It’s hard to tell how many international students at Ohio State find jobs after graduation in the United States, but staff at the Office of International Education can help students start their search.Sometimes there are 20 to 30 students a day asking for information on work options, said Susan Dollinger, a coordinator at the office.Faculty at career service offices on campus recommend students seriously consider applying for positions in their home country, said Marianne Mueller, director of Engineering Career Services. But more and more companies are hiring high-skilled foreign nationals, she said.”Years ago, [hiring international students] was much more difficult,” Mueller said. “[Now] the need is greater. More companies are now willing to take the effort to get the visas for international applicants.”Students can get temporary work authorizations, but the length of time varies for different options. For example, optional practical training allows students to work in the United States after graduation for no more than one year, said Carina Hansen, a coordinator at the OIE. To extend the working period, an employer has to help the international employee apply for a temporary work visa, which may be granted for a maximum of six years.Companies will usually specify whether they accept international applicants or not, Mueller said.”About 20 percent of our staff are foreigners,” said Jason Baird, a recruiter for Analysts International Corporation, a software consulting company in Columbus of about 5,500 employees.The company’s foreign employees have very good educations, Baird said.Some OSU graduates who work at companies in Columbus said they had to be well prepared to find jobs in the United States.Xi Song has a master’s degree in mathematics from OSU and works at Nationwide Insurance. He began at Nationwide in 1996 and is now a supervisor.Although there are many foreign workers at Nationwide, most of them work as computer programmers or analysts, Song said. There are few who work on the management level.”At OSU, I can get advice from my adviser and OIE staff on everything,” Song said.Luis Romo, a first-year doctoral candidate in microbiology from Mexico goes to the OIE for advice.”I want to learn about the options I have in the future,” Romo said. It is important to learn the hands-on experience in the technology and science field in the United States, he said.Immigration laws do change from time to time, Hansen said. For example, a change made to the law within the past few months allows students with job offers when applying for optional practical training to receive faster processing.