With his master’s degree in electrical engineering at North Carolina State University almost complete, Ravi, 24, received a promising job offer from a technology firm. He called his parents back in India, happy that he was on track for an H-1B work visa, which is seen as a steppingstone to US citizenship.

But just before Thanksgiving, Ravi got a call from his future employer.

“They told me that because of the economic downturn they couldn’t hire me in anticipation of tougher times ahead. They were laying off other American employees, and cutting my job would be a proactive measure,” said Ravi, who gave only his first name because he did not want his job prospects affected. “I do feel bad for anyone losing a job, whether it’s an American or an H-1B foreign worker. But for foreign students, if we don’t get a job, we have to go back to our home countries. When I talk to my parents, they tell me not to worry and return home. But I had really hoped to stay.”

As the US economy slows, highly skilled foreign professionals seeking work under various visa programmes are finding it harder to get jobs. President Obama’s stimulus package stops US companies, largely in banking and financial services, that take federal bailout money from hiring H-1B visa holders for two years if they have laid off American workers in the previous six months. The administration has vowed to tighten restrictions and step up oversight of all work visa applications.

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