When to Start Thinking About Your Next Role

When to Start Thinking About Your Next Role

The best time to think about your next career move is when you do not need one. This is counterintuitive — why plan for a job change when you are happy, productive, and your visa is stable? Because for international professionals, career transitions involve visa transfers, timing constraints, and employment gaps that domestic workers never face. Planning ahead is not disloyalty. It is professionalism.

Timing Your Career Moves With Visa Status

Every visa type has different implications for when and how you can change jobs:

On OPT: You can change employers relatively easily — just update the SEVP Portal within 10 days. The main constraint is the 90-day (or 150-day for STEM OPT) unemployment li...