????越來(lái)越多的外國(guó)學(xué)生前來(lái)美國(guó)高校求學(xué)，其中許多人在畢業(yè)之后都選擇了離開(kāi)美國(guó)，因?yàn)榉爆嵣衩氐暮炞C過(guò)程導(dǎo)致許多雇主根本就不會(huì)多看一眼外國(guó)畢業(yè)生，盡管他們很有才華。

????因此，印第安納大學(xué)（Indiana University）凱萊商學(xué)院（Kelley School of Business）推出了“印第安納大學(xué)移民協(xié)助計(jì)劃”（IU Immigration Bridge Program），旨在聯(lián)合學(xué)院的畢業(yè)生、公司招聘者和移民律師事務(wù)所，輕松解讀H-1B簽證文字工作與相關(guān)法規(guī)，幫助有意聘請(qǐng)國(guó)外學(xué)生的美國(guó)雇主簡(jiǎn)化復(fù)雜的移民程序。

????商學(xué)院就業(yè)服務(wù)部副主任保羅?賓德表示，這項(xiàng)計(jì)劃將“幫助學(xué)生更快地找到工作”，而且從今年春天就將開(kāi)始為第一批畢業(yè)生提供協(xié)助。

????賓德表示，這項(xiàng)計(jì)劃并不是要解決學(xué)校里存在的問(wèn)題。他認(rèn)為，凱萊商學(xué)院的畢業(yè)生找工作并不難。去年，93%的畢業(yè)生在離開(kāi)學(xué)院后三個(gè)月內(nèi)都收到了工作邀請(qǐng)。（但賓德并不清楚國(guó)際畢業(yè)生的比例。）相反，他表示，印第安納大學(xué)之所以推出這項(xiàng)計(jì)劃是希望提供更多資源，進(jìn)而簡(jiǎn)化延誤、妨礙國(guó)際學(xué)生就業(yè)的簽證程序。賓德表示，雇主一旦得知潛在員工需要獲得在美國(guó)工作的授權(quán)，“就會(huì)產(chǎn)生退縮情緒。他們不想這么做，因?yàn)樵谒麄兊睦斫庵?，簽證程序不僅代價(jià)過(guò)高，而且需要大量書(shū)面工作?！?/p>

????雇主必須為畢業(yè)后留在美國(guó)的留學(xué)生們提供針對(duì)外國(guó)專業(yè)技術(shù)人員的H-1B工作簽證。但賓德表示，這類簽證的平均費(fèi)用約為4,000美元，而且需要一個(gè)冗長(zhǎng)的過(guò)程。而雇主們，尤其是中小企業(yè)的雇主，并沒(méi)有足夠多的法律人員來(lái)處理這些事務(wù)。因此，他們往往會(huì)避免招聘外國(guó)求職者，就算這些人非常符合公司的招聘條件。而通過(guò)移民協(xié)助計(jì)劃，印第安納大學(xué)與Fragomen、Del Rey、Bernsen&Loewy等移民公司合作，幫助學(xué)生和潛在雇主處理麻煩的簽證程序。只要外國(guó)留學(xué)生獲得雇主極大的興趣，或者得到了工作邀請(qǐng)，他們的簽證事宜便將交由Fragoman公司按折扣價(jià)代表雇主辦理。（賓德拒絕透露具體價(jià)格。）

????這是第一個(gè)涉及這個(gè)領(lǐng)域的計(jì)劃，理念直接指向外國(guó)留學(xué)生之間對(duì)工作簽證日益激烈的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)。據(jù)布魯金斯研究所（Brookings Institution）統(tǒng)計(jì)，自2000年以來(lái)，美國(guó)高校外國(guó)留學(xué)生人數(shù)增加了49%，其中60%的增長(zhǎng)來(lái)自中國(guó)；23%來(lái)自印度。美國(guó)國(guó)家教育統(tǒng)計(jì)中心（the National Center for Education Statistics ）的數(shù)據(jù)顯示，美國(guó)本科生與研究生中“非居民”的比例近幾年增長(zhǎng)有限。2012年，僅有超過(guò)2.5%的本科生為外國(guó)學(xué)生，2007年為2.15%。2012年，美國(guó)研究生中外國(guó)學(xué)生的比例為11.4%，五年前，該群體的比例為11%。

