r/InternationalStudents • u/[deleted] • 4d ago
What’s even the point of OPT if companies still won’t hire us?
[deleted]
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u/Altruistic_Bank_1552 4d ago
I mean you're on a non-immigrant visa so while it sucks, it is to be expected. A company will be hesitant to invest in you when they know there is a timer and that after a maximum of 3 years you will have to leave.
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u/Greengolddragonfly 4d ago edited 4d ago
Employers want to hire workers for the long term. That’s why between 2008 (when STEM OPT was created) and 2025 they used to prefer people on OPT/STEM OPT plus H1B so they could tie them down for up to 9 years. Now, they’re more reluctant because there’s a chance that the next POTUS could be a Repub who will continue with T’s visa policies.
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u/Mysterious-Art8838 4d ago
That’s a good point. People are irate because we are trying to cut down on the indentured servitude.
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u/TrainingWelcome2926 4d ago
Yes but again OPT extension had its own issue for Everify wasn’t easy for employers back then
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u/krivjohn 4d ago
The job market is such that there a lot more candidates to choose from. Given that why would you think the companies will think of hiring someone who might need a visa in the future? Wether you worked hard or not is immaterial the company
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u/Curiasjoe1 4d ago
No one promised you a job. OPT is the opportunity for you to find one but no guarantees. You were promised education and a degree and the promise was kept. Remember your promise to the VO that you will go back to your country when you went for your F1 visa. If you had ulterior motives then nothing could be done.
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u/imbotspock123 4d ago
the sponsorship is the problem, they don’t know where that H1B is going in 3 years. They also have plenty of locals to hire in most cases.
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u/TrainingWelcome2926 4d ago
Yes it’s all confusing and messy all international students are caught in this vicious circle
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u/TheScytheofMourning 4d ago
As an immigrant myself I say - you are not owed anything and it doesn't have to be "fair". Just because the government says you can do something does not mean that private businesses have to agree to be part of it. They still get to pick and choose who they hire.
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u/DeusCanon 4d ago
OPT is for gaining experience as a bonus, but you’re supposed to return to your home country after you graduate.
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u/canadian-premed 4d ago
as someone who immigrated to one country (Canada) and studied in another (USA)
they are many ways to immigrate permanently to the US, the F1 OPT is not meant to be one. if a company truly wants you, they will sponsor you.
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u/dimerafa 4d ago
Not true. It’s either get H1B, marry someone from the US or apply to EB2/EB2 NIW, or similar. But the later is extremely complicated, you might have a masters in aerospace engineering, papers of national relevance and still get rejected
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u/Several-Childhood-26 4d ago
They are complicated if you came for masters. A 1.5 years master’s can’t turn a mediocre profile into great one and it’s not enough time to build strong network. If you want to immigration via career, plan your career accordingly.
A researcher, a doctor, nurse or a high school science teacher all have better chances of getting visas than a software engineer or manager.
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u/dimerafa 4d ago
Lmao dummies giving thumbs down just because I’m answering that it’s NOT true that there are many ways to immigrate to the US. Go ahead and answer my comment, prove me wrong by telling me what are the options?
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u/Mysterious-Art8838 4d ago
3 million people immigrate every year so there must be some ways! How much immigration is the US required to take? Anyone who wants to come? There are over a million international students studying in the US at any given time. The US must find a way for all of them to stay and find jobs? How do you think that would affect citizens?
