The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has made critical changes to the STEM optional practical training (OPT) program, which will take effect for all F-1 applications for STEM extension approved on or after May 10, 2016. Aside from lengthening the extension period from 17 months to 24 months, the revisions to the OPT program place new, important requirements for F-1 …
What You Need to Know about the WashTech Decision and it’s Impact on STEM Graduates and OPT
If you’re reading this, you may already know about the WashTech decision issued in August 2015 (https://ecf.dcd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/show_public_doc?2014cv0529-43) and what it is about – an effort to prevent foreign students from being able to take advantage of the additional 17 month extension on their Optional Practical Training (“OPT”) if their field of study falls into the STEM category (science, technology, engineering, …
Obama Can Fix Some Immigration Problems
From my Editorial in the Atlanta Journal Constitution on August 1, 2014 President Obama has been timid, at best, in using his executive powers to alleviate the current immigration crisis, preferring to wait for what can only be described as a Unicorn– bi-partisan immigration reform. Recently, the President indicated that he is ready to use this practical tool to inject …