US senator calls for end to OPT - work authorisations for student visa holders, citing job risks

A senior U.S. senator is calling for an end to work authorisations for student visa holders, arguing that they harm American jobs and pose a national security risk. In a September 23 letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley claimed that foreign student work permits are contributing to rising unemployment among college-educated Americans.

“In addition to harming American job seekers, foreign student work authorisations also put our nation at risk of technological and corporate espionage,” Grassley, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote in his letter. He argued that student visas should be “solely” for educational purposes, not for work opportunities, and accused the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of violating the law by granting these authorisations.

While Grassley did not specifically mention Optional Practical Training (OPT), the workstream that allows international students to gain U.S. work experience after graduation, he made clear his stance on curbing foreign student work authorisations. He drew on Federal Reserve data showing that the unemployment rate for college-educated 22-27-year-old males remains high, even when they hold degrees. However, Grassley did not present evidence to support his claims that foreign graduates were directly causing this rise in unemployment, contradicting findings from NAFSA, which shows that for every three international students, one U.S. job was created in the 2023-24 academic year.

Despite the lack of evidence supporting Grassley’s claims, his concerns over rising unemployment align with a broader narrative. According to a Georgetown University study, the U.S. faces a severe labor gap, with an estimated need for an additional 5.25 million workers with postsecondary education by 2032 to fill skills shortages in critical sectors such as healthcare and engineering.

Nicole Smith, Chief Economist at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, emphasized that without “massive and immediate increases in educational attainment,” the nation’s labor gaps will continue to widen, particularly in managerial, nursing, and teaching roles, which are expected to see the largest shortages. Smith warned that this could have “far-reaching implications for the nation’s education and healthcare systems.”

At the same time, the number of students participating in OPT has hit an all-time high of nearly 250,000 in the 2023-24 academic year, comprising 22% of the overall student population. While Grassley’s concerns about espionage remain, particularly with the reported 33,000 Chinese students holding STEM work authorisations, the program has been a major draw for international students choosing to study in the U.S.