Very complicated and unique situation. Please advise

[International Scholar]

Hello dear community of scholars. I have a rather unique situation please advise. I am completely lost.

I am an international student, I got married and received a two year temporary green card. There are no jobs in the city or the state where we live. The academic jobs in our state I applied for all turned me down. I have to live away from my spouse at least for the next year to make money to get myself out of debt. I have two offers - one TT another VAP. What should I pick? Is it better and more honest to take a VAP and be away for one academic year or should I accept TT position knowing that I will leave in one year? My spouse cannot get a job out of state due to licensing. If I live long away from my spouse I will lose green card so I can't really commit to TT long term.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Especially what are the consequences of breaking TT after one year.

[myadvice]

There's no right answer. However...

You probably won't make friends at the department from which you're leaving, but that's not the point of this , at all -- you need to look out for you and your life. If the TT job is better for a year or two, I'd just take it, and leave when its right. Its just like any job; people quit when they need to.

Instrumentally, its unlikely -- though possible -- such a move could back to haunt you.

At the same time, if being dishonest would gnaw at you, thats something to consider and calibrate. You know you best here.

[Do you]

You have to do what’s best for you and only you know what that is.

[sponsorship]

At my institution, if we hire somebody with a green card for a tenure-track position we commit to sponsoring their green card. This could be part of the negotiation.

[TT]

Some people leave their tenure-track positions after 1 year. Meaning that they apply for jobs again as soon as they start working. If the TT pays more, take the TT. At the end of the day, you have to do what's best for you and your partner.

[agreew]

Agree with much of the above. This is a job. Many people leave after a year for a variety of reasons. Take the position that pays more and seems like it would be better.

[your tasks]

First order of business, as "sponsorship" said, is to find out whether the TT job will sponsor you for a green card.

Next is to figure out which job will put you in a better position to find a job (maybe not an academic one, if the location is your top priority?) in the same location as your spouse.

[H1B?]

I wouldn't worry too much about the immigration status. If the TT job is not willing to sponsor a green card, ask about getting an H1B visa in case you do lose your green card. Even though you might have told the school you don't need sponsorship in the first place, the cost of an H1B is much lower and easier for the institution to swallow (about 5k, I believe). But for individuals, going from Green Card back to H1B is very unusual, so don't assume this would fly until you consult an immigration lawyer.

And in case you do have to leave the TT job after the first year, I don't think you would burn any bridge if you simply tell your colleagues you tried to make it work with your partner and your immigration status but it didn't. If they like you and the dean likes the department, they might even be able to offer a green card to keep you there.

It sounds to me the real decision is between your career and your marriage: which one you'd rather tie yourself to in the next half decade to stay in the U.S.

[i know someone...]

I know someone who job-hopped across three TT positions in four years: SLAC -> R2 in crummy location -> R1 in better location. Will she be able to hang out with her former colleagues at ASA? Maybe not, but I've not heard anyone badmouth her or anything. It's a job, and most people respect that.

My advice is to take the TT offer.

[4Consideration]

I agree with so much already said. I just want to add another point for consideration. Depending on the institutions, the workload of a TT and a visiting line can be much different. My present institution requires what I’d characterize as a lot of service for TT APs. Whereas, visiting lines have an additional course on the load but zero service expectations. So, I wonder how things like course load and service requirements might shape this decision for you.

[anitha03]

I suggest you to consult with best Immigration consult, they understand your situation and recommend job opportunities to you.

[wrong info]

Feb 28, 2024 12:56:14 GMT -5 H1B? said:

I wouldn't worry too much about the immigration status. If the TT job is not willing to sponsor a green card, ask about getting an H1B visa in case you do lose your green card. Even though you might have told the school you don't need sponsorship in the first place, the cost of an H1B is much lower and easier for the institution to swallow (about 5k, I believe). But for individuals, going from Green Card back to H1B is very unusual, so don't assume this would fly until you consult an immigration lawyer.

And in case you do have to leave the TT job after the first year, I don't think you would burn any bridge if you simply tell your colleagues you tried to make it work with your partner and your immigration status but it didn't. If they like you and the dean likes the department, they might even be able to offer a green card to keep you there.

It sounds to me the real decision is between your career and your marriage: which one you'd rather tie yourself to in the next half decade to stay in the U.S.

immigration scholar and immigrant here - "going from Green Card back to H1B" does not happen. an H1B visa is a work visa that ties you to one job and on profession; sometimes you can switch to a different employer. IF you are lucky you can go from an H1B to a green card, but that is a separate process.

please consult with an immigration lawyer.

[Separate process indeed]

Mar 13, 2024 21:06:51 GMT -5 wrong info said:

Feb 28, 2024 12:56:14 GMT -5 H1B? said:

I wouldn't worry too much about the immigration status. If the TT job is not willing to sponsor a green card, ask about getting an H1B visa in case you do lose your green card. Even though you might have told the school you don't need sponsorship in the first place, the cost of an H1B is much lower and easier for the institution to swallow (about 5k, I believe). But for individuals, going from Green Card back to H1B is very unusual, so don't assume this would fly until you consult an immigration lawyer.

And in case you do have to leave the TT job after the first year, I don't think you would burn any bridge if you simply tell your colleagues you tried to make it work with your partner and your immigration status but it didn't. If they like you and the dean likes the department, they might even be able to offer a green card to keep you there.

It sounds to me the real decision is between your career and your marriage: which one you'd rather tie yourself to in the next half decade to stay in the U.S.

immigration scholar and immigrant here - "going from Green Card back to H1B" does not happen. an H1B visa is a work visa that ties you to one job and on profession; sometimes you can switch to a different employer. IF you are lucky you can go from an H1B to a green card, but that is a separate process.

please consult with an immigration lawyer.

OP should definitely talk to a lawyer, but you two may be talking past each other. You are absolutely right that "going back from green card to H1B" does not exist as a single procedure. The other post isn't necessarily wrong, though. It may just be lumping two things together. First, OP could lose their marriage-based green card after the probation period. Should that ever happen, then, in a separate process, OP might still be able to stay in the U.S. by applying to an H1B visa with their new employer. OP would be effectively "switching" their status from green card to H1B, but USCIS would see two unrelated applications. It's something worth asking a lawyer about.