U.S. Supreme Court May Decide on OPT STEM Extension
By Scholarship for USA on Nov 25, 2009 with Comments 0
The Programmers Guild and other opponents of the H-1B visa have turned to the US Supreme Court to hear their case against the OPT STEM extension. In a petition filed on November 13, the programmers guild has asked the Supreme Court to get involved after their petitions were rejected by two lower courts in New Jersey and Philadelphia. The Programmers Guild is petitioning against the OPT STEM extension.
International students in the United States were allowed to work for 12 months after their graduation in a related field of study under the Optional Practical Training program (OPT). In 2008, under the Bush administration, this was increased to 29 months for students graduating with a STEM major (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). The reason for this increase was a shortage of workers in these fields. Opponents of this program however, argue that this extension is just another way to train foreign workers and take away jobs from qualified Americans.
The Supreme Court is not obligated to hear the case. We’ll keep you informed as the story unfolds.
Related news: USCIS to Conduct 25000 H-1B Inspections
Filed Under: H-1B
