Visa restrictions may hurt foreign students

(U-WIRE) University of Illinois -New changes in United States visa policies might add more obstacles when international students look for jobs.

The U.S. Congress reduced the number of H1B visas – which are given to foreign workers with special skills and education and issued each fiscal year – from 195,000 to 65,000. The new policy went into effect last Wednesday.

Mary Lou Cabrera, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services, said she could not speculate whether the new policies would affect international students or why the new policy was made.

But some who work with immigration issues at the University said the new policy could cause problems for international students seeking jobs after getting an education in the United States.

“The new visa cap will mostly affect international students,” said Tom Arkell, a Bloomington, Ill., immigration lawyer.

The University international staff and faculty are exempt from the new regulation, he said.

According to Julie Misa, associate director of the Office of International Student Affairs, international students can apply for Optional Practical Training, which allows them to stay in the United States after they graduate from the University while looking for a job without changing their visa status. Normally, an F1 visa only allows international students to stay in the United States as long as they are enrolled in an institution of higher learning.

However, not all employers agree to sponsor the H1B visa, Misa said, which makes the job-hunting process even more difficult. Despite the downturn in the economy and the limited number of work authorizations, some students have no choice but to keep trying their luck in the job market.

“I think that almost all international students hope to gain some work experience after they graduate,” said Yuliya Pokhodnya, a graduate student from the Ukraine.

Pokhodnya said her degree in business administration will not help her to find a job back in the Ukraine unless she has several years of workexperience in the United States, but she has not been able to get a job inaddition to taking classes because she needs an H1B sponsorship. Pokhodnya also said she has a substantial student loan, which she would not be able to pay back working for a Ukranian employer.

Nevertheless, some students remain optimistic.

Marc Dequesnes, a second-year graduate student from France, said he had noticed positive changes in the employment situation.

“I think it is getting better,” he said. “Compared to last year, definitely much more companies are willing to hire (international students).”

“Career search has become more difficult for everybody. But international students have been impacted more greatly by the economical downturn,” said Margaret Schrock, Career Center assistant director.