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After H-1B visa, protests in the US over OPT: What is this programme used by Indian students?

04/01/2025
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In recent years, the United States has seen massive protest regarding the OPT Program, an essential opportunity for internationals students including thousands of students from India to gain employment practice in the country. After a lot of controversies over H-1B visa program, OPT has emerged as new centre of controversy. Check out the following to have a clearer idea on what OPT is and how crucial it is for the Indian students.

What is the OPT Program?

OPT program is one more component of education that is essential for internationals students who study in the United States with F-1 visa. Administered by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), OPT enables such students to work in their field of study, to thus acquire practical experience that enriches the classroom learning.

Eligibility and Duration

To be eligible for OPT, students, must have had full-time attendance for one academic year, at a college or university in the United States that is recognized by the SEVP. The program offers two types of OPT: There is the Pre-Completion OPT and the Post-Completion OPT.

  • Pre-Completion OPT: that permits the students to work, 20 hours in a week during term or full time during the vacations. This option is less popular because using up some of the OPT time cuts the available OPT duration after graduation.
  • Pre-Completion OPT: Also known as, full-School OPT is more common in that it allows students to work full time upon satisfying their course requirements. Students receive up to 12 months of OPT and have 14 months from completion of their degree to complete it. However, any time a student spends in Pre-Completion OPT is subtracted from this total of twelve months.

STEM OPT Extension

Post-Completion optional practical training (OPT) also known as STEM OPT is available to students who graduated with a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and is extended for up to a period of twenty four months. This takes the total of the potential OPT period for STEM grads to 36 months. The extension is expected to empower the establishment of expertise in area’s relevant to technology, innovation etc.

Application Process

It has may steps:

  • Recommendation from DSO: A DSO at the institution in which the student is learning must first endorse the OPT in the SEVIS system.
  • Filing Form I-765: In order to apply the form, students need to fill and sign Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, enclose it with the needed fee and supporting documents, and send it to USCIS.
  • Employment Authorization Document (EAD): If that is approved, students are issued the EAD, also referred to as the OPT card enabling the student to start working.
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Benefits of OPT

OPT provides numerous benefits for international students:

  • Practical Experience: It avails the chance to practice what is learnt in classroom, enhancing competence and become marketable.
  • Financial Stability: Studying in the US can also help defeat living costs as well as to clear education loans.
  • Networking: Besides, OPT enables student to develop professional connections and familiarize themselves with the job market in the United States of America.
  • Pathway to H-1B Visa: OPT is widely considered as a bridge to help students get an H-1B visa which allows one to work in the U.S for a longer period.

Current Protests and Controversies of OPT

The OPT programme under which F-1 visa holders can seek employment in the United States up to 12 months, and up to twenty-four months if the graduate is in a STEM field, has recently become a topic of concern and demonstration. They add that these protests have been instigated by fears of job losses, chance to immigration and the program’s effect on the American employment market.

Economic Factors and Employment Loss

The first among such reasons is the notion that the OPT program robs American workers of job chances. Some critics attribute job competition among the OPT foreigners and hence low job wages, and less employment opportunities. This has been reinforced by communities supporting the harsh immigration laws which perceive OPT as a threat to their jobs.

Access and Change in Immigration Policy

Another interesting area is the fact that OPTS continues to be viewed not as a temporary training program but as an immigration service. It has been said that the program enables foreign students to avoid standard immigration procedures in order to gain permanent work in the US. This has resulted in demands for the banning and the establishment of appropriate requirements limiting the OPT program. The proponents of these reforms think that greater standards would shield American jobs and make certain that employment openings stay exclusively for U.S. residents.

Impact on International Students

The protests and the potential consequent policy changes have some grave ramifications for International students most especially those coming from India. The OPT program is very important to Indian students because most of them use the program to get a job experience and make them marketable. They could be limited or totally eliminated from working in the US yearning for their desires and this will lead to their obsolesce and financial vulnerability. This has raised concerns among growing population of international students about their education and possible career path in US.

Political and Social Dynamics

Once again the protests against the OPT program are also part of a political and social discussion and analysis about the unfolding immigration and labour policies within the United States of America. The recent outbreak of protectionist attitudes and the “America First” policy have contributed to the thinning of programs including OPT, which present potential hiring advantage for foreign talent. This has led to concerns within the international student community about the future of their educational and professional journeys in the US.

Responses from Stakeholders

Concerning the OPT programme, different stakeholders have reacted to the protests and controversies ensuing from the program. Supporter organisations of international students have urged for the continuation of the programme because it is beneficial for students and the economy of the United States of America. They claim that increasing enrolment helps innovation, diversity and economics, thus limiting the OPT program.

The OPT program has also been supported by heads of companies and players in the industries as they consider it as strategic importance in an ability to attract professionals from across the globe. They also say that studying overseas students who introduce fresh and diverse minds will be important for the promotion and sustenance of technology of the United States in the global market.

The Importance of OPT for Indian Students

The OPT is a very useful program for foreign students in the United States especially for the group of Indians students studying in different levels of education. This program enables students with an F-1 visa to obtain practical working experience within their major areas of specialization as a transition between college education and employment. OPT is as significant for Indian students as it is significant for students across the world since it entirely and significantly contributes to their career, monetary and future career goals and plans.

Bridge b/w Education and Employment

OPT is one of the major advantages for Indian students because it allows them to use their knowledge in practice. This kind of practical experience helps to close the gap between practice and academic knowledge that is required for the student. It is through practical experience that learners can gain knowledge of current practice, improve on their skills, and get insights that will not be gained from books alone no matter how encouraging they are.

Improve employability and career prospects

The global work experience that students of India get during OPT proves to be very beneficial to make them employable. With today’s advancement in the profession, employers require high ranking individuals with practical experience and recommended skills. OPT enables students to amass a strong resume that marketplaces their talents preparing them for the employment market. Further, the experience of the US employment market and the US working environment makes students ready for employment chances in the future whether in the US or any other country.

Pathway to H-1B Visa

OPT thus becomes a valuable ‘bridge’ to the next visa stream commonly used by most Indian students which is the H-1B visa which enables one to work in the US for some years. The OPT program gives them exposure to enhance their possibility of getting an H-1B visa sponsorship by their employer. This pathway is essential for STEM students because they can receive an additional 24 months OPT, making the total 36 months.

Financial freedom and stability

The income earned during OPT is useful to the Indian students in establishing themselves financially. Several scholars highlighted that international students carry tremendous service costs to study in the US such as tuition and related costs, accommodation, and educational loans. As students engage in OPT, they are privileged to deal with enhanced financial capability, loan repayment and ability to fend for themselves with little or no dependence on the family. This financial independence is liberating, and it will decrease the level of pressure that may be created by financial responsibilities.

Building Professional Networks

OPT is beneficial for those students who are studying in India as it includes the way of creating career networking in identified industry. Networking is an important part of one’s work advancement, as it provides a way to both job prospects and both personal guidance as well as teaming opportunities. Students stand to gain a lot when they learn with the help of professionals in the field hence creating good contacts that may be useful in their respective careers. These networks can also help and advice students while they face professional difficulties in their work careers.

Innovating towards technological and scientific improvements

Most of the Indian students as well as STEM workforce make valuable technological and scientific contributions during the OPT period. They provide their employers with new approaches and ideas to the projects and research initiated as they all work on the latest technologies and advancements. It is of equal significance for their self-developing as well as for the overall growth of the scientific and technological society. Those skills gained during OPT may result in breakthroughs that positively transform different fields and disciplines.

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