The Optional Practical Training (OPT) US immigration program, which allows international students to remain in the US for up to three years to work after they graduate, has survived a legal challenge over its extension. However, the labor union that filed the lawsuit is set to appeal the ruling.
US District Court Judge for the District of Columbia, Reggie B. Walton ruled that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had not overstepped its authority when expanding the OPT program, despite labor union, the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers (WashTech), claiming that it had. Nearly 250,000 people participate in the OPT scheme. The standard OPT scheme allows a post graduate to work in the US for 12 months while the STEM OPT programme allows international students who earn a degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics to remain in America for up to three years.