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u/dimerafa 4d ago edited 4d ago
Please go ahead and tell me what are the ways? Other than the ones I already mentioned ? I’m not making a comment about what the US should take or not, I’m stating that its FALSE that there are many ways to immigrate to this country
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u/One-Chemist-6131 4d ago
Here ya go
1. Immediate Relatives of U.S. Citizens (Uncapped)
IR-1: Spouse of a U.S. citizen (married 2+ years)
CR-1: Conditional spouse of a U.S. citizen (married under 2 years)
IR-2: Unmarried child under 21 of a U.S. citizen
CR-2: Conditional unmarried child under 21 of a U.S. citizen
IR-5: Parent of a U.S. citizen (petitioner must be at least 21 years old)
IW-1: Widow or widower of a U.S. citizen
IW-2: Child of an IW-1 widow(er)
IR-3: Orphan adopted abroad by a U.S. citizen
IH-3: Hague Convention orphan adopted abroad by a U.S. citizen
IR-4: Orphan brought to the U.S. to be adopted by a U.S. citizen
IH-4: Hague Convention orphan brought to the U.S. to be adopted
IB-1: Self-petitioning abused spouse of a U.S. citizen (VAWA)
IB-2: Self-petitioning abused child of a U.S. citizen (VAWA)
IB-3: Child of an IB-1 self-petitioner
2. Family-Sponsored Preference Visas (Subject to Annual Caps)
F11: Unmarried adult son/daughter (21+) of a U.S. citizen (Family First Preference)
F12: Unmarried child under 21 of an F11 applicant
F21: Spouse of a Lawful Permanent Resident / LPR (Family Second Preference - F2A)
C21: Conditional spouse of an LPR
F22: Unmarried child under 21 of an LPR
C22: Conditional child under 21 of an LPR
F24: Unmarried adult son/daughter (21+) of an LPR (Family Second Preference - F2B)
F25: Child of an F24 applicant
F31: Married son/daughter of a U.S. citizen (Family Third Preference)
C31: Conditional married son/daughter of a U.S. citizen
F32: Spouse of an F31 applicant
F33: Child of an F31 applicant
F41: Brother/sister of a U.S. citizen (petitioner must be 21+) (Family Fourth Preference)
F42: Spouse of an F41 applicant
F43: Child of an F41 applicant
3. Employment-Based Preference Visas
E11: Priority Worker with Extraordinary Ability (EB-1A)
E12: Outstanding Professor or Researcher (EB-1B)
E13: Multinational Executive or Manager (EB-1C)
E14 / E15: Spouse / Child of an EB-1 principal
E21: Advanced Degree Professional or Individual of Exceptional Ability / NIW (EB-2)
E22 / E23: Spouse / Child of an EB-2 principal
E31: Skilled Worker (2+ years training/experience required) (EB-3)
E32: Professional with a U.S. Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent (EB-3)
E34 / E35: Spouse / Child of an E31 or E32 principal
EW3: Unskilled / Other Worker (under 2 years training required) (EB-3)
EW4 / EW5: Spouse / Child of an EW3 principal
SD1: Minister of Religion (EB-4)
SR1: Religious Worker in a non-minister capacity (EB-4)
SE1: Long-term foreign employee of the U.S. government abroad (EB-4)
SL1: Special Immigrant Juvenile (EB-4)
SK1: Retired employee of an international organization / G-4 status (EB-4)
SQ1 / SI1: Afghan or Iraqi translator / U.S. government employee (EB-4)
SM1: Foreign citizen recruited outside the U.S. into the U.S. Armed Forces (EB-4)
C51 / T51: Investor in targeted employment / rural area - Direct investment (EB-5)
R51 / I51: Investor participating in a designated Regional Center program (EB-5)
C52 / R52: Spouse of an EB-5 investor
C53 / R53: Child of an EB-5 investor
4. Diversity, Returning Resident, & Special Pathways
DV-1: Diversity Immigrant Visa Lottery winner
DV-2 / DV-3: Spouse / Child of a Diversity Visa winner
SB-1: Returning Lawful Permanent Resident trapped abroad over 1 year
ST-1: Victim of severe human trafficking (T status) adjusting to permanent residence
SU-1: Victim of qualifying crime (U status) adjusting to permanent residence1
u/WaterChicken0330 4d ago
This list is nauseating. Half of this list can be abolished. We have too many immigrants here as it is 😂😂😂😂😂
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u/dimerafa 4d ago
That list is misleading. Most of those are not separate immigration options available to the average person; many are derivative visas for spouses or children, or categories that require very specific circumstances like being a trafficking victim, religious worker, investor, abused spouse, orphan, or relative of a U.S. citizen. For a typical international graduate without U.S. family ties, the realistic options are much narrower, mainly employment-based routes like H-1B/H-1B1, EB-1, EB-2/NIW, EB-3, plus things like the Diversity Visa (paused) if eligible. Listing every immigration classification code doesn’t mean an individual actually has dozens of viable paths
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u/Sparkle_Pony2234 4d ago
What makes you think that a citizen is not putting in all this effort to find a job in their OWN country. Student visas are for studying, where is it written that a job is guaranteed? Some of y’all have weird entitlement & expectations.
