The new CPT interpretation and upcoming 100K OPT rule along with restrictions on duration of status and more makes me realize how blessed those of us who got here many years ago used to be....mind you back then I already thought the F-1 restrictions were too strict. Now it's just an absolute nightmare to be on an F-1 visa, which is ridiculously expensive with very little return. With that being said, there is hope. If you just got here as a freshman undergrad or are about to get here, do not panick. You have time on your side. Remember this admin is temporary and every restrictions they place at the stroke of a pen can also be rescinded at the stroke of a pen.

Hi everyone,

I'm from China and I'm planning to spend about 9–12 months in the US in 2027 mainly to improve my English, especially speaking and listening.

A little about me:

* Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from China

* Several years of work experience in Linux/DevOps/IT infrastructure

* My reading/technical English is usable, but speaking and listening are much weaker

* I want to take a year away from work and study English full-time in an immersive environment

* I would need an F-1 visa, so I'm only considering legitimate SEVP-certified programs that can issue an I-20

My **hard total budget is US$40,000**, including tuition, housing, food, health insurance, SEVIS/visa fees, flights, transportation, and normal daily expenses.

I'm fine with living in a lower-cost college town. I don't need New York, California, etc.

My main questions are:

1. Has anyone attended one of these Intensive English Programs? How was the actual teaching quality, especially for speaking and listening?

2. What was your **real total cost**, including rent, food, insurance and other fees?

3. Are there other university-based IEP/ESL programs that you would recommend for under $40k all-in for approximately one year?

4. Is 9–12 months of full-time intensive English actually worthwhile for someone who already has a bachelor's degree and professional work experience but needs to significantly improve conversational English?

5. For people who applied for an F-1 specifically for an English-language program, how was your visa interview experience? Did the officer ask why you wanted to study English in the US rather than in your home country?

6. Are there any hidden costs or problems with university IEPs that I should know about before applying?

I'm not expecting to work in the US to fund the program, so the $40k needs to cover the entire period without employment income.

I'd especially appreciate responses from international students who have actually attended a long-term IEP/ESL program in the US.

Thanks!

Trump was elected as the president just a year later I came to the US, since then immigration has been tighter than ever. Do you think the immigration situation is gonna be the same or even more rough after the next presidential elections, I believe if republicans make it again in the next elections they are gonna continue following trump's path.

Hello, as by today my CPT got canceled bcs of the regulations. Now i can’t work anymore and i am in my last year, it’s kinda sad because I literally got the internship during summer and now I am back to be jobless. It’s sad because I was offered to work until next year already. Now I am stressed how to tell my supervisor and why the system is like this.

I just wonder what you all think about that the fact this problem will never end. Recently read one post in ig that saying he got full time offered and did his opt and eventually got his h1b and turned out that one problem ends but another one appears. I just hmm i dont know what to say probably frustrated that we have to face this phase eventually.

Now that I am at the end of my year - having cpt being canceled and it is hard to see that company will hire me with my opt. I know that there is a hope but I have seen many of my friends decided to go back to home country because they just couldn’t afford paying lawyer to figure out and there is no company would hire them.

I just want to share this and want to hear from you all, what do you think about this?

Hello, I am trying to see if it's worth it to apply to a University in Canada as a not very well off Jamaican student. I have a diploma from the University of Technology Jamaica (Electrical engineering) and I really wanted to pursue my bachelor's at the same school. I'm experiencing difficulties and I'm considering if I even have a chance to go abroad and study. I have a good GPA but I'm wondering if that would be enough, I don't have money to even think about paying for the schooling so I would love some form of financial aid. I'm hearing that that's quite difficult though so I'm worried if I'm wasting my time and maybe I should just stay in the situation I'm currently in.

Thank you for your time in advance.

Its pretty shocking how many international students I'll interview for internships that are so much more passionate, engaged and well prepared than the US based students. I don't know what it is, but the US students just have an attitude of "that's not my job" and the international students, especially those from India, will grab their bootstraps with both hands excitedly to wear as many hats as possible.

I don't know what their teaching in CS nowadays but whenever I get a US grad student in my research lab, its just so much complaining about having to write documentation, requirements and basics of the job that isn't just coding (asking Claude to code) whereas the Indian students jump in head first to really absorb the material, the domain and try to think way farther ahead.

This isn't a salary issue either, we offer the same pay to US and Indian graduate students and our H1B visa holders make the same as our US based employees. We pay above market rate too so I'm not sure where the whole cope about "oh they get paid less to do more" comes from.

Are US parents just raising their kids to be cynical and lazy? Seems so!

When I started applying on OPT I was sending 40+ applications a week and hearing almost nothing. Half were companies that were never going to sponsor anyone, I just did not know it yet.

What changed it: before applying anywhere, I checked whether the company had actually filed H-1B or LCAs before. This is public data. The Department of Labor publishes every certified labor condition application, so you can look up any employer and see if they have a real filing history and for what roles.

It flipped my whole approach. A company that files every year is a very different bet than one that has never filed once, no matter what the job post says. I stopped applying to the never-filed ones and put that time into referrals and stronger applications where there was a track record.

Two things I wish I understood earlier:

Past filing history predicts sponsorship intent far better than anything a recruiter says in a screen. And E-Verify status and the STEM OPT extension are separate from sponsorship, people conflate them and screen themselves out.

Happy to answer questions if anyone is stuck on the same thing. What are you all using to figure out which employers actually sponsor?

I wanted to share my bittersweet journey navigating education, culture and immigration in the United States.

I’m Indian but only lived in India for four years. I’ve lived in other countries for most of my life. I wanted to do college in India but my parents encouraged me to study abroad and took care of the finances completely. It was an offer I couldn’t day no to. I decided I would do college for 4 years and then return to India. I didn’t know about OPT and F1 to H1B path.

I started college in the fall of 2016 as an undergraduate student. It was a rough journey. It was very difficult to make friends being a foreigner and I was bullied a lot for my religion and culture. Some people would stand up for me and call me cool but I was scared of them because they were white lol. I was till going through culture shock back then. I spent a lot of time alone until I met some really nice people in my 2 and 3rd year of college.

I worked and was a full time student. The education system was really straightforward and easy for me. Some upper level classes were tricky but professors were always very helpful. The quality of education was good and I got to do three internships. My first internship was volunteer work with I did for free for one year.

Yes, being an international student means having to do free labor for non profits to get experience. It really helped me get my next two internships which were paid. Also, I was offered to do research for free with a prof but I was too busy in my junior and senior year. I think this is one of the easiest avenues to get work experience and rec letters.

I finally graduated in 2020. In my senior year, I spent a lot of time applying for jobs. During classes, I would apply for jobs. I submitted maybe 50 a day. This was before AI was a thing so I had to write my own cover letters. I woudn’t even pay attention during classes. All my friends were citizens and they would send me their notes later. They were so supportive.

I mostly got denials unfortunately. I got three interviews and ended up with two offers in January 2020. I signed in February and started work in July 2020. I had plenty of time to apply for EAD and everything before graduating.

I hadn’t been back to India in 4 years and wanted to see my family but covid hit. Covid was a bit isolating but got through it. I worked really hard for the next 6 years and got promoted almost every year.

I was very lucky that my employer started the H1B application after 1 year of working for them and I won the lottery on the first try. They then applied for greencard and now I’m praying that I get it soon. Tech layoffs are brutal right now.

Somewhere along the way I got attached to the US and I would very much like to continue building my life here if I’m able to. I don’t understand why so many international students get hate for wanting to stay here.

I think the hardest part of studying abroad in the US is not being able to leave the country. I have not left in 10 years because whenever I make a plan to stamp my H1B, some rule changes and I can’t give up on this life I worked so hard to build. It’s really unfair because a visa stamp should be a simple process for people already in the country.

I haven’t seen some of my friends and family for 10 years sadly. I have missed people’s weddings and funerals. I can’t travel to nearby Canada or go on international trips with my friends.

My mental health as did so many other people on H1B took a major hit this past year. The fear of ICE and constantly living in uncertainty of how the immigration rules which allowed us to legally build a life here change on a whim has lead to many sleepless nights. We are truly under psychological warfare right now.

The tech layoffs have not helped. I have seen the nicest people at work or even acquaintances openly wanting H1B people to leave. They felt like we took opportunities from them which is fair. At the same time, F1 to H1B is legal. OPT and CPT are legal. So can people really be blamed if they want to gain work experience in the US and want to build their life alongside their career?

