Culture is the total knowledge of attitude, intellectual, and psychological behaviors, human emotions, and laws passed on by the members of a country. As an outsider human beings are taught to blend in i.e. mimic behavior, language, accents, dress codes etc. We are not trained to take the laws and systems of a country seriously as a part of understanding the culture because we are too quick to blend in. Lack of seriousness in understanding the US federal, labor and immigration laws, and how it works for a foreigner under multiple US Visa regulations can really lead to missed opportunities or exploitation.

Most state and private US universities provide expert care in taking care of an international student maintaining his or her valid F1- student visa status because the universities has a SEVIS system and they are accountable to proper reporting to homeland security. But the problem is not when you are a student but the student’s lack of interest in understanding any other law other than “How to get a green card?”

There are many other US government agencies that are part of an international students life until he or she becomes a US citizen. Agencies such as Department Of Labor (DOL), Labor Racketeering Division, Fraud Detection & National Security (FDNS), Equal Employment Commission (EEC)etc. play key roles in actively checking the validity of temporary non-immigrant visa holders in United States. It’s in the best interest of the students to have a fundamental knowledge on how these agencies work , and who to reach out if n need of help.

As much as international students on F1-Student visa in USA understands about immigration laws and what are the ways to get a Green card, there is very little knowledge about the rest of the government agencies. It is my belief that the more the students know the better they are equipped to have a peaceful, and prosperous future in the land of opportunities.