'One Wrong Move and it's Over': Entrepreneur Reveals the Hidden Immigration Fears of International Students in the US

Entrepreneur Botir Nasridinov has shared an animated video highlighting the pressures international students face in maintaining their immigration status in the United States.

In a LinkedIn post, Nasridinov reflected on his own experience as an international student and described the anxiety linked to visa rules, deadlines and immigration paperwork. The animation used cartoon “monsters” and surreal images, including a burger consuming people, to represent the fear and uncertainty many students experience.

“When I first came to the US as an international student, I quickly learned that immigration stress is real,” he wrote. 

He said the stress was not limited to paperwork but involved constant uncertainty about maintaining legal status, meeting deadlines and finding reliable guidance.

Nasridinov is the founder and chief executive of Otips, a company established in 2016 in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

The organisation helps international students and immigrants manage education and immigration procedures. In his post, he described the company’s aim as making the process less intimidating and reducing the burden on students. 

“We handle the paperwork, you handle the sleep,” he wrote.

Nasridinov studied international business at Lincoln University between 2014 and 2016. He later completed a coding bootcamp focused on backend development, SQL and DevOps with Python. 

His career path from international student to entrepreneur reflects the challenges many students face while pursuing education and employment opportunities in the US. The video presents immigration stress through humour while addressing the emotional impact of strict visa requirements. 

Nasridinov said the purpose of the message was to make immigration challenges easier to discuss and to reassure students that support is available.