The path for a foreign worker that came to the US through university is very straightforward if they want to live a life here afterwards. My assumption here is that you’re not rich, that you don’t have family that is already a permanent citizen (green card) that can pull you over, you’re not marrying a US citizen, and you’re not eligible for like asylum/diversity visa. Oh and you’re not super-talented and wins awards, and got papers, or save the pope’s life etc. etc.

First, it’s imperative that you get a STEM degree. Why? well you’ll find out later. But do well in university because you’ll need to get a job right after you graduate. In fact, you have a time limit of 60 days from when you graduate or else after that you’re “illegal”. The fee to get this post-graduation student-worker status is $400 for 1 year. Oh, you want to improve your chances with internships? make sure it doesn’t add up to 12-months of full-time, or else it counts against your 1 year limit.

Second, lol at getting a job as an international fresh grad. All the jobs that need clearance, well that’s not for you. Companies without clearance don’t want to hire internationals because it’s more paperwork for them, if they know the paperwork at all. Or maybe they don’t have a HR department. Or maybe they don’t want to keep someone that won’t be able to stay with the company for more than a year.

This is where STEM comes in. You got a STEM major? You can get an extension for 2 years. If you’re unlucky, you’ll have to handhold your company’s HR to get the correct paperwork on time (thankfully my company’s was great). BTW, did I mention that you can’t work without this one card sent to you by DHS after they take 3 months to approve your application, tough luck if your start date is earlier than that.

What if I want to stay for more than 3 years? Well, you can switch over to the worker visa, if your company sponsors you. In fact, they have to submit the paperwork, and pay the fee (imagine dangling that over your head at quarterly reviews). The best part though, it’s a once-a-year lottery! An entirely luck-based regime. Even if you have STEM, and your employer plays the lottery 3 times for you, you still have a 34% chance overall of not getting a worker visa (70% of not winning ^ 3 years).

Of course, throughout all this, companies can apply for a green card for you. Will they though? They don’t have to, cause they know they got you tied to them with your student-worker status, or your worker visa status.

International workers are always hyper-aware of their status. It’s like living with a knife over your head, it’s a strong rope, but all it takes is a gush of particularly bad wind.

So that’s my experience as an international worker after 1 year. Thankfully there wasn’t many cases of racism, my workplace is good, I like my boss and my team. But I understand deep in my bones that every day I get to stay in this country is pure luck, and I should be grateful.

What an anxiety-inducing dream.