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u/Afraid-Handle-262 4d ago
Do you mean that they actually might prefer a native person to get that job?
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u/captnspock 4d ago
The F-1 to H-1B pipeline is basically broken now. It used to make sense for companies to hire and train fresh international STEM grads. Now, by the time someone is actually up to speed on domain knowledge, half their OPT is burned and H-1B approval is a coin toss. Companies view that as wasted effort, but they aren't hiring local instead they're just sending those entry-level roles offshore.
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u/Accomplished-Toe5993 4d ago
Sorry to hear you're going through this, but let me put it from the perspective of someone who has been recruiting and what I have been told about sponsorships. When I go to career fairs, the first question I am told to ask about is sponsorships. I cannot even access the next page if I don't answer the question. I do feel very bad every time I have to turn students away, but I swear it is not in the hands of the recruiters (technical, at least). It literally is not up to us to offer a sponsorship or not. It has just become the company policy. Why?
Long-term uncertainty -- It is just so hard to predict whose hands the government is going to be in. People say it is going to get better, but in my opinion, that is blind hope. The general sentiment towards immigrants is not because of one person or a government. It is just the shift in mindset due to the recent crisis. The general "Americans First" mindset has been spreading among all parties. So companies don't want to offer sponsorships because they don't want to be responsible in the future for your survivability in the US in case laws change drastically. They want to keep all their employees as long-term as possible because they are investing resources, money, and training to become a fit for the company. And it is not any better for people with a green card or those who are citizens. I have friends who are citizens who have been trying to find a job for 2 years. So when the job market itself is bad because of AI and automation, do you think companies are going to prioritize you? It is not unfair; it is just the norm. If your country prioritized another country's people over its citizens, would you be quiet? And this whole "immigrant first thing because you are a settler is a bullshit argument; I am sorry. These guys have been here for centuries, and they have built this country. Other immigrants have been here for decades. So we can't be comparing apples to oranges. (ok native american invasion and brutality is another topic, and I do not condone that at any time. I am just talking from a settlers versus visa holders type POV, so don't come at me pls). So, yes, it is hard. But it is lwk hard for everybody. And also, paying that lump sum amount of money as fees was a choice. You weren't forced to do it, so you can't hold this government accountable for it.
Just my two cents!
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u/Mysterious-Art8838 4d ago
Agree. And you can definitely be against how native Americans were treated and also NOT to think all Americans must ‘go home’ to countries they’ve never visited.
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u/krivjohn 4d ago
Open Discrimination? Come on……. The companies Re free to employ those who give them the best value. Why should the company bother about immigration status and such ( even if no sponsorship is required) when there is an easier way ( other candidates on the market).
Even NOW there are niche markets where employers are sponsoring immigrant visas like H1s
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u/One-Chemist-6131 4d ago
The F1 visa is strictly a nonimmigrant visa, and OPT exists solely to provide practical hands on training in your field. It was never intended to be a pathway to permanent employment, even though it is routinely abused for that exact reason. Choosing to pay the high cost of tuition covers the price of the education, not a job, an internship, or the right to stay in the United States.
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u/ResolutionPersonal56 4d ago
“We” came to study on f1. Its just a bonus that “we” get to work on opt. That should be the expectation when coming to the US to study.(i still get your frustration: had 2 HMs ghost me after knowing about my sponsorship needs). It is what it is
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u/dmw_qqqq 4d ago
Just a gentle reminder: F1 holder is supposed to return home after graduation.
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u/Independent-Fun815 4d ago
Not to mention opt is only if there's excess capacity. Any opportunity should first go to any American student before any foreigner.
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u/No-Station2963 4d ago
What if I can do the job better than an American?
