Tuesday, December 15, 2020
On November 30, 2020, a federal district judge in the matter of
Washington Alliance of Technology Workers v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, et al., No. 16-1170, issued an order to uphold the Obama-era program permitting extensions of optional practical training (OPT) work authorizations for certain international students with qualifying science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees.
By regulation, foreign students in F-1 visa status who graduate from U.S. universities or colleges can obtain twelve months of OPT work authorization following the completion of their degree programs. In 2016, the Obama administration extended the program so that F-1 students could obtain an additional two-year extension of the OPT work authorization if certain requirements were met, including holding degrees in qualifying STEM fields of study and working for employers registered with the federal E-Verify employment eligibility system. The STE