Uncharted Waters: Proposed U.S. Bill Challenges Work Visa Pathways for 300,000 Indian Students

A bill in the US Congress aims to terminate the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, endangering the work visa pathway for over 300,000 Indian students in the US. OPT allows foreign STEM graduates to work in the US for three years after their graduation. In the new situation, if the bill is passed, students would have to leave the country immediately after their graduation with no option to transition to H-1B visas.

This has raised alarm bells among F-1 and M-1 visa students, who are now scrambling to secure jobs that could sponsor H-1B visas. This could derail career goals and make it tougher for students to repay massive loans, say experts. These attempts to end OPT have failed in the past, but this bill is part of the recent anti-immigration policies under the Trump administration.

 

Source: Economic Times, Financial Express