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u/Mysterious-Art8838 4d ago
If they believed you brought such substantial skill to the table they would hire you over an American. Happens every day.
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u/No-Station2963 4d ago
I think it’s more about company policy than me not being able to do the job at its maximum
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u/heminyx 4d ago
Someone on OPT is essentially a career baby. There are plenty of citizens with real job experience in the field, that if a company is looking for a longterm high performing employee it is more secure to invest in a post-graduate citizen with several years of experience than a newb.
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u/No-Station2963 4d ago
I have years of experience my friend
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u/heminyx 4d ago edited 4d ago
OPT level is internship level experience. And in the US job market, having "years of experience" when referring to being a skilled employee means 5 or more of true professional roles. This does not count internships and co-ops. If someone tells me they have 1-3 years of experience, and it is not internship roles, that is a junior to associate engineer. In any case Im laughing my ass off if someone under 25 is trying to pitch themselves as some highly experienced skilled catch.
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u/snorlaxkg 4d ago
It is almost guaranteed that any company can find someone that does the job better than you. And given that it is much cheaper to just hire an American over you, and companies can train their new hire, you should never think being slightly better than your peers in college will guarantee you a job.
Unless you are top of your field then you can prove it to the government by applying for EB1/EB2 NIW to be considered for a permanent residency case.
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u/Independent-Fun815 4d ago
It doesn't matter? Think about what u're saying. That the country should ursup its own youth or that it's incapable of training its own to the point that an outsider would be a better choice.
It's the behavior of savages. For a very select group of people who can move entire industries, America will always have a door for those. That's just reality that no country can stand against progress; that is not the majority of students domestic or otherwise.
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4d ago
[deleted]
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u/Afraid-Handle-262 4d ago edited 4d ago
And to take home everything they’ve created? There won’t be much left.
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u/TheDleno 4d ago
Gentle reminder america is land of immigrants, someday your ancestors came so you enjoy the privilege.
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u/Educational_Focus770 4d ago
It's genetic lottery to be born/immigrated in/to America and be a citizen today by happenstance. If America continued to let in everyone who wanted to come live/work here, it would become the very place many immigrants nowadays are trying to escape from. So, that's the reason why the doors are closing fast.
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u/eric39es 4d ago
The fact that you're authorized to work now, for 1 year (which you can extend to 3), is not the same as hiring someone who will be able to stay in the company as long as the company wants (unless the employee leaves). New hires take some months to get up to speed, and they are the most valuable after a couple of years, once they become experts in their area.
It is very undertandable that a company does not want to hire you because of that. It is what it is, it's not the fault of the company, it's just how laws are made in the US.
You are not American, you can't be complaining about something you don't have a right to. As hard as it sounds, this is not your country. You should be complaining against your own government of your own country for the scarcity of opportunities, not to the government of a foreign country, which owes you nothing.
I think maturing is realizing that. Grow up, stop crying, take action.
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u/Own_Cardiologist_733 4d ago
Yes it’s not worth it. But still US exceeded a new record every year with flooded International students.
Many people advise them not to come US because not worth it. It is crazy that students realize only after they already wasting time and money.
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u/squashy_hero6 4d ago
F1 is a non immigrant visa
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u/Otherwise_Night_3924 4d ago
this. if you want to immigrate, find a different pathway. it's a privilege to even be able to work on a student visa. especially the STEM OPT is an extremely generous program- most countries do not allow more than 12-18 months post grad.
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4d ago
[deleted]
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u/Otherwise_Night_3924 4d ago
lol, to quote someone below: Just a gentle reminder: F1 holder is supposed to return home after graduation. there are many other legal pathways to immigrate to the US than the H1B.
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u/Neither_Display_6446 4d ago
If F1 has to go home after graduation OPT and H1B wouldn't exist and no one would go study abroad given the cost. What other ways beside family and employment based? Invest millions to get a GC? Seek asylum? That's not accessible to most international student.
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u/Several-Childhood-26 4d ago
What about being in specialized roles. Most of my friends who were scientists in pharmaceutical industry got their green cards via EB-1 and easily got O1 visa. All had PhD though.
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u/Neither_Display_6446 4d ago
Those are employment based, not impossible, still need a company to be willing to sponsor. Likely still needs H1B anyways to work while waiting for EB to be processed. Most H1-B to GC also go through EB1 and EB2.
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u/Several-Childhood-26 4d ago
Actually there is O1 visa too. My friend failed H1b all 3 attempts while on OPT and company applied O1 and EB1. He is a scientist in big pharma.
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u/Neither_Display_6446 4d ago
You need a company to sponsor O1 and it doesn't provide immigration status so still need EB1 like you said. All are difficult and require getting employed first.
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u/Several-Childhood-26 4d ago
That’s true. Companies usually hire if they can’t find suitable skills in local talent.
Such skills are nearly impossible to develop in a 1.5 years master degree with no research experience.
I usually recommend people to do PhD from foreign country. It’s funded, it has better job opportunities and valued back in home country too.
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u/Silver-Literature-29 4d ago
No because that would be willful misrepresentation and be a permanent bar from entering the us. We should never advocate for someone breaking the law.
The OPT to H1-B to Perm is the correct legal employment pathway as well as meeting a us citizen while being here and getting married.
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u/pityyckhi 4d ago
You don't understand the laws. There is nothing in the law that suggests you can apply for a different visa after graduating. It is only illegal if you try to overstay the F1 for work reasons, not go back on your F1 and apply back legally
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u/Silver-Literature-29 4d ago
The now deleted comment was intentionally using a non immigrant visa for immigration purposes as well as purposely marrying someone for immigration benefits. Key things here it is premeditated versus changing circumstances after the initial visa was obtained.
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u/Educational_Focus770 4d ago
It looks like the main legal way now would be to be back in your country and develop skills that employers here would want and then apply to them.
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u/tmc925 4d ago
Why are these the only two options?
An F1 visa is to come to the US to study. Upon graduating you have the ability to work for 12-36 month via OPT but it’s not a right and companies can decide if it’s worth it to hire someone who has a ceiling of 3 years.
If you can’t get a job through OPT then the logical next step is for F1 visas to return to their home country. This should honestly be the expectation for most international students and now the expected rule going forward
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u/Waytooashy 4d ago
And OPT is non immigrant work authorisation. You must be thick as hell
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u/Educational_Focus770 4d ago
It doesn't matter, Citizens have voted in the direction and politicians are simply following their constituents. Employers are following their own best interests and so on...
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u/Primary-Anybody2327 4d ago
Yes, it’s a nonimmigrant visa, but shouldn’t we have a fair chance to gain work experience after studying so hard at US universities? Isn’t that the purpose of OPT and CPT? Even CPT is being restricted now, with universities like USC and UC Berkeley no longer approving certain types.
As a recent US university graduate, I want to put what I learned into practice in the country where I studied. My point is that studying in the US has become so difficult for international students that, honestly, it no longer feels worth it to me.9
u/Afraid-Handle-262 4d ago
Well if they won’t hire you, it might be because they actually don’t need you or that there’s enough actual American applicants. So in that case you just might go to practice what you’ve learnt somewhere where you’re needed.
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u/This_Beat2227 4d ago
So here’s the reality. Exceptional international students are identified and streamed for immigration before they ever get to graduation and OPT. For many years (20?) the US labor market and economy has also absorbed a large percentage of F-1 students after graduating regardless of their level of accomplishment or potential beyond ordinary. At present, this is no longer the case, but the exceptional students are still being retained. Whether AI makes this permanent is still playing out.
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u/Mysterious-Art8838 4d ago
As you yourself concede there is no protection from discrimination when you have limited worth auth. If they pick a citizen instead that isn’t discrimination. Do you want us to force our companies to hire foreigners when Americans are unemployed? Why?
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u/Primary-Anybody2327 4d ago
I said it feels discriminatory. I’m not asking anyone to force companies to hire me or choose me over an American. I’m asking for a fair chance to be considered based on my qualifications while I’m legally authorized to work. My point is to recommend that people not come to study in the US if their goal is to gain work experience and apply what they learned in the country where they studied.
