visas.... post doc running out... things change... quickly?

It's been a pretty intense spring so far... Involving a few things at work that not mentionable, some that are. There has been a few deadlines of assays that needed to be "fixed", reports needing to be written (as people wanted them to be) and production snafus that needed "sorting out". And in the middle of that, me - with my little stress heart of "wanting to do the right thing and not really feeling that everyone was doing their best for the team". The last part has been something I've tried to work on, mostly since it means I've spent a lot of time processing the "why not do more?" and "what is really enough?". Well, you can't change other people. First rule, but I always seem to slightly forget that.

Anyhow, last week was a good thing. I got results from another source "proving" my results were accurate. That was good since I've been banging my head against the wall trying to show D and it didn't really happen. Results from other source proved that my results weren't wrong but in fact... we needed some tweaking and a new type of reagent.

Then the "non-me" issue happened. A friend of mine, post doc from another country, really found out that it's too late to renew the visa... the work contract as a post doc is up in the fall time but even if there was an extension, which I sort of thought would happen all alone, that wouldn't help. The visa will only be extended if there is a longer contract. Somewhere in this I should've known. They should've known. I blame not thinking too much about that time three years ago when my visa was up, and my contract wasn't prolonged (at the time in spring, come late August with my paper - a whole other story)... then again, my visa was different since the embassy corrected an earlier mistake and I actually got a visa for longer than my contract. On a side note, it's been pretty scary realising now that it could've been so much worse at that time since then I would've been in their situation.... It was a superstressful time for me even if I wasn't completely thrown out with the water (I wonder if English have that wording; throw the baby out with the bathwater?)

Anyhow, I have such a hard time with this since my friend is not the first, nor I bet the last, to go through this at my place of employment. After all, they knew when they entered the "last year" of postdocing that the visa was going to be an issue.... and they are not even EUcitizens (made it slightly easier for me since I could apply for jobs all over Europe, and certain types of jobs in the US). AFAIK, from my own experience, there are a limited number of jobs to apply for outside of research academia in the US as a non-citizen/non-green card holder... many of the industry jobs I looked at then was limited to "not applicable for non-green card holders" since the companies didn't want to sponsor the green card (or bother to help with the process since the sponsor process isn't all about money but time as well, if the applicant is good enough).

The only thing that I know for sure though, is that since a couple of years it is way easier to apply for a green card as a "visiting researcher" than it was say 10 years ago. It might cost you a fee for applying, $500, and maybe a lawyer fee of up to $4000, but in the end that is not as much money - imho - if you think you are going to stay in the US. That said, I only paid the smaller fee and then I did the GC application on my own (had a few helping things from professional people and a job offer that helped of course). It involved asking x amount of "distinguished professors in the world" for a letter of recommendation (I think I got 6) within three weeks though... It helped immensely (for my self esteem if nothing else) that my former post doc mentor wrote a glowing letter that I never thought I'd see about myself. (Seriously, I'm not used to seeing "bringing novel knowledge to the field" and "being an important part of moving the field forward with her research".) All though, in the bigger picture not untrue, I just don't normally see my papers in that light... and I am in research so, there is a bigger picture there too (the GC was partly into the "important for the research of US in the future" - non of which made less impact on my self image, which wasn't the biggest important person in the world at the time...)

My post doc mentor was important, but the other five were as important (I just got very happy and proud my mentor did that for me, long story). Their letters were equally glowing, as you would expect for an American Immigration audience to read. * I mean this is in a sort of "reality check" point since not only do I come from a place where the Letters of recommendations seldom have words of "excellence" in them but rather toned down and good, but not well... if you know what I mean? By the way, it's sort of tradition back home to add a section of "not so good performance" in the Letters of recommendations since no one is perfect... in America I'm still not convinced this happens?!

Anyhow, this turned to be a bit of sidetrack. I'm still reeling a little from my friend and their future.... and I will try to make the best of my help. But regardless, it leaves a slight tummy feeling that this all "post docing in another country" isn't really all that since you end up at mercy of your post-doc mentor way more than if you were safe in your own country without the harrowing need of a visa to even apply for the future of your career. I'm sure I'm not saying anything people haven't thought about before. And I'm not even sure I should be surprised. What I do know though, is that it is a tough situation to be in (maybe especially if you have no one else around you, i.e. spouse, so you're all  alone with the fears, doubts and scary thoughts?)

I guess I needed to vent since I'm losing a good friend very soon and I had been very good at pushing it away since I thought "it was going to sort out with the extension"?