A webinar organised by Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration has revealed educators are worried about the enduring appeal of the country as a study destination if visa processing is not revived soon enough, and work rules are not clarified.
An investigation found that a handful of suspicious companies with unclear business dealings and virtually no online footprint were employing students through the country’s Optional Practical Training program.
Recent changes in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement regulations mean that designated school officials are now required to carry out an increased range of responsibilities, proving and recording that students are undertaking OPT workplace-based training in a relevant field to their studies.
US H1-B policies may be preventing foreign PhD students in the US from working at startups, in favour of larger companies, restricting startups’ access to a talented workforce.
The USA's Optional Practical Training program, which grants international graduates work in the country for up to three years, is under pressure as a bill and a union seek to eliminate it.
Many international students in the US have been impacted by severe delays in processing Optional Practical Training work permits, leaving them unable to start their summer jobs or internships, meaning missed opportunities and financial losses.
There is "no evidence" that international students participating in Optional Practical Training reduce job opportunities for US workers, a National Foundation for American Policy study has found.
A record number of international graduates of US institutions were authorised to work in the country through the Optional Practical Training program in 2017, but growth has "slowed dramatically" according to a Pew Research Center analysis.
