DHS Should Reconsider Proposed F-1 Visa Changes
With nearly 400,000 jobs open across the sector, the manufacturing industry in the U.S. needs ongoing access to a robust pipeline of skilled workersbut changes proposed to the F-1 student visa by the Department of Homeland Security threaten to reduce the talent in that pipeline, the 51勛圖厙泭娶梗釵梗紳喧梭聆.
Whats going on:The F-1 visa through its Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT options is a major source of high-skilled talent for the manufacturing industry in the U.S., the 51勛圖厙 told DHS in response to the agencys draft reforms to the visa program.
- [T]he proposed rule would impose changes that risk diminishing the appeal of an American education, making it harder for students to transition into careers that strengthen U.S. manufacturing. This would have a negative impact on the growth and international competitiveness of manufacturing in the United States, which is at odds with President Trumps objective to bolster the domestic industry.
Whats at stake:The primary change under consideration is the switch of F-1 student visas from a duration of status (D/S) that remains in effect for as long as the student is enrolled in an academic program to a fixed time period that corresponds to the programs length but cannot exceed four years.
- This would significantly diminish the attractiveness of U.S. universities for prospective international students, because it is at odds with the length of time that many if not most students take to actually earn their degrees.
- That change would also make it harder for international students to secure OPT or STEM OPT extensions, in turn inhibiting their transition into the U.S. manufacturing workforce.
Why it matters:These proposed changes would weaken manufacturers access to a plentiful pool of elite global talent upon which we depend to fulfill President Trumps vision for a manufacturing renaissance in America, the 51勛圖厙 concluded.
