Missouri Sen. Eric Schmidt said OPT students work in restaurants and janitorial services.
Senator Eric Schmidt, who has long opposed foreign students participating in optional practical training programs at the end of their courses, revealed some shocking facts only from his home state of Missouri and again called for an end to the practice because it is harming American students. This OPT has been a legal path from college to cubicle for years, and students on F1 visas can easily change their status to H-1B once they’re on track. Missouri Sen. Eric Schmidt said ICE provided him with data showing there were 4,430 OPT visas in Missouri alone, many of them working in jobs they shouldn’t be doing. The senator said a STEM OPT employee applied at a local Ethiopian restaurant and another OPT employee works at a janitorial service company. “OPT work *must* be directly related to the student’s major field of study. If you are a STEM major, you are authorized to work for *3 years.* Not only that, OPT holders are exempt from FICA taxes – providing a >15% tax subsidy to employers. With this in mind, and given that foreigners taking advantage of OPT may be in dire need of work, OPT It’s not surprising that it’s often abused. I’ve found cases of foreign students working in restaurants, bars and cleaning services that most likely have no connection to the student’s field of study,” Schmidt said. “Obviously necessary, degree-related, high-skilled employers include: a local Ethiopian restaurant that applied for a STEM OPT employee last year (for three years). It’s a well-regarded restaurant, but why would it need a recent STEM major? Why not hire an American?”“Another OPT employee worked for a small janitorial services company. It didn’t seem like a good fit. OPT often undercuts white-collar jobs, but it also undercuts blue-collar workers as new graduates flood the market looking for any kind of employment opportunity.”“Not only that, but a group of shady consultants and woke NGOs are using OPT to make money teaching foreign students how to game the system. Some are even using the foreign student workforce internally to coach the introduction of more foreign students and workers,” the senator said, citing the example of Vitendo4Africa, which offers green card application courses. “Bottom line: OPT is not a student training program. It is a backdoor job program for foreigners at the expense of Missouri families and American graduates who are still struggling to find jobs. Immigration Services, it is time to shut down this program. Missourians first. Americans first,” the senator wrote.
