Optional Practical Training: A Shadow Workforce with Minimal Oversight

Center For Immigration Studies ^ | 07 November 2024 | Mark Krikorian & Jon Feere

[zeestephen]

OPT, which began as a post-graduation internship program, has evolved into the largest foreign worker program in the United States...OPT was developed by DHS under pressure from Silicon Valley tech leaders looking for ways around worker protections built into the H-1B visa program...Employers hiring foreign students under OPT are exempt from paying Social Security and Medicare taxes...

[zeestephen]

Tragically, the huge expansion of OPT took place under President Trump.

Obama was adding about 30,000 new OPT "student" workers per year.

Trump kicked that up to 125,000 per year, before Covid.

Currently, total OPT student workers in the USA are believed to be around 550,000.

Homeland Security does not publish the numbers - probably because no one at DHS is even tracking the numbers!

Related - political enemies of Elon Musk are trying to get Musk indicted for not actually attending college in the USA, after he entered on a Student Visa.

Today - it is completely legal under OPT to do exactly what Musk did - specifically, enter the USA on a Student Visa, but going directly to a job, instead.

[Bob434]

The left would have gladly allowed him in if he had married his brother lol

[Bob434]

Doh, meant sister- not brother-

[Alberta's Child]

OPT isn't all it's cracked up to be for the employer. In my 15+ years of corporate management experience we hired ONE immigrant employee under the OPT program -- and only because he was a recent graduate of a U.S. college who had worked as an intern for our best client. We basically hired him because the client asked him to.

The first thing I'll say is that the paperwork and HR process to administer this was a pain in the ass.

The second thing was that we found ourselves in a bizarre situation where we negotiated a salary with him, then found out afterward that we had to pay him more than he asked for because the OPT rules require employers to pay the immigrants based on published salary rates for professions. And even though our industry doesn't place a high value on a graduate degree, the published industry salaries for OPT hires with graduate degrees is substantially higher.

[DesertRhino]

“Related - political enemies of Elon Musk are trying to get Musk indicted for not actually attending college in the USA, after he entered on a Student Visa.”

Statute of limitations far exceeded. And he is a US citizen now. It’s over.

[zeestephen]

Do not change a word, Bob!

In 2024, Elon would be instantly placed at the front of the line if he DID marry his brother!

[zeestephen]

Re: "Elon is a US citizen now. It's over."

Musk enemies have an entire laundry list of legal issues they plan to toss at him, until something sticks.

Perjury, for instance, when he exited and returned to the USA several times claiming to be a student.

Also, sworn statements in regard to one of his business start ups.

It's NEVER over - unless you are a Democrat in good standing!

[Bob434]

LOl you are right-

[zeestephen]

Re: "OPT isn't all its cracked up to be for the employer."

Three primary attractions...

(1) 7.65% employer exemption for SS & Medicare. And, the foreign worker gets a 7.65% raise.

(2) Possible top students for the median salary.

(3) Most will not quit if hit with salary covered overtime each week.

Also, the foreign students use OPT to roll into H-1B jobs.

H-1B is the turnpike to a Green Card and Permanent Residence, which is almost as good as citizenship, unless you want to work in a Classified military or intelligence job.