International students in pursuit of science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees will have access to more job opportunities after graduation, following the United States Department of Homeland Security’s amended regulations, which were announced Friday.
The new regulations would extend the Optional Training Program for 24 months from an initial number of 17 months for certain students pursuing a STEM degree as well as increase communication standards between students and employers with formal training plans, said Carissa Cutrell, spokesperson for the Student and Exchange Visitor Program. The SEVP is a body that supervises all international student programs in the United States.
“[The SEVP] also launched a STEM OPT hub, which provides information to schools, school officials, students and employers on how this new rule affects them,” Cutrell said. “As part of this new rule, employers and students have to develop a training program together to make sure clear objectives are aligned with the student’s course of study.”
The amended regulations will go into effect May 10 and include several enhancement and protections in regard to requirements that determine student and institutional eligibility for the extension.
OPT is a type of work permit for 12 months eligible for students under an F-1 visa for each higher level of study. For example, a student would be eligible for an OPT for a bachelor’s degree and for another 12 months for a master’s degree. An OPT extension would be added to the initial 12 months.
The improvements to the STEM OPT program are crucial for the advancement of the United States as a global leader and the education of international students, Boston University’s Global Programs spokesperson Amanda Miller wrote in an email.
“As development of STEM education is a priority for the Obama administration … having the policies in place to ensure we continue to attract the best and the brightest to our research institutions is key,” Miller wrote. “The new STEM OPT rule … expands [international students’] options for employment eligibility after graduation.”
Miller added that students participating in BU’s STEM OPT program should refer to updates from the BU International Students and Scholars Office.
Bennett Goldberg, a physics professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, said the increase in opportunity for international students in STEM fields is great, but he is concerned about the effect on domestic students’ job search.
“My sense is that there’s always this tension in the U.S. between providing extensions like this OPT extension for post-graduates in STEM,” Goldberg said. “The tension on the other side is that you don’t want to make it any more difficult for U.S. students to compete for those same jobs.”
Several students said the STEM OPT extension is the extra support international students might need to begin careers in STEM fields.
Anthony Cheung, a junior in CAS, said being an international student makes it a bit more difficult to succeed in STEM fields.
“Any changes made to expand opportunities in STEM is a great thing,” he said. “It’s important because there are a lot of barriers in the U.S. to a STEM education, and being an international student is definitely one of them.”
Olivia Roman, a sophomore in the Questrom School of Business, said language is a major barrier for international students in STEM fields.
“There’s more technical language used in STEM fields that often times international students aren’t equipped with,” she said. “With this, they’ll know what to expect and have an idea of the overall atmosphere of what they’ll have to deal with in the work world.”
Varshini Balasubramanian, a sophomore in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said this is one of many developments to increase opportunities for international students.
“Most of us international students come to the States because of the opportunities that we get here and that we don’t get back in our countries at home,” she said. “We’re not here to steal jobs. We’re literally only here to get experience and exposure that we may not get back home.”
