The United States has long been seen as a land of opportunity, where ambition and hard work promise professional growth and personal freedom. But for international students and professionals, that promise can be fragile, shaped by visa rules, corporate decisions, and global economic uncertainty. Ananya Joshi, an Indian biotechnology graduate, recently became the human face of this precarious reality. After earning her master’s degree at Northwestern University in 2024, she began her career under the F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme at a biotech start-up. But a sudden company-wide downsizing left her unemployed, and with her OPT period nearing its...