Ko'u Hopkins sits down with a student visa holder as they discuss the fear and stigma of being a international student in today's climate.
Transcribed by AI with Human review
Ko’u Hopkins: Hello, I am today's host on Community Voices, Co Hopkins, and today we're going to dive into the other side of travel. This side deals with being a student on a student visa, as they deal with many challenges that domestic students don't know about. And today, our guests would like to keep their name and identity private as they feel it would be much safer for them to share their experiences more freely without fear. From this, our guest will be called Riley. So, Riley, how long have you been in the United States?
Riley: I came here in 2021.
Ko’u Hopkins: How has the United States changed since you arrived in 2021?
Riley: They're definitely different aspects to look at. I think the people, the people have been the same. People have just been kind of, I have a good community. I would say politically, things are obviously very different. In the immigrant communities, people are more afraid. People of color are afraid. Even those who are Americans feel the need to carry their passports around just because of, you know, the old thing with ice. For me, I think it's just that fear when I'm out and about, I don't know what's going to happen. And I'm a student, you know, but I still have that concern. And I would say that online, people have been, should I say, more cruel? People have been more open about how, I guess, they felt all this time, but they didn't have the liberty to share that. So I see all these comments online that are just so scary to think there are actual people who feel this way about other humans. It's just scary.
Ko’u Hopkins: It is quite sad to see how the world has changed, because I've lived here my entire life. And when I was younger, I always thought people were very open, and racism was a very bad thing. But I know now that's turned into a weapon and that's really, really sad to see. So I know that you work as most students do. So could you describe what it's like to get a work permit as a student on a visa?
Riley: So, as a student on a visa, we usually get on-campus employment. So maybe working under 20 hours a week in the library, maybe just in your department as a graduate assistant. So these are the opportunities available to a student. When you do graduate, there is something called optional practical training, where you get to experience what you've studied in school. in the real world. You get that hands-on experience. So usually we submit applications to USCIS, and we wait for them to approve that and to send our employment authorization documents, which is a card that lets us work. So students are not allowed to work if they don't have that employment authorization. Keep in mind that while you are in school, you cannot do more than 20 hours, and you're limited in the places you can work, pretty much on campus. However, after graduation, you get to explore your specialty or your field and just experience the real world. So yeah.
Ko’u Hopkins: Has that experience changed at all since you came to the US?
Riley: Oh, absolutely. I mean, I think up until last year, people were still able to get their employment authorization. after graduation. But I believe on the 16th of December, there was a pin or proclamation that was passed and certain countries were banned. It is my understanding that other countries had been banned before those on December 16. And then on January 1, there was something called an adjudication pause. And that pretty much means every immigration benefit, which includes being able to work legally. Everything you can get from immigration is on pause if you're from those countries. So if you're just graduated, you're trying to apply, you've gotten a job offer, and you're just waiting on your employment authorization, you're not going to get it. We're just waiting indefinitely. I know people who graduated in December. Today is March. This is pretty much the end of March, and they still do not have this employment authorization. And they applied early because we can't say this is a problem of time. It's just that the pause has led to pretty much nothing. So we just wait.
Ko’u Hopkins: Is that scary? Because I can imagine for myself, if that were me, I would feel very scared, and I would have my documents on me at all times. But it makes it even worse because you're no longer a student. You don't have that safety net anymore.
Riley: Yeah, and I honestly cannot tell you how this is going to be navigated. I don't know what people are doing. Of course, it definitely is very scary. You can't work. You're afraid to leave the house. You can't do anything. You're just waiting. You don't know what you're waiting for. You don't know when they're going to say something about it. And like you said, you know, once you graduate, it's just scary now. Not many people can afford to stay because there is a, you know, a period that they let students stay back for a couple, I think, a couple of weeks. So when you exit that period, I have literally no idea what's going to happen to these students. They really are just waiting. You can't work. You can't, and sometimes might not even be able to get a driver's license. So you really are just stuck at home, afraid. And I guess pretty much left with no option but to probably go back home.
Ko’u Hopkins: This is a very sad time that we live in, and I know that in some countries, you have 90 days, like when you come into the country. I know Europe has this as well, but do you know what the travel restrictions were like when you first came here, and how they have changed?
Riley: When you say 90 days, what do you mean?
Ko’u Hopkins: For 90 days, I know that if you're from Europe and you come here, you have 90 days where you have a 90-day visa. You just get it upon arrival. So I wasn't sure if other countries have that because I know that Americans, when they go to Europe, have 90 days. But that is now kind of changing because they're issuing a new visa. But I wasn't sure about other countries.
Riley: I think that just depends on the country you're from. I would say some of the more developed countries probably have the 90-day thing. I actually don't know anything about that. But the restrictions, I think I wasn't paying any attention then to like restrictions until I was affected. And then that was when I read that now there are 39 old countries that are not able to get visas. You can't get a student visa, you can't get a visitor's visa. I mean, I think if you want to get a visitor's visa for some countries, you have to pay $15,000. And then when you come back home, you'll get that $15,000. But not everybody has $15,000 to just drop and then pick up later. So I guess, they really are doing their best to limit entry. So there are those restrictions for people to get new visas right now. I think another main thing is just people not being able to change their status. Or like I mentioned earlier, they're not able to, you can't apply to, if you're from those countries, you can apply to get a green card even if you qualify, if you're married to an American or if you are, you know, you qualify through employment, you're not able to get H-1B if you're not already on H-1B. If you're from those 39 countries, there is just a pause. So while you are in the country, you can't do anything. But as regards, I think I just want to clarify that if you already have a visa from those countries, you can still come into the US. But if you need a new visa, then you know, you pretty much can't come in, because you will not be able to get an appointment.
