Job search a race for international students facing visa constraints
By Markie Martin | February 24, 2011Graduating international students hoping to work in the United States have 90 days after graduation to land jobs before their visas fall out of status. But with the option of extending their visas, this does not mean they have to go home, and it does not mean deportation. Krittika Onsanit, director of international studies at the University of Richmond, said there were 243 international students currently enrolled at Richmond, 36 of whom were graduating in May. A good portion of the graduating international students will be attending American graduate schools, Onsanit said, and weren't dealing with the urgency of having to find jobs. As long as a foreign student remains enrolled in school, he or she lives under the standards of a student visa, which won't expire until that person is finished with his or her education. Roux Dionissieva, a senior from Bulgaria, is hoping to find a marketing and advertising job near Richmond. Although Dionissieva knows returning to Bulgaria is a possibility if she does not find work, she said she was not that worried because she could apply for an OPT (Optional Practical Training). An OPT is an online form for international students wanting to extend their visas for another year. In the unfortunate circumstance that an international student does not find a job three months after graduation, he or she can apply for an OPT instead of returning home. "I definitely won't be deported, that sounds too serious," Dionissieva said.
