Ask mbaMission

Hi Jennifer,
Some serious concerns about recent H1B visa system -

Of late, there has been a game of luck in place through the newly introduced lottery system in approving H1B Visas to Indians/Internationals. So, obviously it'll affect some of the Indians/Internationals to obtain non-immigrant work authorization in US after completion of their MBAs in US (although there is slightly some hire caps for candidates with US Master's degree, I presume it includes MBA).

Though things may (or may not) improve in furture, however, based on this current development I'd like to know your thoughts and advise for Indian applicants.

1. Should we refrain from applying to top 20 US b-schools and concentrate only on top 10 schools provided that one is competitive enough for the top 10 brands?

2. Does this scenario hold good for top 10 US b-schools as well or it'll be dominant in case of candidates graduating from top 15/20 schools ? (I hope, you understand what I try to covey here...)

3. Will it have prominent effect in case of most conventional/sought-after post-MBA industries such as IB,MC, Tech Consulting etc. or it'll have adverse effect mostly in the non-conventional industries other than those mentioned herewith ?

( I think, US is going somewhat UK way with respect to VISA tightening process...)

4. I know there are some important aspects such as value of an US MBA/education, network I'd develop during that two years etc. , BUT I believe, you'd agree to the very basic fact i.e. ROI - folks coming out of an US b-school with an average debt of $100K-$150K if don't get the opportunity to work in US even for the loan repayment period of 5-7 years or so then it requires a second thought. Isn't it ?

Pretty grave concern, I think, for Indian/International applicants and hence, I'd much appreciate your thoughts and feedback on the questions I've raised above.

Look forward to hear from you Ma'am!