May 16, 2011

ICE Broadens “STEM” List

On May 12, 2011, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced an expansion of the list of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math ("STEM") degree programs to encompass a greater number of areas of study in those fields. Now, foreign national students in F-1 status who have completed U.S. degree programs in previously excluded areas such as Neuroscience, Medical Informatics, Pharmaceutics and Drug Design and Mathematics and Computer Science may apply for Optional Practical Training (OPT) to obtain training through work experience for the protracted period granted to STEM degree holders of seventeen months after completion of their studies, as opposed to the twelve-month period typically allotted under post-completion OPT. To read the full news release, visit the ICE website.