International Students struggle to find jobs after graduation

by Marissa Barnhart & Mengting Ying

During the 2014-15 school year, more than 970,000 international students studied at colleges and universities in the United States.

More than half of those students are from China, India, South Korea or Saudi Arabia, according to the Institute of International Education, and roughly 40 percent study engineering or business.

In order for an international student to study in the U.S., the student must apply for a student visa, which allows them to reside in the country for the duration of their studies. Once a student graduates, he or she must find a job or return home.

Shannon, a representative at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services who could not release her last name for security reasons, said international students are not allowed to work unless they have applied and been accepted for Optional Practical Training (OPT), which allows students to work for one year while still using a student visa.

Andres Kishimoto graduated from Kent State in August 2015 and applied for the OPT soon after. Once he was accepted, he had 90 days to find a job. He spent the larger portion of his OPT days applying for jobs in Ohio and finding no success; he decided to pack up and move to New York.

Kishimoto said moving to New York was his last resort, but he felt lucky because a friend of his from Kent helped him land an internship at a graphic design company, at which he currently works.

“It was a high-risk situation because I only had 30 days and had no plans,” Kishimoto said. “If that hadn’t happened, I would be in Peru right now.”

There are more than 30 different kinds of non-immigrant visas available. Kishimoto said he plans to apply for the O-1 visa, which is for those who show “extraordinary ability” in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics.

He said he has to compile a portfolio of his work to provide with his application before he can be accepted.

“It has to prove that I’m decent enough that I can stay here in the country,” he said.

Shannon said that while there are different visas, an employer still has to apply for them. Kishimoto must find a full-time job in which his employer will act as his “sponsor.”

Shannon said employers have to first file paperwork through the United States Department of Labor, and then could follow up with the USCIS to file for an H-1B visa, which allows international folks to work in fields in which they have specialized skills.

Ishani Chatterji, a Bombay, India, native and graduate from Syracuse University, said she’s had various internships since her graduation in August, but she’s had difficulty finding a lasting job.

Chatterji said employers would ask her if she was allowed to work, and she would say, “Yes, but only until August [2016],” when her OPT expires. Because companies aren’t always aware of how the OPT and work visa processes work, Chatterji said, employers will hesitate to hire.

“That’s where the whole problem starts,” she said. “They don’t know that there is an option a student can stay here for that whole year.”

Chatterji said some international students face a great deal of pressure to find a job in the U.S. so they can stay here. She said she doesn’t feel that because she came to the states to study, and she knows she will be OK going home.

Yuting Yang, a senior preparing to graduate from Kent State in May, said she didn’t know about the OPT until recently. Yang spoke to her advisor, who told her she would have 14 months to stay in the U.S. after applying for the OPT. She’s planning to have an internship or job before working toward a master’s degree.

International students cannot have full-time jobs while they study, so Yang will spend the entirety of her OPT session working and gaining experience. She said eventually, she will have to find a full-time job and an employer to support her, but for now, she’s focusing on her studies.

“I plan to continue studying for the master’s program,” Yang said. “I don’t know about others, but I’m not really worried about that.”