WR Immigration Podcast: Chatting with Charlie – Understanding the March 2023 Visa Bulletin

Optional Practical Training for International Students is Vital to America’s Best Interest: Don’t Let the Best and Brightest Slip Away

A new decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sustaining the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) current rule on Optional Practical Training (OPT) is good news for the United States. The rule authorizes a limited period of post-coursework OPT, if recommended and overseen by the school and approved by DHS, for qualifying international students on F-1 visas. OPT allows a period of 12 months of employment in a student’s field of study, with a 24-month extension beyond that for students in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields. More than 100,000 of the roughly 1 million international students who come to the United States complete a period of practical training. As the court noted, “hands-on work is critical for understanding fast-moving technological and scientific developments.” OPT enables these students to complete a critical piece of their education—learning how to apply their knowledge gained from university studies to hands-on, real-world needs—and to begin contributing immediately to their fields the United States. If we don’t retain international students in the United States after they complete their courses of study, they’ll take their skills elsewhere and go to work for our competitors in other countries. As it is, […]