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 ( 1) and ( 3) with pivot triggers.