A bipartisan group of US lawmakers have introduced a bill to protect the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, a pathway used by thousands of international students, including a large number from India, to gain work experience post their studies in the US. amid growing uncertainty over the future of post-study employment rules.
The proposed ‘Keep Innovators in America Act’, introduced by Representatives Sam Liccardo, Jay Obernolte and Raja Krishnamoorthi, seeks to formally codify the OPT program into law, giving it statutory backing for the first time. Lawmakers said the move is aimed at ensuring certainty for international students, universities and employers and preventing abrupt policy changes that could affect the US talent pipeline.
