We are being asked everyday how the training and placement opportunities at Portnov Computer School might be influenced in case the student has limited or no US Employment Authorization.

We definitely are not providing any suggestions of legal nature – please, consult licensed immigration attorney on the subject.

But, besides the legal perspective of being a student (10-15 hours a week) on this or that visa, there is another  complication at the time the graduate should go for an internship. Paid or unpaid internships with companies are not available without an employment authorization.

Even with OPT (Optional Practical Training) coming under F-1 student visa our ability to place graduates is dramatically limited because of the requirements imposed by the participating companies.

Alternatively we offer in-house internships under professional supervision on the school premises. the School operates as a testing site for many companies. We have 4-6 projects at a time in the hottest technological areas – social networking, ecommerce, Mobile/Android/iPad applications.

Portnov Computer School doesn’t provide any visa services to students from other countries

We are not sponsoring H-1B visas to graduates

From the Day One of the Portnov Computer School existence we positioned ourselves as career change solution for educated immigrants coming to the United States. We wanted to be their guides on the path to the American Dream.

Since 2004 we have been experiencing an increasing enrollment of DV Lottery winners from the countries of Eastern Europe (Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania) and countries of the former USSR (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia).

Besides academic and job placement activities we are helping newcomers meeting them at airport, helping with finding roommates, sharing knowledge of how to resolve their day-to-day never ending questions and concerns about schools, shopping, renting an apartment.

By joining the Portnov Computer School DV Lottery winners make tens of new friends in the new country within few weeks.

Our Full-Time program meets perfectly the needs of people who have to start working ASAP and who can spend many hours a week learning the new profession.

If you decide to settle in Silicon Valley and to join the Portnov Computer School then, please, get in touch with us prior to your arrival using Email, Skype, or other media, so we can bring together the resources needed to make your first days in US more enjoyable and less challenging.

Very often we are getting questions from US residents who have employment authorization if finding employment in Software QA field might be a problem because they do not have US Citizenship?

As a practical matter – there is no limitation even though a small percentage of QA jobs would require security clearance and even sometimes US citizenship. The job market is so big and so much demanding that you can completely disregard that limitation.

We have students on many different visas and they ask lots of visa-related questions. Whatever your visa limitations might be, please, consult with a licensed immigration attorney – we at the school are not practicing an immigration law and definitely we cannot provide sound advice of a legal nature.

Some visa types impose critical limitations on our ability to place students as interns with local companies. If you are a Green Card holder, have EAD (Employment Authorization Document) or L2 visa there will be no visa related issues interfering with your internship placement.

Lets focus on the study. We have lots of things to be done in that direction.