With graduation approaching, University of Alabama seniors are applying for graduate school, looking for jobs and getting ready for the future. While some seniors may already have jobs lined up, others might choose to take a year off. However, for the 104 international seniors, the future is approaching with a hard deadline.

“It’s a massive bureaucratic behemoth,” Charter Morris, director of Capstone International at the University, said. “Planning needs to be during the first year of studies.”

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Most international students at the University have F-1 visas that give them two options after graduation, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. There is a 60-day grace period for students to leave the country, or they can apply for optional practical training, a year-long extension of the visa that allows students to work, paid or unpaid, in their field. According to the UA International Student and Scholar Report 2013, 133 UA students are currently working via the OPT.

“The stereotype is that students come over and want to get a green card,” Morris said. “But a lot of students end up going home. They’re just trying to learn and improve their education for a better life.”

For the students who stay in the U.S., OPT can provide opportunities to connect with employers wh can then apply for a permanent H1B visa at the end of one year. During the year of training, students are allowed 90 days of unemployment, so they may apply for OPT before a job or internship is secured.

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“The goal here is not money,” Morris said. It’s training. The OPT is important because it’s not always hard to come back, but it’s a lot easier to stay.”

Before international students graduate, they can only work on campus or intern through curricular practical training. This is also a way for students to meet employers and gain experience.

Lisa Schedlinski, a senior from Germany majoring in marketing and management, is a managerial trainee at the Hertz Corporation through the CPT program.

“I like the fact that I can work and get paid,” Schedlinski said. “I didn’t know that was possible. Since I’m a management trainee at Hertz, when I graduate, I might become a manager. ”

Niklas Fahl, a senior from Germany majoring in computer science, has not been able to work off campus through a CPT. He works on campus with the Center for Advanced Public Safety.

“It’s pretty complicated, the whole system,” Fahl said. “I was pretty lucky getting jobs here on campus.”

Fahl is in the final round of applicants for a job at Apple Inc. However, Fahl was unable to apply at BMW and other companies, even German-based corporations, due to his international status.

“It would be nice if companies could let you know ahead of time if they hire internationals, because I know I’ve wasted a lot of time talking to people without knowing that they couldn’t hire me,” Fahl said.

Morris said companies are sometimes wary of hiring international employees because the government only issues 65,000 H1B visas to companies each year, with an additional 20,000 for employees with an American graduate degree. The process of getting visas, even OPTs, scares off some hiring managers, but Morris said immigration attorneys and schools are willing to help.

“Employers can have a knee-jerk reaction to hiring an international, and that’s something we’ve tried to fight,” Morris said. “What they could do to arm themselves is honestly don’t think of trying to take this on by themselves.”

If an international worker doesn’t get a permanent H1B visa during their year on OPT, a 17-month extension can be given to workers in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. The extension can put employees and students through another round of visa applications.

Truc Phan, a senior from Vietnam majoring in management, finance and math, said some companies will open themselves up to applicants from certain countries. Morris said companies do this to break into desirable markets.

“Companies will be amazed with my resume but have no international sponsorship,” Phan said.

After having little luck at career fairs, Phan met up with companies in New York City over Christmas break to make connections and talk about job opportunities.

“Once you’re gone, you’re gone for good,” Phan said. “My mom paid a lot of money for me to be here, and I want to make sure I get a good job to pay her back in some way. If I want to work, I have to make it happen myself.”

Morris said he encourages students to explore their options early and remains positive for the graduates.

“The immigration landscape changes so quickly, so if they’ve had difficulties in the past hiring international workers, maybe it’s not so bad now,” Morris said. “I’m hopeful for Niklas and the others.”

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