(MENAFN- Live Mint) Amid the raging debate over the H-1B visa, supporters of US President-elect Donald trump have questioned the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, and charged that it hampered job opportunities for fresh American college graduates.
The OPT programme allows international students in the US to work temporarily after graduation. This programme, a gateway to securing an H-1B visa , has become a point of debate on American jobs for foreign workers.
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“The OPT programme is a guest worker scheme disguised as an internship for foreign students. Universities are selling work permits instead of education. Created illegally like DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), Trump should end OPT to protect American college grads from unfair competition," the US Tech Workers group wrote on X.
Trump backers have repeatedly criticised immigration policies, and hardline supporters have questioned H-1B visas as well. According to them, such visas threaten job opportunities for Americans.
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The debate over immigration resurfaced when far-right activists criticized Trump's selection of Sriram Krishnan , an Indian-American venture capitalist, as an adviser on artificial intelligence. According to them, Krishnan may influence the Trump administration's immigration policies.
Joining the debate, Tesla boss Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who will run the US Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE along with Musk, said that the United States produces very few highly skilled graduates. They supported the H-1B visa programme. Musk himself has migrated from South Africa. Earlier in a post on X, Musk sought high-skilled engineering talent from abroad, saying it was“essential for America to keep winning.”
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His tweet targeted immigration hard-liners who have repeatedly opposed the discontinuation of the H-1B visa program, through which skilled immigrants and foreign workers are brought into the country on work visas.
Meanwhile, Trump has supported Musk over the H-1B visa debate.“I have many H-1Bs on my properties. I have been a believer in H-1B visas," he told the New York Post.
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