For many college students, life after Leo is filled with uncertainty or there is some plan for the future. Unlike the domestic students, international students often choose to go back to their home country, though some also decide to stay in America. Albeit the transition between student visa to work visa is not an easy one; it isn’t a process that international students have to do alone.
Paige Ramsey-Hamacher, The Executive Director of Student Success, deals directly with international students as well as students who wish to go abroad. She stated that international students do have options after graduating from Saint Leo. They could either go to graduate school, return to their country, or apply for Optical Practical Training (OPT). She also explained that students who receive scholarships from their home country typically go back home and about 30-40 percent of the remaining international students apply for OPT through the university.
“OPT is the year of work permission which they can get to be able to remain employed in the United States within their major,” Ramsey-Hamacher explained, before suggesting the option of “changing status.”
To change status, typically one has an OPT and has already been employed by a company. If the company would like to hire you permanently, they have the option of filing for an H1B visa or another form of work visa. Sadly, this is a rare phenomenon as the employers must prove that no other US citizen will be able to do the job. However, sometimes these companies do sponsor their employee in obtaining permanent residency.
Ramsey-Hamacher, along with Carol Hope-Grant, The Assistant Director of Multicultural and International Services, assists with the OPT paperwork.
“Students have 90 days before they finish coursework the earliest before the paperwork can be submitted to USCIS [United States Citizenship and Immigration Services]. Students should probably be thinking four months out before coursework completion so they can start working on the paperwork before submitting it to Carol’s and my office,” Explained Ramsey– Hamacher.
Students on OPT are only legally allowed to be unemployed for 90 days out of the year. Volunteer work, full time and part time work all count within their field under the OPT. However, after the 12 months are up, what should they do? If students are in the science, technology, engineering, or math field, the OPT can be given an extension up to two years, though it must be recognized by the government.
Makito Hoshino, a Japanese, sophomore, Global Studies student isn’t sure about his future, but he hopes to apply for OPT and work in America before eventually returning to Japan.
“It would be nice if I could work in the United States for several years to get experience, then go back and use my experience in Japan,” he said.
He also explained that most of the Japanese that he has met in the U.S. plan to go home, even though, in Japan, the work system usually means “black market.” The term black market suggests that the work hours are much lengthier than those in the American workday. Regardless, his love for his country makes him want to stay and use the knowledge gained from the U.S. in Japan.
Yvan Lafortune, an Economics and Business Management major, and sophomore from Haiti, hopes to be employed in a field along the lines of Economics or Human Resource Management.
“I plan on at least staying for one or two years, and then go back to my country,” Lafortune clarified.
Lafortune included that he plans on obtaining his Master’s Degree and with hopes of gaining experience from working after applying for the OPT. Utilizing his passion, he plans on returning home to make a difference.
“Although the US is great and I’m happy to be studying here, home holds a special place in my heart,” Lafortune said. “Haiti could definitely use my skills to usher the country into a new vision and bring a little order into the Economic/Management chaos.”
The office of Multicultural and International Services will be hosting “Life after Leo” on Nov. 14 at 3 p.m. where they will advise international students about what comes next after graduating. At 4 p.m. on the same day, they will be having Maney and Gordon, a law firm in Tampa, that specializes in international law, who will discuss options for international students after graduation.