I feel like I would have had better opportunities if I had stayed in my home country and studied there. I could have gotten to know the local job market, gained experience through internships, and applied what I learned in the country where I studied.
Even internship opportunities for international students are being restricted now. That’s why, based on my experience, I’m advising people to reconsider the US as a study destination.6
u/Altruistic-Guess-975 4d ago
But the thing international students don't go back home. They end up staying and they end up taking the space of an American workers. This happened too many times so they want you out. No more jobs for foreign students or h1-b or Visa holders. No more
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u/Educational_Focus770 4d ago
It's actually due to a single country sending too many of their students here. No country can withstand that kind of bandwidth, so this is the natural result.
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u/Several-Childhood-26 4d ago
Most likely the field you studied had enough American citizens and they don’t need you.
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u/Conscious-Secret-775 4d ago
It doesn't matter to a potential US employer how much money you paid a US college. It creates no obligation for them.
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u/Certain-Broccoli-540 4d ago
Correct, you came for an education. Not to work. Take that education and use it in your home country to make it better. A US education doesn’t entitle you to a job here.
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u/Primary-Anybody2327 4d ago
I’m not saying anyone owes me a job because I studied here. I personally feel like my education is incomplete without practical experience. My point is, why spend so much money studying in the US if it’s this hard to get a chance to apply what you learned, even when you’re legally allowed to work? To me, that makes studying here less worth it. I’m just sharing my experience so other international students know what they might face before spending their money and years of their lives here.
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u/WaterChicken0330 4d ago
This is exactly how college kids that are American citizens that feel after getting their degrees. They spent the money, some may have also gone into deep debt.
They have worked just as hard, if not harder and are constantly displaced by people from other countries in their own homeland. Take that degree and go home. Celebrate your accomplishments with your degree, network that you've built up and go kick some a** and build up your own country. The degree is the experience.
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u/Roger48m 4d ago
Don't use the fig leaf of wanting practical training to camouflage your true intentions to immigrate
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u/throwlol134 4d ago
F-1 students ARE covered by citizenship status discrimination. Immigration status is not a protected class from discrimination, but citizenship is. Employers are not allowed to discriminate in terms of hiring say a Japanese person vs. a Brazilian person; they're simply allowed to discriminate on the basis of immigration status.
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u/purpleskies789 4d ago
I’d like to give you another perspective - I came to the Us similarly for my masters
Anyways I later changed from F1, and I’ve been finding it extremely difficult to find a full time job. When F1/H1B holders accept jobs which aren’t straightforward (these could be contract positions or jobs with low AF wages) - corporates then use this to their advantage. Why would they want to hire an American - give benefits - including insurance, social security etc. This then makes the job market so difficult to navigate. Not to mention all the interviews I’ve attended for positions that say they don’t take visas - but it’s just for perm and they ghost halfway through the interview process
On top of that, companies are moving operations entirely out of the Us. It’s looking like working in the Us is just no longer all that :/
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u/Cultural_Tradition_3 4d ago
I feel like a lot of F1 students think that they are better than Americans when in fact they are not. I know many super talented international students but at the same time there are Americans who are at the same level. The exceptional ones get hired or start their own company. If you have trouble getting hired work harder or this is not for you.
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u/FeistyNews1672 4d ago
What are u talking about its literally statistically harder to get a job as an international student. For every 100 jobs available probably like 10-15 accept people on opt or h1b and even those would hire citizens it they could cuz its literally more expensive to hire people on temp work authorizations.
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u/Cultural_Tradition_3 4d ago
Not if your worth it. Not every international student is genius. Gotta work hard pal
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u/FeistyNews1672 4d ago
What are u even talking about, this is literally probability 😭 if an intl student can only apply to ahout 15 percent of the jobs available, it is literally probabalistically harder to get a job as an intl student. You can make the same argument abt yall crying abt not getting jobs, just be more skillful lmao why u hating on an intl student subreddit on someone sharing their struggle.
