Foreign Students In STEM Programs Can Stay Longer

New U.S. Rule Extends Stay for Some Foreign Graduates

Liz Robbins | March 9, 2016

The federal government will publish the rule on Friday, saying that international students earning degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields in the United States will now be eligible to stay for three years of on-the-job training. This is seven months longer than under the 2008 rule it replaces for the STEM Optional Practical Training program, known as OPT. The new rule will take effect on May 10.
Beyond offering graduates more experience in their fields, the extension serves another purpose. “If my work visa gets denied this year, I still have two more opportunities to apply, and I can keep working within the country,” said Ms. Aramandla, who wanted to be an engineer since she was 10, growing up in Chennai, India. 

F-1 Foreign Students by Country Type, 2001-2012. Source: http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/2014/geography-of-foreign-students#/M10420

<more at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/09/nyregion/new-us-rule-extends-stay-for-some-foreign-graduates.html?_r=0; related links and articles: http://qz.com/635024/the-us-is-going-to-let-foreign-students-stay-longer-provided-theyve-studied-a-stem-subject/ (The US is going to let foreign students stay longer—provided they’ve studied a STEM subject. March 9, 2016) and https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2016/03/09/fact-sheet-white-house-announces-doubling-techhire-communities-and-new (FACT SHEET: White House Announces Doubling of TechHire Communities, and New Steps to Give More Students and Workers Tech Skills to Fuel the Next Generation of American Innovation. March 9, 2016)>