The Optional Practical Training program (OPT) permits overseas graduates of the colleges in the US for upto the period of 29 months in a large variety of white collar art, medical, video, journalism, business and technology jobs.
Obama administration had already widened the jobs types that could be taken and are now expanding the term of the visa to three or six years if the foreign students get two degrees from the college of the US, despite the repulse form Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.
According to an International Education Institute, which is based in New York, the number of students opting for the OPT program has increased from 76,031 in the year 2010-11 academic year, to 1,20,287 in the year 2014-15 academic year.
According to Institute’s information, the OPT number raise by around 13.5% or 14,000 people in the year 2014-15 academic year.
All the overseas graduate students could join the OPT program for a year. Graduates who take subjects such as science, engineering or mathematics could work for around 29 months in a rising variety of jobs. Those measures are so wide that they allow overseas business graduates to battle for the white collar jobs of the US.
The overseas students numbers who are pursuing education for science or business degree that would make them eligible for the OPT program rise roughly to around 9% in the previous year, and upto 6,30,000 in the year 2014-15 academic year. That’s a year increase of 66,000 potential OPT professionals.
There is no limit on the OPT program, so the recent escalation rate can push the OPT program to 2,00,000 overseas professionals by the year 2018-19 school year.
The additional OPT inflow will further add to the present population of overseas white collar professionals who are temporarily working in the US. The resident population of overseas professionals is presently at 6,50,000 professionals.
The overseas professionals numbers in the US would also grow if the Congress approves the pending treaty of Obama.
This OPT program is powerfully supported by the universities, progressives and the business groups and Obama as it transfers the assets and influence of politics from US professional class to business interests and progressives.
OPT is very precious for the universities as they can provide fee paying overseas students with the work permit that’s going to last for a minimum of one year period of time.
The OPT program also permits the overseas graduates of US colleges to start working their way towards the citizenship. And once they are naturalized, they can bring their family members and parents into the US.
Obama administration is also drafting the rules for helping the overseas professionals working on the OPT and the H-1B visa to get the work permits, which ultimately put them on the route to the citizenship.
