Pursuing MBA after H1B approved with PERM started

[Amruta patra]

Hi,

I am an indian national working in a semiconductor industry as a power electronics engineer on H1B visa since Oct 2015. I had used 9 months of my OPT in 2015 after completing my Masters in Dec 2014.  My PERM process has just started with labor application submitted. I want to start MBA in Fall 2019. I am not sure of the visa status complexities.

1. If I start a full time MBA, then will there be a problem getting an F1 visa since my PERM process has been initiated?

2. Assuming I get F1 visa, how do I get back to H1B visa status post MBA? I would end up in a non-engineering role in some other industry after completion of my MBA. Will I have to be part of the lottery again? In that case, I have only 3 months of OPT left. Or is there a way to use my original H1B status, I will be having almost 2 yrs 3 months left in my 1st H1B extension?

3. If the above two options are not favorable, I can do a part time MBA to continue my H1B status and GC process. In that case, after completion of my MBA, if I switch to a non-technical role then will I be able to retain my original H1B visa status and GC priority date or will they become invalid?

Kindly suggest as it is going to help me make some key decisions for where and which MBA to pursue.

 

Amruta