US: Indian STEM students get 56% of job training slots
Indian students have grabbed most of the slots in optional practical training (OPT) under which they can work in the United States after getting their degrees. All these students are from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) field. They grabbed 56% of the total authorizations, followed by Chinese students who grabbed 24% of the total authorizations. Only a few countries could bag remaining slots.
The Trump administration has been focusing on STEM-OPT jobs
Though US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) doesn't seem too pleased with agreements where a proper employer-employee relation hasn't been established, the Trump administration has been focusing largely on STEM-OPT jobs. In fact, USCIS has also reversed its decision that STEM-OPT candidates can't be placed at customer sites. However, the STEM students at customer sites need to complete their training.
16% of international students in US are from India
India stands second to China in terms of international students studying in the US. While 30% of the international students studying in the US are from China, 16% are Indians. These statistics are drawn from the Student and Exchange Visitor System (SEVIS) which collects information about international students and research scholars. Revealing such data enhance transparency about international students studying in the US.
Indian students bagging 56% job slots is encouraging
US allows only 12 months of OPT for international students. However, it extends up to 24 months for STEM students. Indians grabbing 56% of job-training slots is encouraging given, overall, India has only half of the international students in the US as compared to China.
