Immigration might seem like a far-away debate about border security in Arizona, but flawed policies hit close to home for thousands of international students at MSU. Unfortunately, after spending thousands of dollars and four or more years of their life at MSU, too many international students are forced to pack up their bags and leave the country.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle agree it’s too difficult to get a work visa under current law. As part of a massive immigration reform package, eight U.S. senators made getting a work visa more accessible in the bill, S. 744.
Although it’s currently stalled in the House, MSU is paying for two lobbyists in Washington to push the legislation ahead. The bill’s passage would mean opening up new doors and new opportunities for international students who call MSU home.
About 7,300 students from other countries are enrolled at MSU this fall, and last fall more than 130 different countries were represented. For international students graduating in two weeks, this might be the last they see of the states.
Michigan already faces a brain drain. Turning away some of the most educated students in the state only makes matters worse; many international students get their degree and never come back. Especially when we face a shortage of qualified graduates in the science, technology, environmental and medical fields, and with so many of MSU’s international student population majoring in those areas, it’s foolish to hurt businesses by cutting potential applicants.
We need to make staying and working in Michigan more accessible for the international students who have fallen in love with the state, otherwise MSU will continue educating the global community without seeing any benefits closer to home. East Lansing could be the first place many students ever see in the U.S. It’s our job to make it as welcoming and appealing as possible to keep talent in the state. A mess of nearly-impossible-to-navigate hurdles standing between graduates and work visas is less than ideal.
Michigan representatives need to realize how crucial it is to reform immigration policies so that working in the U.S. is an option for more international students. Supporting legislation, such as the most recent immigration bill on the table, must be a priority. Even though Michigan is on the opposite side of the country from the front lines of the immigration battle, reform will have a lasting impact on our lives, too.
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