Indian Students in U.S. Are in Trouble as New Bill Threatens to Cut Work Opportunities; Check US Bill Impact

United States Congress introduced a new bill that aims to terminate Optional Practical Training (OPT), a work authorisation program that allows international students to stay in the country for up to three years after graduation, has alarmed international students, especially those enrolled in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) programs. STEM students from India and other countries in the US are in danger of having to leave the country after their studies are over.

This bill comes amid a string of anti-immigrant actions, including mass deportations, by the administration as Donald Trump fulfils his electoral promise to step up steps that started in his first term, despite the failure of earlier attempts of this kind.

Impact on Indian Students and STEM Graduates in U.S.

Nearly one-third of the more than 300,000 Indian students enrolled in the US during the 2023-24 academic year qualified for OPT, according to the Open Doors 2024 report. Approximately 97,556 of these students, a 41 percent increase in the participation for OTP.

According to analysts, the move has alarmed current holders of F-1 and M-1 student visas, who are scrambling to find employment that will allow them to switch to an H-1B work visa, which is mostly supported by major US and Indian technology businesses, as per the Economic Times report.

After graduation, OPT permits students to work in the US for a year, with the possibility of an additional two years if they are STEM graduates employed by a US company. Meanwhile, non-STEM graduates are currently required to depart one year after graduation. As per analysts, If the bill gets passed, OPT may terminate suddenly and there will not be a way to switch to another work visa. Students might be forced to leave the U.S. right away.

If OPT visa holders are chosen in the selection process or seek employment abroad in the world, they must expedite their transfer to H-1B as soon as possible. The new students have to get ready for a rule similar to that of the UK that mandates they leave the nation after completing their studies.

According to Poorvi Chothani, founder of immigration law firm LawQuest "OPT allows students to find jobs in the US for one year after they graduate and may be extended for another two years provided you are a STEM graduate and are working with a qualified US employer," the news report stated.

"If the bill goes through, OPT could end abruptly without an option to transition to another work visa. Students may have to leave the US immediately," she added.