Representative Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.)\nrecently introduced the Responsible Practical Training Act, a bill that aims to\nreform the controversial and FAIR-opposed Optional Practical Training (OPT)\nprogram. A part of the larger F-1 student visa program, OPT permits F-1\ngraduates to extend their stay in the United States by working for 1-2 years\nfollowing their graduation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
OPT functions like a guestworker program with the added caveat that employers who hire OPT graduates pay zero payroll taxes<\/a> on their employment. This makes hiring OPT workers significantly cheaper than hiring Americans or even legal permanent residents, and prominent technology companies such as Google, Amazon, and Intel<\/a> utilize the OPT program for this very purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Cawthorn bill<\/a> eliminates OPT extensions, reduces the program length to six months in total, and restricts the ability of OPT graduates \u2013 nearly a third of whom are Chinese \u2013 from working in national security related fields. The bill also calls for the Secretary of Labor to conduct a wage analysis of the program. This would give Congress, watchdog groups, and everyday Americans a first-hand-look into the wage differences between OPT guestworkers and Americans working in the same roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It is worth noting that FAIR has long opposed the existence of the OPT program. Last year\u2019s Immigration Reform Blueprint for the American Worker<\/a> called on former President Trump to direct the Department of Homeland Security to end this unnecessary program in order to protect American workers, notably recent graduates entering a poor job market. We applaud Rep. Cawthorn\u2019s leadership on this issue, as well as his colleagues who have joined the effort.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Representative Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) recently introduced the Responsible Practical Training Act, a bill that aims to reform the controversial and FAIR-opposed Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. A part of the larger F-1 student visa program, OPT permits F-1 graduates to extend their stay in the United States by working for 1-2 years following their graduation.<\/p>\n