And it doesn't just apply to students. The US immigration system is a capricious beast for all. I was a dependent on an H1B in 2006 when I accompanied my paren

And it doesn't just apply to students. The US immigration system is a capricious beast for all. I was a dependent on an H1B in 2006 when I accompanied my parents to a consulate (outside of the US) to extend the visa. The State Department placed a "security check" on my parents and we ended up living for months on vacation pay and credit cards, with electricity stolen from the nearest power line and no hot water until my mom started going to the consulate every morning to bother anyone within earshot. We had been in the US for over a decade at that point (getting PhDs, paying taxes, etc.) and just like that we almost had to abandon our entire life here - pets, friends, careers, and all. The ultimate irony was that we couldn't get work permits as illegal immigrants in Mexico to carry us through the ordeal.