Datanomics: US targets optional practical training amid H-1B visa issue

The share of Indian students pursuing OPT has nearly doubled from 22.12 per cent in 2006-07 to over 40 per cent in 2023-24

The United States (US) is undertaking surprise inspections and site checks of foreign students currently undergoing the optional practical training (OPT) programme in that country. This comes days after Republican senator Jim Banks introduced the ‘American Tech Workforce Act,’ which proposed an end to the OPT system. Indian students undergoing their OPT are keeping a close watch, as it allows international students on F-1 visas to work for a temporary period in the US. Many Indians, especially 

in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields, use OPT to gain practical experience before applying for an 

H-1B visa.

 

Indian students