Work Visa Guide
Work visa resources for the US and Canada including H-1B, TN status, work permits, and employer sponsorship guides.
Work authorization is category-specific. U.S. H-1B specialty occupations, TN for qualifying Canadians/Mexicans, and F-1 OPT are not interchangeable. Canadian employer-specific work permits, open work permits, and PGWP each depend on different LMIA, free-trade, or graduation rules.
Students often treat post-study work as automatic. It is not. U.S. OPT requires timely I-765 filing and related employment; Canadian PGWP requires an eligible program and completion evidence. Employer sponsorship (H-1B, skilled worker) adds wage levels, job descriptions, and lottery or queue timing.
Start from your current status and passport nationality, then pick the guide that matches — not the guide with the most optimistic blog title. Legal articles on MyCaseworks carry the procedural detail; this hub prevents wrong-door starts.
This hub is for you if you are…
- Moving from OPT or STEM OPT toward H-1B
- Canadian work permit options after or during study
- Employer documentation and wage level readiness
- Comparing U.S. and Canadian post-study work length and flexibility
Work Visa Resources
Pair post-study work guides with employer-sponsored categories only after you confirm eligibility on both sides of the border you care about.
How to use this hub
Treat this page as a table of contents, not a filing manual. Open the linked guides that match your stage, keep one consistent identity and funding story across every form, and prefer attorney-reviewed procedure on legal.yousafeconsultancy.com when you need document order, refusal triggers, or source citations.
Country and university pages on the USA and Canada subdomains add local SEVIS, VAC, and campus context. Marketplace template packs help you organize uploads after you know which checklist applies. Portal accounts are for secure prep workflows — they do not replace USCIS, IRCC, or school instructions.
Document-preparation guidance only — not legal advice. Rules change; verify current official sources before you pay fees or book travel.
Choosing a work path without mixing systems
- Identify current status and nationality (these gate TN, visa-exempt, and lottery options).
- Map job duties to the correct category (OPT training vs H-1B specialty occupation vs Canadian employer-specific permit).
- Collect employer documents early (job description, wage level, corporate docs).
- Align expiry dates so you do not create unauthorized employment gaps.
- Only then compare countries on lifestyle — eligibility first, preference second.
- Document every authorization (EAD, study-permit remarks, work permit) before the first day of work.
Work authorization mistakes
- Starting work on a student status without the correct authorization.
- Assuming H-1B is available to every OPT graduate on demand.
- Canadian job offers that do not match LMIA or LMIA-exempt categories.
- Ignoring passport validity caps on permit length.
- Comparing OPT months to PGWP months without program eligibility.
- Treating UK Graduate Route, U.S. OPT, and Canada PGWP as interchangeable “post-study work visas.”
Frequently asked questions
Is OPT a work visa?
OPT is employment authorization tied to F-1 status for training related to your major. It is not a standalone immigrant or dual-intent work visa like many H-1B fact patterns.
What should employers prepare?
Clear duties, realistic wages, and corporate willingness to file. For STEM OPT, E-Verify and I-983 participation. For H-1B, specialty occupation evidence and timing for the lottery or cap-exempt paths.
Can Canadians use TN instead of H-1B?
TN is available for qualifying professions under USMCA for Canadian and Mexican citizens. It is not a catch-all work visa and does not replace F-1 OPT rules for students who are not yet in a qualifying TN role.
UK Graduate Route vs U.S. OPT vs Canada PGWP?
Three different systems with different sponsorship histories, employer flexibility, and eligibility math. Compare only after you know which country you will graduate in and which program rules apply.
What if my passport expires before the work permit?
Many permits are capped by passport validity. Renew early when the math is obvious rather than hoping the officer issues a longer card than the passport allows.
Country and post notes
- United States: OPT/STEM OPT → possible H-1B; unemployment days and major-relatedness control student work.
- Canada: employer-specific permits, LMIA/LMIA-exempt streams, and PGWP are different products — read the offer’s occupation code and permit type.
- United Kingdom: Skilled Worker and Graduate Route have separate sponsorship and salary rules; student-route work conditions are not a full work visa.
- Australia: student and temporary graduate visas differ from skilled migration points tests — do not plan PR from a student-visa blog alone.
Start from your current status page (OPT hub or Canada work guides), then open the specific legal article for the category you actually qualify for.
Students: finish the OPT hub before employer-sponsored content. Workers: open the country-specific legal article for the exact category on the offer letter.