A recent article promoting education software company Terra Dotta's new "Next Gen" platform paints a deceptively optimistic picture of a tech upgrade for international student services. It positions the tool as a critical solution for navigating compliance with the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS, the Department of Homeland Security's online system for tracking certain classes of foreign students in the U.S. But the article ignores the deeper and more ominous consequences of what Terra Dotta has actually built – a streamlined, automated pipeline from foreign student enrollment to long-term employment, bypassing essential safeguards meant to protect American workers and U.S. immigration integrity.

Beneath its glossy branding, the Next Gen platform is not merely a foreign student support tool, but an end-to-end foreign labor funnel. The software doesn't stop at admissions or visa monitoring; it actively guides students through the life cycle of employment-based immigration, from Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT to H-1B visas – and ultimately green card sponsorship.

This automation of the visa-to-work pathway is not incidental; it's the core feature. The purpose of "Next Gen" is to ensure international students remain in the U.S. labor market long after graduation, regardless of workforce demand or labor market conditions. Thus, this is not about support, but rather about retention, conversion and exploitation, all driven by institutions that profit from international tuition and foreign labor demand.

Institutions aren't adopting Terra Dotta to better serve students; they're doing it to protect revenue. After all, international students contributed $43.8 billion to colleges and universities in the United States in 2023-2024. Their presence financially props up graduate programs, funds administrative expansion and helps universities inflate job-placement statistics through extended work authorization loopholes like STEM OPT. Tools like Terra Dotta's ensure these students stay in compliance, remain enrolled and transition smoothly into U.S. employment pipelines, often while bypassing U.S. citizens for entry-level STEM jobs.