Immigrant student job program grows

Almost 1.5 million foreign students have been allowed to stay and work in the United States after graduation as part of a work permit program that now is larger than the controversial H-1B program for highly skilled foreign workers, according to a new report.

The number of students in the science, technology, engineering and math fields who are authorized to work under the Optional Practical Training program has soared 400% since 2008, when the federal government increased the amount of time graduates in those fields could stay in the U.S. and work, according to the Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim area is among the nation’s top destinations for graduates in the OPT program, Pew found. The report highlighted USC, which ranked first among private, not-for-profit schools for the number of program participants: 27,100 students during the 12-year period that ended in 2016. UCLA ranked third among public colleges, with 13,600 students in that period.

The OPT program, which grew out of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, essentially extends F-1 education visas for foreign college and university students so they can work during or after school. The program’s baselevel permit lasts 12 months, but an extension for those in the science, technology, engineering and math fields lets those participants work two additional years in the U.S.

Although the H-1B program is heavily relied upon by Silicon Valley companies, it imposes restrictions, including an annual cap of 85,000, and requires workers to be sponsored by employers. There is no cap on the number of OPT recipients and no sponsorship requirement.