After studying at Yale for four years, Semih Salihoglu '06 was ready to continue his life in the United States as a software engineer for Google in New York City.

A Turkish citizen, Salihoglu was a computer science and economics double major and holder of the highest grade-point average in Silliman College after seven terms - an ideal candidate for many jobs in the United States. But his plans were disrupted when he was denied the necessary visa for employment for foreign workers with the equivalent of a bachelor's degree or higher, the H-1B.

"It was shocking because no one thought there was any risk in not getting an H-1B visa," Salihoglu said.

Salihoglu is one of many foreign graduating seniors who were unable to obtain H-1B visas this year due to increasing demand. Months later, they continue to deal with the ramifications of the visa shortage, and pending immigration legislation may or may not raise the visa cap for the coming fiscal year.