Bigger India
For students on F1 visa hunting for jobs, Trump’s America is closing the door
The switch from an F1 to H1B is wearing people out, keeping fresh graduates on the tightest leash for the longest outer time limits with every consecutive hoop.
Abhijit Tagade’s Facebook profile picture tells you nothing about the F1 visa anxiety levels in Trump’s America 2018. Tagade’s toothy grin hides a constant gnawing about the US visa page on his passport. You’d think Tagade, 26, armed with a dual Master’s degree in Economics and Education at Columbia University and a job at Harvard Business School in Boston should have nothing to crib about but he does – his student visa times out in six months.
Welcome to the dystopian F1 hamster treadmill in the US for students outside the hallowed circle of Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines.