Bad news for Indian students in US, Trump administration to stop students from..., no jobs for...
(Representational image/AI generated)
New Delhi: Students in America who are thinking of working after graduation may face a big blow. Preparations are underway to end Optional Practical Training (OPT) in the USA. Even though President Donald Trump has stated that foreign students should receive green cards after graduating from American universities, his nominee for the post of the director at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) says they want to prevent students from working in the country after graduation. This decision has raised concerns among students.
President Trump has chosen Joseph Edlow as the nominee for 'U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' (USCIS). During the nomination hearing, Edlow stated that he wants to end OPT. Edlow is set to take charge of USCIS as the director soon. Economists, business leaders, and educators say that ending OPT and STEM OPT would be a wrong decision. They argue that this will prevent America from attracting top talent to the country and from retaining them.
According to a Forbes report, during a hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Joseph Edlow was asked what changes he would make to the OPT programme if he were made the head of USCIS. In response, he said, 'I think the way the OPT has been handled, aided by some decisions from the DC Circuit court over the past four years, has been a real problem in terms of the misuse of the law.'
He further stated, 'I would like to see OPT as a regulatory and sub-regulatory programme that would allow us to eliminate the ability of F-1 students to obtain jobs after their time at college.' In simpler terms, Joseph is saying that he does not want students to stay in the country and work after graduating from college. If he becomes the director of USCIS, that could become possible.
What is the OPT programme?
Optional Practical Training (OPT) allows F-1 students to work in the United States after graduation. They can work for 12 months. If someone has a degree in 'Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics' (STEM) fields, they also receive a 24-month extension, meaning they can work for 3 years. The number of Indian students benefiting from OPT and STEM OPT is the highest. In 2022-23, about 70,000 Indian students took advantage of this programme.
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Hans India
24 minutes ago
- Hans India
Europe can't show any flexibility on countering terrorism: Denmark's former Ambassador backs India's stance
Denmark, which will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union this year, continues to back India's Operation Sindoor and New Delhi's call for a global, united effort to combat the threat of terrorism. Speaking exclusively to IANS, Freddy Svane, the former Danish Ambassador to India, asserted that there can be no flexibility on the European side as far as countering terrorism is concerned. Lauding India's Operation Sindoor diplomatic outreach mission, the seasoned diplomat also backed calls to put Pakistan back on the grey list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). Excerpts: IANS: India is sending a very strong global message against terrorism with the visit of all-party delegations to various countries, one of which was also in Copenhagen till Saturday. How do you see this entire exercise? Freddy Svane: I think it's very important that the message that you are going to spread is listened to, heard and action taken on it. Therefore, I am pleased, having also served as Ambassador to India for more than 10 years, that India has on the backdrop of this really, really sad and deadly, inhumane Pahalgam incident, now stands up and speaks against terror. We all need to really move away from words towards actions. Therefore, the decision of the Government of India, of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to send a group of parliamentarians across the globe to speak about how we jointly fight terror is so important and very well received, also here in Denmark. IANS: Do you think that India has emerged as a stronger nation during Operation Sindoor? Freddy Svane: I think so. Even now, I asked some of the visiting Indian parliamentarians here that is that a new thing? As I have never in my life experienced that India would be sending such all-party delegations across the globe to really voice its concerns about terror and the impact of terror. I was told there was some similar thing done decades back. But the fact that India is now standing up on this is important. It will give India a special role and a special place because India now stands up against terror. That's a new normal, and nobody should be in any doubt of what will happen if terror is not stopped. We are working closely together, as a world and as one big family. IANS: Pakistan, however, isn't learning from its mistakes and continues to export terror to India... Freddy Svane: I lived in India, as you all know, for 10 years, over two periods of time. We lived with terror, we felt the impact and so forth. Obviously, we all knew that Pakistan was behind them one way or another. You might argue that there are different faces in Pakistan; there's the political and the army. But, when it boils down to terror, there can't be two faces. There's only one ugly face, and we know that Pakistan has been instigating a lot of terror attacks against India. Sadly, with this incident, the time is really ripe for a conscious joint and coordinated response to terror, and thereby also calling out Pakistan. IANS: Do you think it is high time to put Pakistan back on the FATF grey list? Freddy Svane: I think so. Terror doesn't come out of the blue. It's something that has to be financed, structured and so forth. So, it's a long, concerted action that lies behind all this terror. And therefore, you need to do whatever you can globally, also regionally, to secure that we don't have financing that will flow into the streams of terror. It has to stop. Yes, Pakistan has to be put where it belongs. So, they have to be put on that list, no doubt about that. IANS: You first met Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. India has grown tremendously under his leadership over the last decade or so... Freddy Svane: That's true. I have seen India growing. I have a huge passion for India, and so will be known by many. I was the first European Ambassador when I was in service, really to meet the honourable Prime Minister today. I met him back in May 2011 in Gujarat, and we had a very nice and long interaction. That, of course, grew over the years. When I came back as Ambassador from a second tenure in 2019, we continued, and we developed the Green Strategic Partnership. So, I think we have a very, very close and good relationship. I have seen India growing, becoming much more outward-looking. India has its own role. It's a country, a nation, which is really trying to define its own trajectory towards what is called 'Viksit Bharat' and I am a strong believer myself in 'Viksit Bharat', meaning that, of course, we have to work together and that's what Denmark and India have been doing. Under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, India has grown and will continue to grow, no doubt about that. We need a strong India, no doubt about that either. IANS: PM Modi has established himself as a very strong global leader over the years and has proved it yet again during Operation Sindoor... Freddy Svane: Yes, he has. In my interaction with the visiting parliamentary delegation, I also highlighted that when India had the G20 presidency, it rose as a global power by calling the Global South, and by also inviting the African Union into the G20. All that is a combination, the agenda of India and Prime Minister Modi to be a global player that will have a role to secure that the world will be a better, greener and more sustainable place for all of us in the future. Obviously, Prime Minister Modi, by his resolute action through Operation Sindoor, has really shown that India has drawn new red lines and that is the new normal. You should not really be in any doubt that India is a power that is ready, willing to act whenever it's needed. That's a new normal here, thanks to Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi. IANS: Do you think Operation Sindoor has boosted PM Modi's image further and added to the numerous achievements of his government in the last 11 very successful years? Freddy Svane: Of course, the fact that all party delegations are sent to various countries in various parts of the world just to speak about Operation Sindoor and the atrocities proves it. It shows that it is time now to stand up against terror and the way in which Pakistan, almost throughout its lifetime, has instigated terror attacks. India has shown that it has grown and is a global player, a very, very important player and that India can take action. You need a strong leader like Prime Minister Modi who can steer that kind of direction and make it clear that I am the man and I am the true defender of India. Therefore, his popularity, also outside of India, has grown, and there will be no person on this planet who will be in doubt of who is in charge and who is the leader of India, which is not only the most populous nation on earth but also the fourth largest economy of the world. So, Prime Minister Modi has grown and is being seen across the world as a very, very important, strong and strategic thinking leader, which is so important for all of us. A strong India, a strong Prime Minister is what we are looking for, and that is what we have got, though sadly on a very bad backdrop of this deadly Pahalgam incident. But when times are bad and things have to be dealt with, you also need someone who can move from words to actions. That has happened, and it is really fantastic. IANS: Do you see European countries on the same page as far as countering state-sponsored terrorism is concerned? Freddy Svane: This is a tricky question. I think, at least nowadays, and given whatever happened in India and given the atrocities and inhuman behaviour, there can be no flexibility on the European side as to how we have to fight terror. Terror is a global menace that we have to really fight, and whatever tool we have, we should deploy. I do hope that, with this tour of Indian parliamentary groups, there is a common understanding and a kind of awareness that we have to move away from words to actions. Of course, I will be following a little bit closely what will come out of all these visits to various countries - will there be more coordinated, more joint efforts to fight terror, or will we just see another range of words and no actions? I think the answer lies very much in the way in which India will take these visits and say we have sent all party delegations to these countries, important countries across the globe, and now there is a common sense that we have to do and deal with terror and let's propose some actions. So, I hope that India will come up with that kind of action programme, saying this is what we need to do, and hopefully, countries not just in Europe but also other places on this planet will join in and say terror is a global menace and we have to fight it. Terror will happen as long as we are not united. Now we seem to be united, thanks to India and Prime Minister Modi. IANS: Pakistan is left with very few 'all-weather friends', is it not high time that these countries too realise that they are backing a terror state? Freddy Svane: Yeah, but I'm not surprised that some countries have placed themselves in that camp. I think we all have to get together and find and define the common position because terror, regardless of how we define what terror is, and what kind of components will go into terror, cannot be in any country, any population, or any people's interests to face the menace of terror. Therefore, we have to stand together. I hope that the diplomatic outreach will at least secure that more and more countries will join the camp of India and say, enough is enough. Let's now move from words, diplomatically framed words, to actions. Therefore, as I said, I hope, as a former Ambassador to India, that India and Prime Minister Modi will stand up and say this is the catalogue of actions we need to take. IANS: What was your first reaction on hearing about the extradition of 2008 Mumbai terror attack accused Tahawwur Rana to India, who was also prosecuted for providing material support for a terror attack in Denmark? Freddy Svane: I was so relieved. I think it shows that justice will prevail at some point in time, and those who are committing terror and terror-related activities will be brought to justice. There should be no safe haven for terrorists. When I saw the extradition of Rana to India, I felt relieved because India has been pushing for that for many, many years, and finally, the extradition happened. I do hope that it sends a very strong message across that you can't hide, use whatever kind of institutional tool that you might access to prevent yourself from being brought to justice. So, it was a great, great, great achievement, I will say! IANS: Denmark is also the only country in the world with which India has a Green Strategic Partnership. How do you see this bilateral relationship progressing? Freddy Svane: I don't see any limits to it. If I may say so. It all started with my first meeting with the honourable Chief Minister, now Prime Minister, back in May 2011 in Gujarat. The two of us discussed how we could work together at that time. I was the Danish Ambassador, but we had a kind of shared vision, a mission to move towards a greener and sustainable development. In that context, we developed this kind of idea. We had, in fact, in 2012-13 held a number of seminars, workshops in Gujarat's Gandhinagar, where we put focus on renewables, wind, water and so forth. I see there's a direct line between this and the fact that we have this green strategic partnership, I think it combines -- as honourable Prime Minister has said many times -- it combines the skills of India and the skills of Denmark. India has a lot of skills. I went to Khavda, the Adani big project, last year. I was so blown away by the magnitude and the kind of strategy aligned behind it. It was an eye-opener, and it shows that the green transition, green strategic cooperation, whatever we call it, is so important. It's not only good for bilateral relations but a must for all of us. We need to secure that we have a better and more sustainable world so that we can look into the future. Our next generations will be suffering if we don't crack this climate crisis. Therefore, I was so pleased when honourable Prime Minister Modi came to Denmark, and we could really take the green strategic partnership forward, which is so important. I do hope that it will also inspire others because what can be done bilaterally is not enough. It calls for a kind of global action, like the fight against terror.
India Today
27 minutes ago
- India Today
Even Pak did it: Congress reiterates demand for Parliament session on Op Sindoor
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday reiterated his party's demand for a special session of Parliament to discuss Operation Sindoor and the terror attack in Pahalgam. Addressing reporters, Kharge said that the Centre should take a cue from Pakistan, which has convened its Parliament and held deliberations on the developments, and show similar seriousness in addressing the said that the entire nation stands with the armed forces and called for unity on issues concerning national security. He urged all political leaders to exercise restraint and avoid politicising military a veiled swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress President said, "We must know when to speak what. There should be unity in national matters and a focus on defeating our opponents. All leaders across the country should remain silent regarding matters of national security. It's better to understand what has happened before speaking about it. There should be no election campaign before the delegation reports are out. PM Modi should refrain from giving election speeches. There is no need for self-praise. The entire nation stands with our armed forces." He further questioned the Prime Minister's public remarks on the military operation, noting that the PM had earlier stated he had given full authority to the armed forces. "Why is he speaking again now? The Prime Minister should not make self-glorifying speeches. We have said, let's convene Parliament and talk. Even Pakistan has convened its Parliament and is holding discussions. None of us will speak against the nation," Kharge remarks came a day after he accused the BJP-led government of misleading the nation over Operation Sindoor. In a post on social media, the Congress chief alleged that instead of offering clarity on US President Donald Trump taking credit for the ceasefire between India and Pakistan, Prime Minister Modi was "on an election blitz, taking personal credit for the valour of the armed forces".He also referred to the interview given by India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Anil Chauhan, in Singapore, saying that the revelations raised important questions about defence preparedness."In the wake of the remarks made by the CDS in Singapore in an interview, there are some very important questions which need to be asked. These can only be asked if a Special Session of the Parliament is immediately convened. The Modi Government has misled the nation. The fog of war is now clearing," Kharge Chauhan, who was in Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue, admitted in an interview with Bloomberg for the first time that an unspecified number of Indian fighter jets were downed during the recent hostilities with India's Operation Sindoor, which was launched after the Pahalgam attacks, Pakistan had claimed that it had downed six Indian fighter jets, a claim India had previously Chauhan categorically rejected Pakistan's assertion that it had shot down six Indian jets, including four Rafales, calling it 'absolutely incorrect'."What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down... Why they were down, what mistakes were made - that are important. Numbers are not important," General Chauhan to the comments, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that Defence MInister Rajanth Singh should have informed the political parties about the losses before a military official revealed them InMust Watch
NDTV
31 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Students Can Still Thrive In The US Education System": Expert On F-1 Visas
F-1 Visa Changes: The number of Indian students opting to study abroad continues to rise each year. However, the process comes with several challenges, particularly visa delays. Students are required to clear interviews and provide strong justification for their choice of course and institution. The United States, one of the most popular destinations for Indian students, has recently introduced changes to its F-1 visa policies, potentially making the application process more harsh. NDTV's Ambika Singh Kahma, speaks to Rahul Subramaniam, Co-founder of Athena Education on why there has been a rise in student F-1 visa rejections and what measures students can take to reduce the chance of their rejection. Question 1: How do recent changes in US immigration policies affect F1 visa applications? Rahul Subramaniam: While recent shifts in U.S. immigration policies, particularly concerning visa interview processes and social media vetting, have introduced new dynamics, the pathway for Indian students aspiring to study in the United States remains robust. India continues to be the leading source of international students in the U.S., with over 331,000 Indian students enrolled in the 2023-24 academic year, marking a 23% increase from the previous year. Yes, we've seen headlines about increased scrutiny and delays, but these are largely procedural updates, not policy reversals. At Athena Education, we view these developments as an opportunity to further strengthen our support systems. We are committed to providing our students with comprehensive guidance on navigating the evolving visa landscape, ensuring they are well-prepared and confident in their applications. Our approach emphasizes meticulous documentation, understanding of the visa process, and readiness to adapt to new requirements. Question 2: How has the recent political climate affected student visa approvals? Are rejection rates higher than before? Rahul Subramaniam: While recent reports indicate a rise in student visa rejections, especially for F-1 visas, it's important to view this within the context of a more robust screening process-not a