International students who graduate from US universities must find an H-1B sponsor within 90 days or leave the country

A computer science PhD graduate from MIT has spent 6 years in the US. Their OPT (Optional Practical Training) work authorization expires. They enter the H-1B lottery with their employer's sponsorship. The lottery has a 25-30% selection rate — it is literally a random drawing. They are not selected. They have 60-90 days to leave the country they have lived in for 6 years, where their apartment is, where their friends are, where their career is. They can try the lottery again next year — from outside the country. So what? The US spends $100K+ in subsidized education per international STEM graduate (state university funding, research grants, teaching positions). Then it forces them to leave and build competing products in their home countries. The H-1B lottery is not merit-based — a MIT PhD competes in the same random lottery as a bachelor's degree holder from a less selective program. Approximately 400,000 international students graduate from US universities annually. The H-1B cap is 85,000. Simple math: most cannot stay. China and India actively recruit returning graduates through programs like China's Thousand Talents Plan. Why does this persist? The H-1B cap of 85,000 was set in 2004 and has not been adjusted for 20+ years despite the tech economy tripling. A 'staple a green card to a STEM diploma' proposal has been discussed since 2012 but never passed Congress. Immigration reform is politically toxic — even universally popular provisions (like keeping STEM PhDs) get held hostage in comprehensive immigration bills that fail.