This time of year can be an exciting and anxious time for students who are graduating from universities across the country and seeking their first full-time job after graduation. Fortunately, graduates can have some relief in knowing that the job market last year for the class of 2015 was the best in years with a jobless rate of about 5.4 percent and an unemployment rate for college graduates of about 2.7 percent last April.1 For students in STEM fields (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), the market was especially welcoming with better than expected salary offers.2

While the process of securing a job after graduation can be stressful on its own, foreign nationals graduating from U.S. universities have the added stress and uncertainty of securing and maintaining proper work authorization if they are able to land a job offer. Fortunately, students on F-1 visas are generally eligible for post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) and can apply for a work permit known as an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) through U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that can provide work authorization for up to 12 months after graduation. However, because the EAD cannot be extended indefinitely, during this period it is important for students to explore options available to them after the EAD expires. This typically entails students working with their employers to transition to an appropriate work visa that the employer would sponsor on behalf of the employee.

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