blanket denial of international talent. The U.S. remains one of the most sought-after destinations for higher education due to its world-class universities, research opportunities, and global networking prospects. Visa officers are now conducting more thorough checks, including digital footprint reviews and academic intent validations, to ensure genuine candidates make it through. For students who prepare diligently, meet eligibility criteria, and demonstrate clear academic and professional goals, the U.S. continues to open its doors. Yes, the landscape has shifted, but the opportunity remains- and with the right guidance and transparency, students can still thrive in the U.S. education system. Question 3: What are the most common reasons for F1 visa rejections, and how can students avoid them? Rahul Subramaniam: F-1 visa rejections can be deeply disappointing. Students must clearly show that their academic path is thoughtfully chosen and that they can communicate this with clarity and confidence. Of course, getting a visa is about preparation and purpose. Keep everything in place-good academics, financial support, and a university admit. The U.S. is home to the largest population of Indian international students, a community that contributes over $7.2 billion to its economy. Beyond numbers, Indian students bring talent, innovation, and cultural richness-making them an essential part of the American academic fabric. America wants international students as much as international students want to receive high quality American education. Students who stand out are often the ones who are well-informed, honest, and authentic in their interviews. Question 4: If a student has received their I-20 but is still waiting for a visa interview date, what would you suggest they do in the meantime? Should they consider confirming other college offers to reserve a spot, or hold off until the visa decision is made? Rahul Subramaniam: If you've received your I-20 but are still waiting for a visa interview date, I completely understand the uncertainty that comes with this situation. Right now, the best thing you can do is stay in close touch with your university's Designated School Official (DSO). They can advise you on the next steps if there's a prolonged delay - some universities even offer the option to defer your admission if needed. I wouldn't rush into accepting other college offers just yet, especially if your heart is set on a particular school. Changing universities at this stage could mean going through the entire I-20 and SEVIS process again, which might not necessarily speed things up. In the meantime, consider using this period productively. Look into online courses or certifications related to your field of study. They not only strengthen your academic profile but also show continued commitment and focus. Question 5: What are the key factors that US colleges consider when evaluating international student applications? Rahul Subramaniam: When US colleges evaluate international student applications, they're looking far beyond just academic transcripts. Yes, strong grades and test scores are essential, but what truly sets an applicant apart is their ability to demonstrate intellectual curiosity, personal initiative, and a meaningful engagement with the world around them. Universities take a holistic approach, they pay close attention to essays, letters of recommendation, extracurriculars, and the student's personal story. They want to understand not only what the student has achieved, but why they pursued those paths and how they've grown through them. Cultural perspective and global awareness also carry weight, especially as campuses look to foster diverse, dynamic communities. At Athena, we've seen that students stand out when their applications reflect clarity of thought and a sense of purpose. Our mentorship approach brings together experts, from Ivy League alumni to former admissions consultants, who help students shape high-impact, globally relevant projects and original ideas that push boundaries. Through deep one-on-one mentorship, students build profiles that aren't just impressive, they're authentic. Question 6: What advice would you give to students who are planning to apply to US colleges and pursue an F1 visa? Rahul Subramaniam: If you're planning to apply to US colleges and pursue an F1 visa, my best advice is to start early and stay organized. The journey is much more than just paperwork, it's about telling your unique story and showing why you're a great fit for the university and the country. Focus on building a well-rounded profile: strong academics matter, but so do your passions, projects, and the impact you want to make. Be prepared for the visa process. Also, remember that the US government has had social media checks as part of visa screening since 2019, so keeping your digital presence professional and consistent is important. Lastly, don't hesitate to seek guidance from mentors or experts who understand both admissions and visa intricacies. With thoughtful preparation, clarity on your goals, and a genuine application, you can navigate this process successfully and set yourself up for an exciting chapter ahead. Question 7: What impact does the Harvard visa revocation case have on other universities? Rahul Subramaniam: It is important to view recent events in the larger context of the strong and long standing educational ties between the U.S. and India. India remains the largest source of international students in the U.S., showing how vital this academic relationship is for both countries. Given India's strategic importance to the U.S., especially in education and technology sectors, we are confident that these are temporary measures and that the overall pathway for Indian students to study in the U.S. will remain open and robust.
