Still Here. Still Anxious: How Immigration Status Stress Shows Up at Work (2/3)

Even with your papers in order, you still check your back. A new policy rolls out, and suddenly, your cousin’s work permit is at risk. You show up to work with a smile—but you’re carrying so much more than a laptop and lunch. This is the daily emotional weight many immigrant professionals carry. And in 2025, it’s becoming heavier.

Immigrant professionals often carry invisible stress to work—even when everything on paper looks “secure.”

This is Part 2 of Still Here. Still Rising: Real Strategies for Immigrants Navigating Work, Worry & What’s Next—a series on navigating the job market with clarity, cultural awareness, and courage.

You’ve Done Everything Right—But You Still Don’t Feel Safe

The job is stressful enough. Add immigration policies, public fearmongering, and unpredictable enforcement—and it becomes a minefield of emotions, even for those of us who are working here legally.

We’ve crossed oceans, rewritten resumes, and built lives from scratch. But in 2025, even legal immigrants—those with work permits, green cards, and years in the system—are walking on edge. Let’s talk about what that looks like, feels like, and how it’s impacting your career, your confidence, and your community.

1. You’ve Done Everything Right—But You Still Don’t Feel Safe

The language used in some enforcement policies this year makes it clear: it’s not just undocumented folks feeling the heat.

Programs like TPS (Temporary Protected Status), DED (Deferred Enforced Departure), and humanitarian parole are being restricted or left to expire. That means over 1 million people—many of whom have worked and paid taxes for years—will lose legal work authorization in 2025.

Even if your own status is secure, you can feel the fear in the air:

• What if I’m mistaken for someone who’s undocumented?

• What if ICE shows up at my workplace?

• What if my co-worker, cousin, or neighbor gets taken in a sweep?

The expanded expedited removal policy now applies nationwide to anyone who can’t prove they’ve been in the U.S. continuously for two years. Let that sink in.

This isn’t just policy—it’s personal.

2. You’re Managing More Than Just Work Stress

Legal immigrant professionals are facing layered pressure:

• Tech workers on H1-B visas are eyeing every headline, worried about processing delays or policy reversals.

• Students on OPT are anxious about whether they’ll get enough time and support to land a job before their window closes.

• Spouses on H4 EADs are holding their breath, hoping the right to work isn’t stripped away with a stroke of a pen.

• Healthcare workers, hailed as heroes not long ago, are now worried about expired protections.

Meanwhile, the U.S. labor market relies heavily on immigrant labor. In industries like education, health services, and tech, immigrants make up nearly one in five workers. You’re essential—but not treated like it. You’re contributing—but always watching your back.

3. You’re Staying in Jobs You’ve Outgrown—Because Change Feels Risky

Here’s something we don’t talk about enough: legal immigrants are often over-loyal to employers who don’t value them. Why? Because fear says: Don’t rock the boat. At least you’re safe here. What if you lose your status?

So you don’t ask for more. You don’t job hop. You don’t negotiate. And sometimes, you don’t even update your resume—because what’s the point?

But let me tell you something: You were not meant to just survive the job market—you were meant to thrive in it.

Yes, the system is unstable. But so are jobs. So is the economy. And still—we move.

4. You’re Watching Your Community Worry, and It’s Weighing on You

Even if you feel secure, chances are someone close to you doesn’t.

And that creates a kind of survivor’s guilt—you’re doing well, but you’re carrying the stories of those who aren’t. Maybe it’s your uncle with a temporary visa. Or your friend whose work permit expired. Or your coworker who doesn’t want to talk about their status at all.

You’re supporting others emotionally, financially, spiritually—and that takes a toll, especially when you’re also trying to succeed at work.

Let me say it loud: emotional labor is still labor.

5. You’re Constantly On Guard, Even in Professional Settings

In meetings, interviews, even casual networking spaces—you’re watching your words. You’re checking your accent. You’re prepping documents “just in case.” And you’re bracing for the moment someone asks:

• “Where are you from?” (again)

• “Are you even allowed to work here?” (still)

• “Wow, your English is so good!” (as if surprised)

This vigilance eats away at your energy and creativity.

And it creates what I call career hesitation—when you’re so focused on protecting yourself, you can’t fully pursue the growth you deserve.

So What Can You Do?

Here’s where strategy meets self-preservation:

1. Build a career circle that gets it. Find other immigrants, advocates, and allies who can help you grow professionally and emotionally.

2. Document everything. Keep a personal archive of your immigration documents, pay stubs, offer letters, and work history. If you ever need to prove your case, you’ll be ready.

3. Take care of your mental health. Fear is real, but it doesn’t have to control your future. Journaling, therapy, community spaces—do what you need to stay grounded.

4. Prepare your next move. Even if you’re not job searching yet, update your resume. Polish your LinkedIn. Practice your story. The more prepared you are, the more power you reclaim.

You’re Not Alone—And You’re Not Powerless

Immigrants built this country, and we’re still building it—tech by tech, care by care, shift by shift. We don’t fold. We adapt. We outwork. And we rise—together.

Yes, the 2025 climate is tense. But this isn’t where your story ends.

You deserve a career that reflects your talent, not your status. And at AdnohrDocs, we see that truth in you—every single day.

You don’t have to navigate this alone. Let’s talk about how to protect your peace and grow your career. Schedule your consultation here