Ko’u Hopkins: Yeah, and I know now they're really cracking down with if your passport expires six months when you arrive, or like six months before you go, they're really cracking down on that. They're really looking at expiration dates now. They're checking everything for travel and things like that. So, how do you think all these travel restrictions have impacted the immigrant community?
Riley: I mean, people can't be with their families. I think that's one of the most important things, People can't come in to see their family members. People are afraid to leave, to go see their family members, because they don't know if they will be allowed in. Unfortunately, maybe a family member is sick, but you can't travel, or maybe you're unwell. You can't have that support, except if you already have a community here in the US. So it's just, I think it's just a scary time. Nobody really knows what's going on. I think obviously we can speculate, right? But we have no idea. And this really actually is the first time I'm hearing about this 90-day passport, sorry, six-month passport thing. This is definitely scary.
Ko’u Hopkins: Yeah, there are so many more roadblocks now for traveling. And it's really sad. But I know that you have a story about how immigrants are actually fighting back. I know there's a legal case out west, I believe.
Riley: So what I know of this is that people who are joining suits where they try to, you know, they communicate with probably an immigration lawyer, and they try to present their case before a judge who then, I guess, lifts the pause for them. I don't believe there's been a lot of success with that. Maybe there has been, but I just don't know about it. But these lawsuits are very expensive to join. You don't have, remember, we're not allowed to work, so you don't have maybe 2,500 or 3,005 to just drop and, you know, join a lawsuit because you can't even work to make that money. So you're just pretty much at the mercy of people and maybe your family members sending you money. So yeah, there are people joining lawsuits, but unfortunately, not everybody can afford something like that.
Ko’u Hopkins: You talk a lot about being able to afford things and afford visas and things like that. Would you say that most of the immigrants who are coming here, they basically have to give up everything to come here? They have to give up their families. They have to give up money. They have to go fully immersed in this new culture and hope they get a job.
Riley: I mean, I think it's, I guess it's different for everyone. Ultimately, when you move to a new place, you are living in your community. If you're moving from one state to another in the US or anywhere in the world, you are living what you know, and there's going to be some type of adaptation. If you're trying to do better for yourself, there will be some sacrifices. So I personally believe that those are some things that are expected, but I also think that if you are doing everything by the book, then you super involved in your community, you're serving, you're helping underserved people, serving at soup kitchens and stuff, but now you are probably need a soup kitchen because you can't even like eat, you can't do anything after school. And a lot of people take loans to be able to come to school because not everybody has funding. So they take loans so they can get the amazing education that they can be exposed to here in the United States, with hopes of being able to do better with their lives, being able to do better for their family members back home, and give them a chance at education at home or anywhere else in the world. So it's definitely limiting what can be done now. And yeah, people have sacrificed things. But right now, I guess a lot of people are like, is it worth it that I gave up all of this and now this is it? It's just nothing.
Ko’u Hopkins: So are you worried about the future immigration to the US? Do you think people are going to start regretting coming here?
Riley: I think so. I mean, I feel like most people are afraid. As I mentioned earlier, I have friends who are Americans who were born here in the US who carried their passports around, especially if you, I don't know what it's like right now. I try to stay away from the news sometimes. It could be very depressing. But like they carried their passports around. These are people who were born here in the US. So you can only imagine how people we're not born here feel. So I think everybody's worried about the, well, most people are worried about the state of immigration. And definitely a lot of people might regret coming here because maybe they could have spent that amount of money in a different place that could have given them different opportunities. But obviously nobody saw this comment. So what can you do?
Ko’u Hopkins: Do you regret coming here?
Riley: Actually, no. Just, I just have such a great community. I, regardless of how hard things are, I just, I'm supported by all these people. The unkind things I see are mostly, not mostly, actually just all online. So, like, my community just makes me feel safe. They're incredibly supportive. So I don't regret coming here, but I guess I, yeah, I think that's it. I don't know. That's something I have to think about. Right now, I didn't know this was going to happen, so I couldn't have made a different decision. So I'm not going to, I guess, beat myself up over what could have been, you know, just see how we can make the best of what I have right now, I would say.
Ko’u Hopkins: I think that's such a beautiful message to make the best of what you can. And we're kind of winding down on time, but is there anything else that you would like to add?
Riley: Nothing really, I guess. Just encourage people to be kind. You don't know what anybody's going through. People who are going through a hard time, let's strive to keep advocating for the immigrant communities and people who can't help themselves or have a voice. I think that's it. And my heart obviously goes out to my fellow immigrants who are just, you know, right now waiting. Waiting for what? We don't even know what we're waiting for. My heart goes out to them, and we just have to keep hoping that something good is going to happen for us. That's it, it's going to get better because if you think of something else, it's just going to be depressing. So just kind of keep hope alive, I'd say.
Ko’u Hopkins: Thank you so much for your time today, and thank you so much for sharing your stories, your experiences, especially some of the experiences of others that you know. And I think that's such a very powerful message as well, that hope needs to be alive. I mean, the U.S. literally has a history of being the land of immigrants, and I think people are forgetting that. And I think it's always good to remember to be kind to one another. So thank you so much for listening to today's episode of Community Voices. I'm Cole Hopkins. Thank you so much.
