Trump’s USCIS nominee targets OPT, raising alarms among Indian students in US

Trump’s nominee for Director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Joseph Edlow, has told a Senate panel that he supports ending post-graduation work permits for international students. 

The statement has raised serious concern among foreign student communities, including thousands of Indian students studying in the United States.

Edlow made these remarks during a recent hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee. 

When asked about potential changes to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, Edlow said, “I think the way in which OPT has been handled over the past four years, with the help of certain decisions coming out of the DC Circuit Court, have been a real problem in terms of misapplication of the law.”

Under the current system, international students holding F-1 visas are eligible for a one-year OPT after graduation. 

Students from STEM fields can get an additional two-year extension. 

Edlow told the committee that he supports limiting work authorisation only to the time students are enrolled in academic programmes, not after graduation.

Immigration attorneys said his comments suggest a plan to allow only a one-year OPT that runs parallel to studies, effectively removing post-graduation work opportunities. 

This has caused anxiety among international students already facing issues like sudden cancellations of their visa or SEVIS status.

The OPT programme has been under legal scrutiny since 2014. 

The Washington Alliance of Technology Workers (WashTech) first challenged its validity. In October 2022, the US Court of Appeals (DC Circuit) upheld the programme, including the STEM extension.

 A request to review the case was turned down by the US Supreme Court, as per a report by The Times of India.

A bill to eliminate OPT has also been introduced in the US House of Representatives, but it is unlikely to pass in the Senate.

According to the Open Doors Report for the academic year 2022-23, the US hosted 2.7 lakh Indian students, out of which 69,000 participated in the OPT programme.

Responding to the recent development, Miriam Feldblum, President and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance, said, “Aiming to end post-graduation OPT will undermine the US overall ability to recruit and retain top talent from around the world.

 Experiential learning is and has long been a crucial component of education in this country. 

This includes post-graduation OPT opportunities.”

She further added, “Today, over 2.4 lakh international students participate in OPT, many in STEM fields. 

OPT enhances the educational experiences of international students while bolstering the workforce in communities across the US, supporting employers, and contributing to our economic competitiveness. 

We encourage the department of homeland security to prioritise policies that expand America’s global and domestic talent pipeline to spur innovation, boost our economy, and secure our nation’sfuture as a global education and research leader.”

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/latest-updates/trumps-uscis-nominee-targets-opt-raising-alarms-among-indian-students-in-us/articleshow/121404692.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst