Student Visa Cuts Raise Red Flags for Future H-1B Applicants
The recent visa cancellations by the Trump administration are jeopardizing foreign student enrollment and the essential long-term international recruitment needed for US colleges and employers.
The F-1 Visa and H-1B Visa are tightly linked together. International students must obtain an F-1 visa to pursue studies in the US, and then seek an H-1B visa upon graduation to gain employment in American companies.
Bloomberg Law states that the State Department has recently started discreetly canceling hundreds of F-1 student visas. Over 300 visas have been canceled up to now. That figure seems to have increased according to reports from universities, though the State Department refused to provide updated statistics.
It will further complicate attempts by others to obtain H-1B visas that address hiring demands in the fields of science, technology, and engineering, shortly after employers sponsored them in the yearly lottery for these visas. Numerous international employees in STEM sectors begin their careers in the US with a student status as they seek an H-1B visa.
Higher education organizations are calling on the Trump administration to clarify its policies regarding student visas, since colleges and international students might not receive direct notifications about terminations. The end of students’ status, already under legal dispute, will render US-based students immediately unfit for employment.
Students assigned a terminated status can no longer participate in the Optional Practical Training program, which benefited nearly 276,000 students and recent graduates in the fiscal year 2023. For international students seeking to secure the H-1B lottery, the program offers a period of up to three years of employment eligibility after graduation.
The demand for H-1B visas in science, technology, and engineering sectors might make it harder for foreign workers beginning their careers in the US on student visas as they seek to obtain an H-1B visa.
Higher education groups are requesting clarity from the Trump administration regarding its student visa policies, as colleges and international students might not be directly informed of cancellations. The ending of students' status, which is already in legal dispute, will render US-based students instantly unqualified for employment.
