Forced return home and job hunt: An Indian student worries about the future after new US visa rule

I have been in the United States since 2013. I did my Masters in Biochemistry at a New Jersey-based university and am currently pursuing my PhD on genome changes in breast cancer patients there.

Merely weeks before the submission of my final thesis, the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken an abrupt decision to send back students pursuing online-only programmes.

I had been pursuing this research since 2016. I don’t even know what will happen. If I leave, what happens to my pending research? Everything cannot be done from India. If everything went as per plan, I would have received a doctoral degree by September 2021, and would have started working in a healthcare research firm.

Also Read: All your questions about the US student visa ban answered

My husband is on a dependent visa here since 2019 and lives with me. Since he is on an F-2 visa, he cannot work, though he has an education business back in Hyderabad. He now runs it from here. He was actually using this time to meet some potential investors here. But since I would not be allowed to stay back, his visa will also get revoked.

I am 36 years old. When my brother was diagnosed with cancer in 2009, I had taken a three-year break. He passed away in late 2012 and I came back to academics in 2013. People of my age are already well- established, and here we are, with no clue about what turn our life will take next.

No clue about my academic future

My parents and in-laws are based in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh. We only have one computer for both families and there is no internet connection.

Since I am in the last leg of my research, coordination is going to be a big problem when I go back. I was working as a research assistant. Now that position would also get revoked in case I am sent back.

A lot of data is stored in my laptop but I do need constant access to my institute library to cross-check past projects and gather adequate material. The ICE rules mean that my PhD could technically come to a standstill.

Unfortunately, my doctoral advisor would also retire next year. So, in case I am sent back and unable to return before May 2021, there will be another lengthy process to get another mentor.

A doctoral programme is unlike a regular degree. It requires frequent detailed meetings with the advisor, extensive field work, peer interactions, interviewing experts face-to-face, crunching data and often hundreds of rewrites. All these processes cannot happen online and the ICE should have thought about all that

Regulations say this is applicable only for Fall 2020 semester. As per US academic calendars, this semester would technically end by December 2020. Ideally, I should be able to return by January. But my fellow classmates have said that this wouldn’t be as simple as I think.

Meanwhile, me and three other Indian students have written to the Indian Consulate seeking clarification on what rules would specifically apply to doctoral candidates.

Is the university helping?

My university has been very forthcoming in helping international students cope with the new norms. There are talks within the faculty members to introduce some sort of blended learning programmes so that foreign students like me are not sent back.

This would mean that I would have to attend some physical lessons with my doctoral advisor while the rest could be online. Considering the Coronavirus outbreak, it is not very safe to have in-person classes but that is at least better than being deported.

My mentor and other university faculty have assured me and 60 other international students in the campus that the institute would engage closely with the government to ensure that our academic progress is not hampered. I have been told that the institute is also planning to engage two lawyers to ensure that the newly planned blended learning modules are not in violation of law.

ICE has said that students can shift/transfer to another institute which has offline programmes to avoid getting deported. For doctoral candidates like me, that is not an option.

Situation back home

We haven’t even told our respective parents about this decision taken by the US authorities. While they have been supportive about my academic pursuits, I don’t know how they would react once we are sent back home.

If sent back, both me and my husband Ganasekar would have to look for a part-time job. Hearing about the bleak employment outlook in India, I don’t know if we will land any position.

I also wouldn’t be able to access my university library from India as there are geographical restrictions. The frequent power cuts at home would also mean that I would be grappling to complete my thesis on time.

My immediate option after going back would be to take up a small teaching position at an educational institute in India. But that would mean I would have to commit to it for at least one to two years and my thesis would suffer. Pay for teachers in India isn't great either.

What’s next?

It is too early to say what will happen. My original plan was to start working by December 2021 and later apply for permanent residency. Now that looks like a distant dream.

A neighbour of ours who works in an immigration consulting firm had earlier suggested the EB-5 visa mode saying that the US government would be eager to provide citizenship under this route.

I would need to invest $1.8 million to stand a chance. How will I even be able to afford this? Even if I take out all my savings and sell my liquid assets back home, is this worth it?

What is the guarantee that we would get an EB-5 by 2021? Say, if we are put on the wait-list and get an approval 5-7 years later, what is the use?

Right now, there is way too much anxiety surrounding my academic career, future and employment prospects. I am waiting to hear back from the Indian Consulate. Hopefully, there will be good news.