Students Giving Up 'illegal' Part-Time Jobs To Stay In Us

January 4, 2016

Amrita Didyala | TNN | Jan 4, 2016, 05.08 AM IST

Representative image.

HYDERABAD: Fearing deportation by authorities in the United States of America, many students from the city, studying there have given up their part time jobs over the last three weeks, students and officials said.

The flow of students deported from various airports in the US to Hyderabad continued on Sunday too, with 10 more dejected students landing here. The students landed at the Shamshabad airport around 11 am, taking the count to 25 on Saturday and Sunday. Immigration department authorities hinted at more deported students expected to reach here through Sunday night.

Apart from deported students who landed back in the city, panic has spread even among others, who are staying there.

The ones who were not lucky enough to keep their US dreams alive, by heading to 'controversial' universities, share stories of how intense combing on all part time illegal jobs in places like gas stations, supermarkets and eateries have prompted many of their friends to give up on the $ 5- 6 per hour jobs that many survive on.

The panic is widespread among the ones who have given up the jobs as authorities continue to deport those who are planning to go there, fearing a co-relation between the police crackdown there and the large number of deportation cases.

Students meanwhile have started carrying semester fees, university letter, financial details as well as other documents to avoid being deported, said Sandeep Sagar, who returned on Saturday. He was not able to make it through the immigration counters in the USA. "Some students who were already in the US have been deported as well. A few have landed here in the last one week," confirmed a source at the airport.

Top Comment What a disgust to the nation. These Hyderabadis have been doing this for years. It's only the US authorities took things... Read Morefssi

"After reaching Hyderabad airport, I met a student who was already in USA and was deported for working there. He was working there at an eatery and had intended to leave his job fearing deportation but was caught on the last day of his job. The authorities checked with the eatery after he left and went back to the university to question his eligibility to work," said Srikanth P, a student who landed here a few days back.

Incidentally it is after the recent Paris attack, that US authorities have become more stringent when it comes to the student community and have narrowed down on all US universities. Many students from the state head to the US for doing MS or MBA courses. In some universities, they are required to attend classes only once a week, others allow students to work for three to four hours from day one (mostly blacklisted ones).

"Most universities allow the students to work legally once they are on a curricular practical training (CPT) or optional practical training (OPT) programmes. And in these cases, they are not deported. Students are being scrutinized heavily now. Authorities are even going back to universities and checking on student attendance, checking with local part time jobs and deporting students now. As there are ample part time jobs, most students take up jobs on landing there. Shocked by the recent deportations, many students have already left jobs," said P. Anil Kumar, Director Youthworld Consulting.