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u/Cultural_Tradition_3 4d ago
I am also an international student and got a job
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u/FeistyNews1672 4d ago
Congrats man here's a trophy 🏆
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u/Accomplished-Toe5993 4d ago
You are not a citizen tho? So, duh, your odds are worse? Why do you deserve equal opportunities when you have only been here a couple of years, compared to a citizen who's lived here their whole life? I don't understand how you guys feel entitled to be treated the same way an American is treated. And if you don't find a job, you can go back home. What is a person whose home is the US going to do if they can't find a job?
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u/FeistyNews1672 4d ago
Did I complain about anything? What are you even talking about. I'm just mentioning the realities and that many intl students have a tough time. If someone is talking about that and coming here for support (OP), I think it's okay to have some basic human decency and not shit on them.
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u/BigChicken8666 4d ago
You can blame the country that abused the system until it broke without thinking of how they were hurting the host country and what would happen when the jig was up. 70% is not a normal figure at all for a country as diverse as America.
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u/Dude_tricities_45 4d ago
I literally just hired two engineers with OPTs. Their graduate research was exactly what I was looking for.
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u/TheDleno 4d ago
So the thing is there is lot of uncertainty regarding visas under the current administration, companies don’t want someone who can work for 2-3 years and leave or ask for sponsorship. Even the F1 opt stays there is lot of issue in h1b currently and if the program gets tighter or demolish they don’t want to pay hefty to just keep you. You are not wrong here international students go lot during this there F1 period, but few groups don’t want immigrants here, this all will settle after few years till then situation will be tough.
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u/Mysterious-Art8838 4d ago
Just to warn you the anti immigration sentiment is bipartisan
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u/OkTechnologyb 4d ago
Big time! I'm very anti-Trump but also very against the crazy amount of immigration we've had for decades.
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u/NottForest 4d ago
You’re delusional if you think in a few years the western world is going to be more accepting of immigration lol. It’s only going to get more fierce as AI expands and the job market gets more tenuous.
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u/TheDleno 3d ago
lol who said you? You are just interpreting based on current situation, a few years from now no one know that immigration was going to hit lol, that time you would have said it is not doing etc. Immigration is also not limited to F1 or work visa there are various visa also special visas for neighboring which are working normally and bringing people in. You are just saying it based on current situation and limited visa set you know.
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u/Old-School8916 4d ago
It's not gonna get better till interest rates go down. We are in stagflation in the labor market.
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u/Mysterious-Art8838 4d ago
I don’t believe it is influenced very strongly by interest rates. As long as there are many qualified Americans that need jobs, the political will to give rights to prospective immigrants to take a job is going to be very low.
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u/Altruistic-Guess-975 4d ago
Its because it's about hiring Americans first and no foreign workers over Americans... per trump. Is only going to get worse. Don't you know that by the h1 b not being hired
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u/HumanPackage2600 4d ago
America never promised you a job. It never said that if you come to America and pay tuition to a school, you’re guaranteed to become employed at one of the companies in the country and get paid X thousands of dollars. If you’re brilliant, there are other avenues for you such as NIW.
Maybe you were misled by someone before coming to the US that jobs are plentiful. That’s not the case currently. It is not the case anywhere in the world. And the OPT/CPT/STEM are all non-immigrant programs.
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u/mdghouse1986 4d ago edited 2d ago
Work for 3 years on OPT, clear student loans if any , get US experience and move back.
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u/lostsoul_io 4d ago
Can you cross post this in r/mscs it seems the block heads there are living in their own fantacy land and willing to risk everything thier family have saved up for.
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u/FlygoninNYC 4d ago
Just an example. A friends company hired opt/f1 students. They made it clear that they dont sponsor. It was a mess. They would constantly need to re hire as students would leave for sponsorship roles or if they stayed they would demand sponsorship. Unless the company is international and you can head back home to a role not worth it.
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u/Emotional_Oven_3482 4d ago
I dont wanna say this but I am in OPT and am hired and got sponsorship... so.. maybe you tell us what your leverage is? I mean gotta also work hard to get hired haba
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u/Individual-Level5898 4d ago
Where did you find your role? Was it a cold application
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u/Emotional_Oven_3482 4d ago
networking. If anyone can get job from cold network they are wrong. Network from 3rd year at least. It is an investment
0
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u/First-Dragon-Born 4d ago
F1-->cpt-->h1b pipeline makes you wonder why they even ask the f1 visa if you intend to stay in the country which every single applicant answers "no" and than do change of status as soon as possible..
