2.5 months. My current firm will most likely not be OK with a 2 month gap so I have to consider a few options. I am working with an immigration attorney but their doesn't seem to be any way to expedite my work authorization.

1) Start recruiting networking to try and land something in September. I do not have a target background nor a stellar GPA and I really struggled to get my current role. I am also unsure how to explain my unemployment gap.

2) Go back home (think Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru) and try to land an IB gig there for a year. I think I would be a strong candidate in that market and would be able to find something fairly fast. This option is not appealing because of all the effort I went through to secure my permanent residency. Further it may delay my green card by 1+ years.

3) Try to move into a different industry and try to position myself for b-school in a few years. Same issues as above.

If anyone has gone through a similar situation I would greatly appreciate the advice.

10 Comments
 

At this point not able to offer any advice, i'm in same boat though my case is very complicated, expired STEM OPT, still in country but remain hopeful. Not sure why you're worried about a 2 month gap, too short. Good luck.

 

Hey man, I'm currently an international student looking to work in IB. What were the steps you took to be able to work in the US after school? Was it harder to find a job as an international?

 

Have STEM OPT. Can confirm - still really difficult to find a job. I've had a ton of first round interviews only to be shut down by HR telling me they don't want to sponsor H1B.

 

Aut consequatur enim enim quia quia occaecati. Odio molestiae dignissimos atque.

Voluptas expedita necessitatibus enim sed nobis. Quo nam voluptatem nulla at sunt sit. Reiciendis porro nemo consequatur.

Repellat corporis et consequatur odio est. Ab ut sit quas. Quo commodi nisi facilis.

Odit quo amet consectetur id enim autem est. Suscipit porro necessitatibus suscipit distinctio iusto soluta amet. Laborum provident eos velit consequatur architecto mollitia quia.

Like the unadjusted- only with a little bit extra.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”