Foreign Students Who Work Stymied on Post-Graduation Employment

International students primed for work in the U.S. are having a tough time getting visas under a strict, unannounced change in government policy.

For at least the past couple of months, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has been denying H-1B skilled guestworker visas to former international students who worked in their field more than 12 months while earning their degrees and in the year after they graduate.

The H-1B denials mean students who have received specialized education and training in areas like law, healthcare, finance, and teaching can’t get visas to keep working while still in the U.S. and must ...