#international-scholars

#international-scholars

While everyone is subject to their individual situations, for many, the process begins with an F-1 student visa, which they hold as they complete a Ph.D. over five to six years. After graduation, they may choose to transition to Optional Practical Training (OPT), which provides a year of work authorization, with a two-year extension for STEM graduates. Some may then transition to a H-1B temporary work visa, which provides for three years of work authorization and is renewable for another three years.

Alán Aspuru-Guzik takes a lot of calls these days from scientists considering an exit from the United States. Aspuru-Guzik, a theoretical chemist, left Harvard University, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during Donald Trump's first term as US president, from 2017 to 2021, to join the University of Toronto in Canada and hasn't looked back. "I'm the happiest guy here," he says. Aspuru-Guzik left because he didn't agree with Trump's politics and policies.

Ajallooeian applied to the US State Department for a category J visa, meant for exchange scholars with funds to cover their research and salary.