Pro: Visa needed to help her realize her potential, make America stronger
by Yukika Amma on Jun. 04, 2007, under OpinionIt seems America is no longer the land of opportunity. Noncitizens face limitations on working in the U.S. to achieve their “American dream.”
I am one of the foreigners who wanted a challenge in this most powerful country in the world.
But I will go back to my home country soon because of the unavailability of my work visa.
Actually, there were companies and positions in the U.S. that would have supported me in acquiring an H-1B visa.
However, their job descriptions and salary ranges didn’t suit my needs.
I am originally from Shizuoka, Japan, which is very similar to Tucson in size and the suburban atmosphere.
In 2002, I made my dream come true: I came to the U.S. to attend school.
To save money for tuition, I worked very hard for two years after graduating from high school.
International students are required to pay expensive tuition and fees in order to complete our degrees.
When I was in community college, I paid $3,000 just for tuition. Plus, I needed another $3,000 for room and board.
Fortunately, I received a full scholarship for my junior and senior years at the University of Arizona.
Without it, I needed approximately $13,000 in annual tuition to complete my bachelor’s degree, excluding room and board expenses.
Besides, international students are not allowed to work.
In order to make the most of our opportunities to study in the U.S., we work very hard to build a strong academic record.
Maintaining good grades and learning new subjects are critical for us to avoid ruining our expensive investment.
Without having enough sleep, we make 100 percent efforts in school work, community service and club activities.
I achieved a grade point average of 3.94. A GPA doesn’t tell everything. However, listening to lectures or writing papers in a second language requires far more work compared with American students, who can balance their time and enjoy parties.
Before and after graduation, I sent résumés to many companies throughout the States.
They showed my strong GPA, the fact that I am trilingual and my professional experience as a marketing intern at one of Tucson’s high-tech companies.
Although many employers showed an interest in me, they did not hire me, because I am ineligible to work in the U.S.
I am qualified enough for their positions. But I am not skillful enough to go through the complicated immigration procedure to obtain an H-1B visa.
In order to avoid complicated immigration procedures, most companies prefer to hire someone with less qualifications rather than skilled individuals without valid work permissions in U.S.
“If I were American.” These were my words.
“Why don’t you marry an American guy?” This was the joke frequently made to me.
We foreign students invest an enormous amount in our education, learn fluent English and earn degrees in special fields.
We are ready to repay the American community by some means.
It is understandable that companies in the U.S. should educate the community, invest in society and give financial stability and community growth by employing citizens born in the U.S.
But I believe the reason the United States is powerful and attractive is because this country has diversity.
The United States should continue exchanging benefits, including human resources, with foreign countries.
Without doing so, the U.S. will not be able to maintain its appeal to the outer world and could lose its diversity.
Is it necessary for America to reject all talents simply because he or she was not born in the U.S.?
CON: Employers subvert program, use it to import cheap labor
OUR OPINION: Reform H-1B system before raising visa limit.
Yukika Amma attended Arizona Western College in Yuma in 2002-04, then transferred to the University of Arizona, where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications in May 2006. She speaks Japanese, English and Spanish.
