Evaluate career paths under visa constraints

You were laid off and are evaluating seven paths: (

1. pursue U.S. roles and return on H‑1B; (
2. prepare for algorithm‑heavy interviews to work in mainland China (possible field switch); (
3. search for roles in Hong Kong or Singapore; (
4. pursue a Canadian master’s aiming for PR; (
5. start a ~5‑year PhD; (
6. join an employer that can sponsor H‑1B; (
7. switch to F‑1 with Day‑1 CPT. Your employment‑based green card priority date is May 2023, and you worry the category could become current while studying, affecting a U.S. return. How would you decide among these options? Define decision criteria (time to employability, probability of success, immigration risk, financial cost, long‑term career upside), list data you would gather, construct a weighted decision matrix, state your recommendation with key assumptions, and outline a 90‑day action plan for options (
8. and (
9. with pivot triggers.