On May 9th, 2023, the Postdoctoral Society of Argonne (PSA) hosted a hybrid discussion session on immigration. In the first part of the session, Michelle Leisten, Immigration Services Lead, lent her expertise in a comprehensive presentation highlighting the services offered by her team. This presentation was followed by a panel discussion where fellow PSA members shared their personal journeys pursuing various immigration statuses, ranging from Green Cards (EB-1, EB-2 NIW, etc.) to H-1B, J1, and beyond. These firsthand accounts shed light on the diverse paths pursued by international postdocs in their quest for stability on foreign soil.
Keynote presentation held by Argonne lead immigration specialist Michelle Leisten and panelists
The event attracted a robust attendance of 70 international postdocs (in-person and virtual). Additionally, as a follow-up from the event, a Slack channel has been established to serve as an anecdotal platform where Argonne postdocs can pose questions and learn from their colleagues’ stories. Argonne postdocs looking to share their immigration experiences or learn from others are encouraged to join the channel and check out the information provided in the PSA Immigration Panel. The Immigration Services Team welcomes any questions regarding status, policies and procedures. Please check the weekly PSA newsletter for links to join Slack and WhatsApp and subscribe to PSA. Join the immigration channel in Slack via #immigrations.
Attendees of the event during the Q&A session
We thank Peco Myint and Sixbert Muhoza for co-chairing this immigration panel and Adam Fouda, Jasleen Bindra, Francesco Salucci, and Jose Monsalve Diaz for sharing their experience.