????越來越多的外國學生前來美國高校求學，其中許多人在畢業之后都選擇了離開美國，因為繁瑣神秘的簽證過程導致許多雇主根本就不會多看一眼外國畢業生，盡管他們很有才華。

????因此，印第安納大學（Indiana University）凱萊商學院（Kelley School of Business）推出了“印第安納大學移民協助計劃”（IU Immigration Bridge Program），旨在聯合學院的畢業生、公司招聘者和移民律師事務所，輕松解讀H-1B簽證文字工作與相關法規，幫助有意聘請國外學生的美國雇主簡化復雜的移民程序。

????商學院就業服務部副主任保羅?賓德表示，這項計劃將“幫助學生更快地找到工作”，而且從今年春天就將開始為第一批畢業生提供協助。

????賓德表示，這項計劃并不是要解決學校里存在的問題。他認為，凱萊商學院的畢業生找工作并不難。去年，93%的畢業生在離開學院后三個月內都收到了工作邀請。（但賓德并不清楚國際畢業生的比例。）相反，他表示，印第安納大學之所以推出這項計劃是希望提供更多資源，進而簡化延誤、妨礙國際學生就業的簽證程序。賓德表示，雇主一旦得知潛在員工需要獲得在美國工作的授權，“就會產生退縮情緒。他們不想這么做，因為在他們的理解中，簽證程序不僅代價過高，而且需要大量書面工作。”

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

????這是第一個涉及這個領域的計劃，理念直接指向外國留學生之間對工作簽證日益激烈的競爭。據布魯金斯研究所（Brookings Institution）統計，自2000年以來，美國高校外國留學生人數增加了49%，其中60%的增長來自中國；23%來自印度。美國國家教育統計中心（the National Center for Education Statistics ）的數據顯示，美國本科生與研究生中“非居民”的比例近幾年增長有限。2012年，僅有超過2.5%的本科生為外國學生，2007年為2.15%。2012年，美國研究生中外國學生的比例為11.4%，五年前，該群體的比例為11%。

????而與此同時，與外國留學生日益增加的數量相比，他們畢業后留在美國所必需的簽證的數量從2007年以來一直沒有變化。2007年以前，H-1B簽證的最高配額是65,000個；2007年，美國專門為高校畢業生增加了20,000個名額。

????經濟危機期間，這85,000個名額仍有剩余。但隨著經濟的逐漸復蘇，個公司重新開始招聘，簽證開始出現供不應求的局面。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放。最新的一個申請周期是去年四月份開始的H-1B簽證申請期，結果所有名額在一周之內就已經全部簽發完畢。能不能獲得簽證完全靠運氣。去年共有40,000申請者被拒，但他們今年還會再次嘗試。

????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.