Overall, I am really grateful for going to college here. I got the opportunity to build myself career wise and grow in so many ways that this amazing diverse community has guided me in.

Is the stress worth it? For me, definitely.

The current situation though is really difficult. For those considering coming here now, I would evaluate more before taking the step.

For those planning to come here, I cannot stress more on getting work experience while in college. There are so many non profits and professors looking for volunteer work. It can also lead to a paid position in the future. Also while I was in college, (idk if the rules changed), on campus jobs didn’t require a work permit. So working for a prof is one way to still get experience despite the new CPT rule.

The second point I want to highlight is mental health and connections. A lot of people don’t want non white people to immigrate here. They won’t be in power forever. There are also people that think these rules are unfair and want to help. So find people you can count on and make mental health and work connections.

Thank you for reading! I wanted to add some realistic positivity after reading so many sad posts on this subreddit.

I'm a petroleum engineering grad from the American University in Cairo (Egypt). Program is ABET accredited. my gpa's are as stated in the title. i have three years of semi relevant work experience, and i wanna shift careers into renewable energy, AES at Colorado School of Mines is one of the best renewable energy programs in the U.S., but they dont have a sharp GPA cutoff stated on their program website. what are my chances of getting in as an international student? at colorado school of mines or other renewable energy master's in the U.S. for that matter?

Asking for a friend cuz I'm worried they might be making rash decision under pressure and I'd like to hear from people who are more qualified. 

They're 16, from south africa, been in the UK for 3 years and have gotten their GCSE results. Went back to south africa for holiday but might not be coming back as their visa expires september and I'm unsure if they'll be able to renew it. 

They were planning to do Business, Economics, Maths and Further maths for Alevels. However, apparently they are eligible to study an international foundation program at "Middlesex University Dubai" and want to do Business and Economics there. 

I'm just concerned beacuse maybe since it's an option right now they feel the need to take it. They're very capable and deserve the best possible option.

So I was wondering... 

- What is/are the most realistic option/s 

- If they cannot remain here, any other good alternatives to do a Bussiness/Economics degree elsewhere

- Could you just study Alevel outside the UK and apply for university afterwards 

- Is it smart to go to a university or complete secondary Eduaction 

- Any particular qualifications they should be look at to get a good Business/Economics degree

- If anyone has experience in moving countries during secondary Eduaction beacuse of immigration/visa issues and if so, how did you go about it

Any appropriate advice would be appreciated. I'm more interested in which educational pathways are available so they don't feel like they only have one choice.

Thank you.

I came into the US in 2019 for my undergrad in college. I finished my degree and started my masters. Did my one year opt but didn’t get my extension and now I’m getting ready to leave. I had a chance to start a doctoral degree but ultimately I just think it’s not worth it because it feels like I’m just running with no finish line in sight. And being an F1 student I couldn’t work while in school so I feel it’s probably best for me to go home and try to make some money back home seeing as I’m 24 now. Best of luck to the rest of you 🫡

I’m asking for a family member who is an international student at a US university. They accepted and signed a Summer 2027 internship offer with a large financial firm earlier this summer, when there was no reason to expect work-authorization issues.

Since then, SEVP tightened CPT guidance. Their university is still determining whether its existing co-op/internship pathways qualify, and pre-completion OPT is the main fallback. There are also pending federal changes that could make OPT significantly more expensive or less practical.

The firm has international internships, so an overseas placement might be possible, but the accepted role is with a particular US team and we don’t know whether that team could accommodate it.

The dilemma is whether to raise this now. There is already a meaningful risk to the US placement, but nothing has actually been denied yet.

• Risk of telling them now: recruiting is still ongoing, so the firm could view the intern as uncertain headcount and reconsider/replace them even if the issue later gets resolved.
• Benefit of telling them now: we could learn whether an international placement is realistically available. If the answer is clearly no and OPT/CPT gets worse, knowing that earlier would be useful rather than scrambling later.

For people familiar with recruiting/HR at large firms: would you bring this up now or wait for more policy certainty? And how realistic is the risk that proactively flagging it could jeopardize an already-signed offer?