????而與此同時(shí)，與外國(guó)留學(xué)生日益增加的數(shù)量相比，他們畢業(yè)后留在美國(guó)所必需的簽證的數(shù)量從2007年以來(lái)一直沒(méi)有變化。2007年以前，H-1B簽證的最高配額是65,000個(gè)；2007年，美國(guó)專門(mén)為高校畢業(yè)生增加了20,000個(gè)名額。

????經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)期間，這85,000個(gè)名額仍有剩余。但隨著經(jīng)濟(jì)的逐漸復(fù)蘇，個(gè)公司重新開(kāi)始招聘，簽證開(kāi)始出現(xiàn)供不應(yīng)求的局面。布魯金斯研究所的副研究員尼爾?魯伊斯表示，目前，這類簽證按先到先得的方式發(fā)放。最新的一個(gè)申請(qǐng)周期是去年四月份開(kāi)始的H-1B簽證申請(qǐng)期，結(jié)果所有名額在一周之內(nèi)就已經(jīng)全部簽發(fā)完畢。能不能獲得簽證完全靠運(yùn)氣。去年共有40,000申請(qǐng)者被拒，但他們今年還會(huì)再次嘗試。

????The United States is training a growing number of foreign students at its universities, but many are sent packing overseas after graduation day, a result of an arcane visa process that keeps many employers from even giving a talented foreign graduate a second glance.

????In an effort to streamline the complex immigration process that arises when U.S. employers want to hire international students, the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University has introduced what it calls the IU Immigration Bridge Program, an initiative aimed at bringing together the school's graduates, corporate recruiters, and an immigration law firm to breeze through the maze of H-1B visa paperwork and regulation.

????The program, which the school's associate director of career services Paul Binder says will "bring jobs to students sooner rather than later," will assist its first class of graduates this spring.

????Binder says that the program was not started to address a problem at the school. He maintains that Kelley's graduates have little trouble finding employment. Last year, 93% of its graduates had a job offer within three months of leaving school. (Binder did not know what that percentage was among international students.) Instead, IU created the program, he says, to provide resources to ease the visa process that can often delay or hinder the hiring of international students. Once an employer learns that a prospective hire needs authorization to work in the U.S., it "sometimes steps back a little," Binder says, "They don't want to do it because of the perceived high cost and paperwork."

????For international students to remain in the U.S. after graduation, an employer must sponsor them with an H-1B visa for skilled foreign workers. But because the visa costs an average of $4,000 and has lengthy process times, employers -- especially small and midsize firms that lack a large legal staff -- shy away from pursuing international job candidates, even if they're well qualified, Binder says. Through the Bridge Program, IU has teamed up with immigration firm Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy to help students and their potential employers tackle the cumbersome process. Once international students receive significant interest from an employer or an actual job offer, their visa matter is referred to Fragoman, and the firm handles it on behalf of the employer at a discounted rate. (Binder declined to disclose the price.)

????The concept of the program -- one of the first of its kind -- points to the growing competition among international students for working visas. According to the Brookings Institution, since 2000, the U.S. has witnessed a 49% increase in the number of foreign students studying at its universities -- 60% of that growth can be attributed to China; 23% to India. Figures from the National Center for Education Statistics show that the percentage of "non-residents" in undergraduate and graduate programs has inched up in recent years. Just over 2.5% of undergrads were foreign students in 2012, compared to 2.15% in 2007. Foreign students made up 11.4% of enrollees at graduate programs in 2012, up from 11% five years ago.

????Meanwhile, the number of visas available to keep this growing number of students in the country after graduation has remained stagnant since 2007, when 20,000 visas specifically for graduates of U.S. universities were added to the previous cap of 65,000.

????During the recession, not all 85,000 visa spots were filled, but now that the economy is recovering and companies are hiring again, there's a surplus of applicants. Visas are issued on a first-come, first-served basis, and during the most recent filing period for H-1Bs that began last April, the cap was reached within a week, says Neil Ruiz, associate fellow at Brookings. Visa recipients were determined by lottery. Forty-thousand applicants were rejected with no option but to try again this year.