Suspend Optional Practical Training (OPT) Work Permit Proposal

Imagine how would it be if there would be no work permit as soon as you graduate from your masters or Ph.D from a U.S. Grad School. This would be a huge loss to many non-immigrants. Optional Practical Training is an immigration benefit that allows foreign students graduating from U.S. schools to obtain a temporary work permit in their major area of study after completing an academic program in the United States.

Senator Charles Grassley proposed last week to the United States Department of Homeland Security to suspend OPT immediately until certain serious problems on OPT are fixed.

Pump Yo Breaks SUCKAS!

Optional Practical Training

OPT (Optional Practical Training) is a 12-month period offered to all the F-1 students after graduation to work in the United States. The STEM students take the advantage of a 17-month Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) Extension and continues to work before applying for H-1B Visa.

Check the letter written by Senator Charles Grassley to the Department of Homeland Security here

Why Suspend OPT?

According to Senator Charles Grassley, he has gathered the following information:

  • In the last six years more than 560,000 students received OPT and only.06% of those approved in the last 6 years had their OPt revoked. It is revealed that there is a mismanagement on the OPT Program and the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) doesn’t keep track of what those candidates are doing and where they are working.
  • It is noted that the students are being employed unauthorizedly outside their major of study, irrelevant to what the student studied in the U.S. university. Example, a student who did masters in mechanical engineering working as a computer science professional under OPT.
  • Investigators reported that the DSOs were falsifying documents in order to authorize students for OPT. No proper background check is done before approving OPT.
  • Also assumed as a national security risk. It is said in the document at least one candidate utilized OPT to planning out an attempted terrorist attack on the United States.
  • Allowing an unlimited number of foreign students on OPT is hindering job opportunities for the U.S. citizens.

Charles Grassley proposed for an immediate suspension of the Optional Practical Training program until the serious problems are fixed. If the Optional Practical Training is temporarily banned, it is a huge trouble to many non-immigrants who are currently working on OPT or for those who are waiting to start working on OPT.

If you want more updates on H-1B Visa and OPT, Like us on Facebook below to get Instant Updates

18 Comments on "Suspend Optional Practical Training (OPT) Work Permit Proposal"

  1. This is just a proposal. It will never make it to the senate or the house. Total Non-sense.

  2. I don’t really mind if they remove opt Stem Ext as every one i know is missuing them. We come here for study and its no right to us to demand any working ability. No non immigrant has right to demand employment authorization. So this is what they should do,

    Take high taxes on all Non immigrant workers (_33% regardless of opt cpt)

    Limit OPT to one and it should be 15 months.

    Remove H1B cap and scrutinize every every application to make sure no one is abusing the system and also give opportunity for employers to be able to apply for H1B visa any time of the year.

    Make Employee-Vendor-Client model illegal for H1Bs. (wipes of desi consultancies and only qualified people will get through the system as every one will be a full time employee)

    make sure every H1B employee makes just as much as an US citizen in the field.

    Pass a law where faking a resume is considered as punishable offense.

    These changes will make sure that we only attract the right talent and weed out all the others who we dont need and rather stay away from america.

  3. This guy doesn’t seem to understand what the real issue is.

    1) Fix your educational system.

    2) Anyone should have the opportunity to choose their field irrespective of what they study and where they are from. Isn’t this what America is all about?

    3) We are paying more taxes and working our a** off for US companies than any other illegal immigrant which doesn’t concern them. We are doing our part for many unemployed people who have benefits.

    4) Non immigrants are going through more screening day in and day out than he can ever imagine.

    5) He should be looking at this

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qty1xqvQBrA

    6) Not 100% folks out of folks get jobs right when they graduate. Moreover these students pay hard earned money from their pockets to pay for the tuition. Don’t you think they at least deserve a chance?

    7) Last but not the least, all Americans are immigrants except natives and everyone put in their effort for America to be a great nation. There are talented people all over the world, and boundaries shouldn’t be the reason for them to do their best for the future just because of where they are from or what they studied.

    With this I rest my case.

  4. This is horrible proposal. What’s wrong with student graduating from US university and gaining US experience. Students have full rights. if OPT is stopped then what about direct H-1B application coming from offshore ? Accepting application to count money and then reject it.. does not make sense..

  5. 1. America needs talent, It is a supreme power and talent hungry. It heavily relies on handwork and talent – American dream! It ‘attracts’ the best in the world.

    2. Most foreign (“international”) students are talented and hardworking – It does not it matter! It believes that all americans are smart and equally educated with these specialized and skilled international ‘Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduate students’ possessing ‘advanced degrees’ in fields that have significant contribution to America’s economy and prosperity.

    It believes that these internationals snatch off american jobs although it is fully aware that there is a serious deficit in STEM work force in todays american economy: http://svlg.org/policy-areas/education/policy-priorities/stem-workforce-development

    3. Most (almost 100%) international students are legal immigrants (they have followed all the immigration laws, were interviewed at various US embassy’s and had undergone extensive background verification before they stepped in to US) – however, it does not understand, how these legal immigrants are any better to illegal immigrants, in fact it understands illegal immigrants better.

    4. It understands that every legal immigrant on H1b visa creates 2 (to 3) american jobs (http://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2013/09/06/want-to-create-american-jobs-remove-american-barriers-to-immigration/).

    It also understands that kicking out, each talented and smart legal immigrant out of US means, sending these 2 or 3 future jobs out of america, to other countries!

    5. Apparently, it doesn’t believe in reality, It just take pride and credit of its best part (achievements/progress and prosperity) and blames the worst part (like terrorism) on smart and talented young legal immigrants (students).

    6. It plays fair!

  6. America’s loss will be the world’s gain. Besides Grassley is some fringe tea-party nut or a closet KKK guy, if it takes 20 years to decide on illegal immigration, this proposal will not happen. Also there are powerful immigrant lobbies out there who should douse this non-sense.

  7. dont worry this law is never going to get passed, we foreigner run their intellectual society so its their loss not ours. Rather they are trying us to be kept in US somehow and with this law impact they can say to their RnD good bye for years. 🙂

  8. It is so unfair for those who are trying to get OPT right now or finishing college. Its also very typical for US immigration to change their rules at the last minute. I want to wish Good Luck to students who are in hopes to get OPT and try to find an employer for H1B

  9. this country is so stupid. why can’t student graduate from 1 field work in another??? they trained robotic mindset that you study mechanical you can only be a mechanic for the rest of their lives?? And NO ONE can do multi task in a job?? and no one is good for one another at work??

    • You can but doing you bachelors and masters in one field and suddenly changing your path imeediantely after graduation doesnt make any sense rite ? This is not the purpose of OPT, what ever you have told applies in long terms like you work in software for a considerate amnt of time and you get bored and change to some other field not that you study something for 10 years and work on some other

  10. This Senetor is such a moron

  11. I think its best to just stop international students from coming to American Universities.
    Who will come to US to study if OPT is stopped? If students don’t have an avenue to work after studying what the point?

  12. how do you define a “mechanical engineering field” or a “computer science field” ? Does it mean that you are working in a “computer science” field if you are software engineer? Not necessarily, software engineering is not computer science! Or how about robotics? is it ME or CS or EE? STEM fields are interleaved and there are no harsh borders. And most politicians are dumb.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published.


*


This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.