H-1B Visa Alternative 'OPT' Grew 400 Percent In Eight Years, Report Finds

[ElNono]

Almost 1.5 million foreign students have been allowed to stay and work in the U.S. after graduation as part of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which is now larger than the controversial H-1B program (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source). According to new Pew Research analysis of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request, the number of students authorized to work under OPT has grown 400% since the federal government in 2008 increased the amount of time graduates with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees could remain in the United States and work. More than half of those working under OPT from 2004 to 2016 were in STEM fields, Pew found, and as a result, were eligible for the so-called STEM extension.

The OPT program added a 17-month STEM extension in 2008, shortly after Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates suggested it in testimony to Congress after complaining that the cap for the H-1B program had caused a serious disruption in the flow of talented STEM graduates to U.S. companies. In 2016, another 12-month extension was added after a Federal judge threatened to torpedo the STEM extension program, saying it "appears to have been adopted directly from the unanimous suggestions by Microsoft and similar industry groups." In its Top Ten Tech Issues for 2018, Microsoft expressed "concern that in 2018 the White House will announce a rollback of the extended period of Optional Practical Training for STEM graduates." Pew also took note of allegations that "visa mills" have sprung up in response to demand driven by the OPT program.

[ElNono]

"Back in 2008, the Department of Homeland Security enacted a controversial 'emergency' rule to allow foreign students earning tech-related degrees in the US to work for American employers for 29 months after graduation without a work visa. The program would allow US companies to recruit and retain the 'best' science and tech students educated at the top US universities, explained Microsoft. But two-and-a-half years later, it turns out the top US universities are getting schooled by less-renowned ins utions. Computerworld reports the DHS program is dominated by little-known, for-profit Stratford University, whose 727 approved requests for post-graduate Optional Practical Training (OPT) STEM extensions tops all schools and is more than twice the combined total of the entire Ivy League — Brown (26), Columbia (105), Cornell (90), Dartmouth (18), Harvard (27), Princeton (16), Penn (50), and Yale (9). In second place, with 533 approved requests, is the University of Bridgeport. In another twist, the program's employers include IT outsourcing and offshoring 'body shops' like Kelly Services, whose en ies snagged about 50 approvals, more than twice the combined total of tech stalwarts Google (15), Amazon.com (2), Yahoo (2), and Facebook (3)."

[DarrinS]

Conference calls aren’t what they used to be.

[ElNono]

Conference calls aren’t what they used to be.

It's a double win, they get desperate kids educated here and then hire them for pennies to do the menial IT work.

[Nathan89]

Skilled workers is mostly fine except for the fact that it hides the faults in our education system. Illegals need to go and the bar for legal needs to be raised.

[DarrinS]

It's a double win, they get desperate kids educated here and then hire them for pennies to do the menial IT work.

I wonder if it’s worth it. They get paid less, but are really slow to produce. At least in my experience.

[DarrinS]

I wonder if it’s worth it. They get paid less, but are really slow to produce. At least in my experience.

Not all, but many.

[ElNono]

I wonder if it’s worth it. They get paid less, but are really slow to produce. At least in my experience.

There's so much trivial stuff these days, tbh... plus tons of frameworks and components... NuGet, pods...

Bet you half those guys don't know what algos they're using.