Recently, a startling piece of news has been circulating in the international student community: a friend's child, a master's graduate from a Top 30 university, submitted over 1,000 resumes in the U.S. without receiving a single offer for OPT sponsorship. They are now at a loss as to whether they should stay in the U.S. to pursue another master's degree or return home to find work. This experience is not an isolated case; in reality, most international students find it difficult to successfully remain in the U.S. to begin their careers and a new chapter of life after graduation or the completion of their internship period. The situation is particularly dire with Donald Trump's return to power, which has exacerbated an already difficult environment for those wishing to stay in the U.S. Those who experienced the Trump 1.0 era will remember that in 2017, Trump signed an executive order titled "Buy American, Hire American," aimed at protecting the U.S. domestic labor market. This led to stricter review standards for H-1B visa applicants, causing the H-1B denial rate to rise sharply—from just 6% in 2015 during the Obama era to 16% in 2018 during the Trump era, and reaching a historic high of 24% in 2019!
Today, the competition for the H-1B visa lottery has become white-hot. Taking the 2025 fiscal year as an example, a total of 135,137 individuals were selected across the first and second rounds. However, there were 479,953 registrations, with 470,342 valid registrations. The rough selection rate was approximately 28%, but based on the limited quota, the actual selection rate was only 20%. For international students in non-STEM majors, the situation is even more difficult; they only have a one-year OPT internship period after graduation and only one chance to enter the lottery. Once they fail to be selected, they have no choice but to bid farewell to the U.S. job market and seek other paths.
Furthermore, since Trump's return to office, his unfriendly stance toward international students has already begun to manifest. Many companies have stated they will no longer provide employer sponsorship for international students, and numerous universities have issued warnings, urging students to return to the U.S. before January 20, 2025, to prevent unknown risks caused by policy changes. This has left the international student community feeling anxious, confused, and uneasy about the future.
So, in the face of these mounting difficulties, what choices should those who are determined to study, work, and live in the U.S. make? Are there any effective ways to help them overcome these obstacles and achieve their goals of staying in the U.S.? This is the answer that every person with a dream of staying in the U.S. is eager to find, and it is a key issue that requires deep reflection and careful planning in the current complex and volatile international environment regarding study and immigration policies.
In fact, the most important issue is legal status. Some parents have already considered this and have arranged immigration for their children and family in advance, which not only makes enrollment more convenient but also ensures that future work and life in the U.S. remain unaffected.
For international students and families planning to study abroad, the most secure solution is to obtain a U.S. Green Card quickly and plan for the future in advance. Under the new act, investing in an EB-5 rural project under the reserved visa category offers exemption from visa backlogs and priority processing by USCIS. At the same time, EB-5 applicants already in the U.S., including international students, can perform "concurrent filing" in the U.S. This means that applicants without a backlog can simultaneously file their I-526E immigrant petition and I-485 application to adjust status. They can also apply for an I-131 travel document and an I-765 employment authorization document, allowing them to legally reside, study, and work in the U.S., enjoying the freedom of a quasi-Green Card in advance and quickly resolving the issue of legal status for staying in the U.S.
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