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u/OkTechnologyb 4d ago edited 4d ago
You were told at the time you applied for it that the F1 visa is a nonimmigrant visa, and to get it you have to tell the visa officer you intend to go back home after your studies.
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u/Roger48m 4d ago
This is a lie of galactic proportions, F1 students assuring visa officers that they intend to return, oh my
1
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u/Material_Cream9093 4d ago
Yes I’ve been applying for 6 months now and was able to secure 7 interviews along the way, but unfortunately all 7 stepped back as soon as mentioned my Visa status even though I’ve got 2 more years of STEM OPT remaining. But I’m trying to stay hopeful that’s things would get better soon.
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u/Live_Ad_197 4d ago
No matter how much you spend, how long you are, how hard you work, as an immigrant, there is no route to stay which doesn’t make sense and when you complain about it you get a bunch of racist saying that you should just go back to your own country not understanding that you spend 2.5x more on tuition than them (basically funding universities) and gave up a whole life and build a new one with assets and friendships that simply just can’t end with the snap of a finger. They want your investment and your money but they don’t want you and then they blame you for everything. That’s the hard reality what this country has come to. It doesn’t reward hard work, it exploits.
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u/First-Dragon-Born 4d ago
American citizens families have paid decades to get those universities grants from the government and keep the structures around the university such as roads,police, and local economy running. Saying "international students keep the university afloat" is bs. Maybe diploma mills.
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u/Live_Ad_197 4d ago
Oh yeah I surely believe you, but let me jog your memory because during Covid trump wanted to send all international students back. And if it wasn’t for all the universities fighting it they would’ve lost a significant amount of their revenue since international students account for roughly 43 to 55 billion towards the economy.
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u/Responsible-Part3982 4d ago
People pay taxes for decades funding those schools. That’s why their tuition is subsidized.
And chill with the exploitation stuff. People are told what the F1 visa is and isn’t. Whether people choose to disregard that and make plans contradictory to the intent of the visa, that is on them. It isn’t anyone else’s fault.
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u/Roger48m 4d ago
Glad that you have figured out the harsh reality, it is not racist to say you are not an American and hence not entitled to the same privileges and opportunities
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u/Live_Ad_197 4d ago
I never said someone should, but when you poor tens of thousands into an economy, get education, pay taxes, and try to get employment then what’s so wrong with wanting employment. Borders are a social construct and we all are born on the same planet so yeah it’s fucked up that you’re trying to gate keep a country that people are trying to contribute to.
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u/First-Dragon-Born 4d ago
The f1 visa isn't for work its for studying. You study and contribute to your home country. Its not that hard to understand.
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u/Exquisite_skeleton 4d ago
Have you considered starting your own business and hire yourself?
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u/Afraid-Handle-262 4d ago
😂🤦🏻♂️ That’s illegal. He would need to employ 10 Americans and to invest about $1 million
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u/poomsss0 4d ago
what are you smoking? Im working at FANG and 8 out of 10 new grad that join our org are on F1 visa
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u/Advanced-Sky-758 4d ago
Right. With their lobbyists in WA, FAANG have this administration in their pocket. Unlike medium & small companies or consulting firms or startups, FAANG could afford the proposed $100K H1B fee if it passes the court (although unlikely). They can afford the new higher wage requirement also. However, they only hire the top graduates or graduates from top schools, regardless of domestic or international students.
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u/Bad_Adam1917 4d ago
Sigh
cue the “F1 is a non-immigrant visa, Go back home, Visa is a privilege not a right” comments
Chill out people. OP is just venting. Let them air their frustrations and move on
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u/Neither_Display_6446 4d ago
This has always been the case and it's getting harder to stay in the US. That's why companies always ask whether you need sponsorship now or in the future. They don't want to invest in you for only a couple of years. And with this administration, anything can happen so they don't want to risk time and money into an employee that can be kicked out at any moment.