According to pew research center report, India has the largest share in graduates to get authorised to work under the optional training program between 2004 and 2016
Indians with nearly 1.5 million foreign graduate students has formed the largest group in the US colleges and universities and got authorisation to remain and work there between 2004 and 2016, according to a study of government figures by the pew research centre.
Chinese students has also taken their place and became the second largest group followed by the South Koreans.
Under the OPT i.e. the optional training program there were 4,41,400 (30% of the total) graduates from India who the authorization to work , Pew Research Center said in a report based on the analysis of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which it obtained through a Freedom and Information Act request.There were More than half (around 56%) of foreign graduates who participated in the OPT between 2004 and 2016 obtained their degree from a public college or university. Students from China came at the second position with 3,13,500 (21%), followed by South Koreans at 90,800 (6%).41% came from private universities and colleges, of which 38% were not-for-profit schools and 3% were for-profit institutions. Less than 3% of the OPT enrolees graduated from institutions not classified by the Carnegie Classification System, the report said.
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a period in which undergraduate and graduate students with F-1 status who have completed or have been pursuing their degrees for more than three months are permitted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to work for 12 months on a student visa for getting practical training to complement their education.
More than half (53%) of the foreign graduates approved for employment through the OPT specialised in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The number of foreign STEM graduates participating in the OPT grew by 400% since the first employment extension for workers in STEM fields was introduced in 2008, the report said.
“The OPT programme has grown to become the primary way the US has retained foreign students graduating with STEM degrees from its colleges and universities,” Pew associate director Neil Ruiz said.
