I decided to write a second post detailing my personal experience on this issue. Currently with the hostility of the current administration towards immigrants, I’m just filled with fear. During the last years, interviews to foreigners have significantly dropped. The cause for this is the uncertainty towards the future of H1B visas. While there are many proposals in place, no one knows what’s going to happen.
As of this time, I currently haven’t found a job. As graduation date approaches, I am filled with fear. I must consider the prospect of not finding a job, and, unlike other students, I have a deadline. I will get kicked out of the country 2 months after graduation if I don’t find a job. After that happens, it will become exceedingly difficult for me to find a job here in the future. For one, after I’m sent back, I am no longer eligible for OPT (Optional Practical Training). OPT is the only solace companies have in hiring international students after graduation. OPT is extensible up to 3 years, giving companies 3 attempts at obtaining your visa. Without that, there is virtually no incentives for companies to invest on me.
It almost seems unfair. I have worked as hard if not harder than most other students to get to where I am now. I had to learn a foreign language and move away from my country and my family. Because flying back to Nicaragua is expensive, I have only visited my family once in the last 2 years. It is difficult. It is also a great burden to my family, which has to pay an American valued tuition with a Nicaraguan wage. I’ve also tried my best to make myself an ideal candidate. I have had programming jobs every summer, I’ve worked on independent projects, and I’ve gotten myself involved in relevant organizations. I’ve done my best to build my foundation, going as far as taking extra free classes online during my breaks to improve my skillset, and yet I am still unemployed.
It seems like a waste. I consider myself a very capable programmer. I know I have great potential. I want to be part of this country and make a difference. If I go back, there’s nothing waiting for me. My country doesn’t have the development or the infrastructure to take advantage of my skills. The currently political state of my country also makes me doubt I’d would have any kind of economic stability. I want to stay here, and I believe I would be a positive addition to the workforce.
All I can do now is keep applying. Hopefully it will turn out for the best.