Give H1-B Visa Holders a Life

MADISON, Wisc. -- I am a new dad who has lost much in divorce. It is still hard to talk about, but this March I will move back to my home country, Germany, after nine years in America, with far less than what I came with. My daughter and my dreams are staying behind.

Born and raised in Communist East Germany, I came to the United States in 1998 to pursue a Ph.D. I came to respect this country and made new friends. I held an open mind about whether to stay or return to Germany after receiving my doctorate degree. Midway through graduate school, I met another German citizen and fellow scientist in the U.S., fell in love with her, and we were later married.

My partner moved first to the new town where I had been promised a post-doc position. Her own prior post-doc job had given her a very good position in a promising biotech company. We both felt at home in this town. My wife wanted a good life after having worked so hard for her own Ph.D., and we bought a house. Her company arranged her Green Card process to be initiated.

On the other hand, my job situation left much to be desired as I moved from post-doc, to post-doc. This succession of postdoctoral jobs offered no employment security or even a trail of scientific success, but I hoped things would improve. The post-9/11 reality and wars, however, meant funding for basic science was hard to come by for any faculty member, including my supervisors.

My post-doc salary did not contribute much to the family income, compared to my wife’s financial contributions. Frictions arose; while I spent 10 to 14 hours a day on weekdays in the lab, working hard and hoping for one of my professors to finally get that one grant.

My wife then got pregnant. We both were happy about that, but my present post-doc position was not extended. I began another frantic round of writing applications, just so I could stay in the United States for the birth of our baby. I occasionally received interviews with biotech companies, but they deemed me overqualified. Why would they apply for a visa for me when any B.Sc. can hold a pipette?

At the last minute, literally, I was able to stay because I managed to receive another postdoctoral position, and a new H-1B visa application was sent off. But my marriage had deteriorated so much that my wife and I got divorced shortly thereafter. With the divorce I lost my home and my life as I had imagined it to be. Meanwhile, I had not seen my home country in five years. The complications and long waits for arranging visa interviews in the post 9/11 world made visits untenable, while employment guaranteed wages for only a few months at a time.

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