Bad news for Indian students in US, Trump administration to stop students from…, no jobs for…

Big changes might be made in the OPT programme.

New Delhi: Students in America who are thinking of working after graduation may face a big blow. Preparations are underway to end Optional Practical Training (OPT) in the USA. Even though President Donald Trump has stated that foreign students should receive green cards after graduating from American universities, his nominee for the post of the director at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) says they want to prevent students from working in the country after graduation. This decision has raised concerns among students.

President Trump has chosen Joseph Edlow as the nominee for ‘U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS). During the nomination hearing, Edlow stated that he wants to end OPT. Edlow is set to take charge of USCIS as the director soon. Economists, business leaders, and educators say that ending OPT and STEM OPT would be a wrong decision. They argue that this will prevent America from attracting top talent to the country and from retaining them.

According to a Forbes report, during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Joseph Edlow was asked what changes he would make to the OPT programme if he were made the head of USCIS. In response, he said, “I think the way the OPT has been handled, aided by some decisions from the DC Circuit court over the past four years, has been a real problem in terms of the misuse of the law.”

He further stated, “I would like to see OPT as a regulatory and sub-regulatory programme that would allow us to eliminate the ability of F-1 students to obtain jobs after their time at college.” In simpler terms, Joseph is saying that he does not want students to stay in the country and work after graduating from college. If he becomes the director of USCIS, that could become possible.

What is the OPT programme?

Optional Practical Training (OPT) allows F-1 students to work in the United States after graduation. They can work for 12 months. If someone has a degree in ‘Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics’ (STEM) fields, they also receive a 24-month extension, meaning they can work for 3 years. The number of Indian students benefiting from OPT and STEM OPT is the highest. In 2022-23, about 70,000 Indian students took advantage of this programme.