Hi everyone,

I am a 3rd year PhD student who got an H1B applied from the company I did an internship with. I am currently on a F1 VISA, I am really confused, I really love my research and my PhD ofcourse, as we know the pay is not that great. However with the current job market, things are extremely uncertain, I would appreciate anyone to give me advice on the following:

1) Would you pick the job or continue your research
2) Does anyone have any advice how to do a part-time phd with an H1B visa, and if I need the company's permission for them to approve to do a part-time phd as I believe at this point they were assuming I would drop out of the program?

I am really confused and would appreciate any advice. Please kindly no negative comments.

I'm putting everything on the table because I'm past the point of polishing.

I'm 27, Italian, based in Geneva. Master's in International Relations from a French university, with a thesis on the OSCE's role in the war in Ukraine, built on interviews I secured myself with two former Secretaries General of the Organisation and a former Deputy Chief Monitor of the Special Monitoring Mission.

Six months at the UN in Geneva on protocol and correspondence for senior management. Four months with the Belgian MFA protocol service. Support work during an IPU Council session. Currently a paid part-time contract on an EU public diplomacy project in Geneva, plus volunteer research on disarmament and conventional weapons for an NGO. Italian native, French C2, English C1. My current contract is remote and light on hours, so I am genuinely free to relocate.

On paper it reads well. In practice: a year of applying, sometimes from morning to evening, and mostly rejections or silence. Two final-stage interviews are pending, one answers next week. I can't keep waiting for the next "maybe".

I don't want to go back to Italy. I want field experience, and I am willing to go anywhere for it — Lima, or wherever. Disarmament, mine action, security, SSR. What I can't do is another unpaid placement. I've done three internships and I simply can't afford a fourth. Paid, junior, temporary, difficult: all fine.

Question 1: how does a European with an HQ-only profile get a first field posting?

Every field vacancy I find is either a national position reserved for citizens of that country, or requires prior field experience even at junior level. I'm an EU citizen with no second passport and no local status outside Europe. Which organisations actually hire people like me? Which contract types — rosters, junior consultancies, project-based, short-term deployments? I'm not looking for "network more". If I'm searching in the wrong places or with the wrong keywords, tell me.

Question 2: is my profile the problem, or is it the market?

I keep being told I'm a strong candidate and then not selected. If my experience reads as too much protocol and senior-office support and not enough programme delivery or field analysis, I'd rather hear it bluntly now than in another year. What is actually missing? A certification? A specific junior role? Should I leave Geneva first? If you'd look at my CV and think "this person won't get hired for X because they lack Y", please say so.

Question 3: for those who broke into disarmament, mine action or SSR — what was the move that changed things?

An organisation, a course, a country, a contract that looked insignificant at the time?

I'm already working on the psychological side of this with a professional, so I'm not looking for encouragement. One very specific piece of advice would be worth more to me than a hundred messages saying keep going.

Thank you to anyone who takes the time.

For some reason, reddit has been notifying me about posts from this subreddit. I tapped on a couple of the posts cause they seemed interesting enough. But I can't help but notice the amount of grown ass adults harassing teenagers over simple questions, or those who are asking for help. First off, what are YOU doing on this subreddit, meant for international STUDENTS? Many of you are over the age of 30-- It's extremely immature to be harassing teenagers at the big age of 30.

Second off, what even is the goal? Do you get off to feeling "superior" to teenagers? Do you have nothing else to do? Everything that everyone here is asking, is completely legal, and there are multiple pathways after graduation. Is the point of a student visa to study? Yes. Is it legal to look for employment after graduation? Yes. Stop acting like these teenagers are somehow doing something illegal, they're not.

I've already already graduated with my masters and am currently back home with a comfortable job, so don't bother with the "cope" comments.

Those international students that are already in the States what has been the best state you have lived in/visited and for those wanting to do the same thing what would be a dream state for you?

We’ve reached the point where U.S. citizenship is a résumé booster. But hey, that guy is acctually quite smart to put it at the very front as it's a first filter for recruiters.

Hello everyone,

I am a high school student from Egypt planning to pursue higher education abroad. I am particularly interested in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United States.

I would be pleased to connect with students of a similar age who are also considering studying abroad, as well as with students who are currently studying in these countries and can share their experiences.

If you are in a similar situation, please feel free to comment or send me a message.