White House Announcement: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Actions to Attract STEM Talent

By: NPZ Law Group, P.C.

The White House provided a fact sheet detailing new DHS actions intended to attract and maintain STEM talent in the US. These include DHS policy manual updates on O-1 visas, creation of the Early Career STEM Research Initiative, changes to SEVP, USCIS policy manual updates, and more.
 

• The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is announcing an “Early Career STEM Research Initiative,” to facilitate non-immigrant BridgeUSA exchange visitors coming to the United States to engage in STEM research through research, training or educational exchange visitor programs with host organizations, including businesses. ECA is also announcing new guidance that will facilitate additional academic training for undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields on the J-1 visa for periods of up to 36 months.

 

• Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas is announcing that 22 new fields of study are now included in the STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program through the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). The program permits F-1 students earning Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorates in certain STEM fields to remain in the United States for up to 36 months to complete Optional Practical Training after earning their degrees. Information on the new fields of study will be communicated to schools and students in a forthcoming Federal Register notice. The added fields of study are primarily new multidisciplinary or emerging fields and are critical in attracting talent to support U.S. economic growth and technological competitiveness.

 

• DHS is issuing an update to its policy manual related to “extraordinary ability” (O-1A) nonimmigrant status regarding what evidence may satisfy the O-1A evidentiary criteria.

 

• O-1A nonimmigrant status is available to persons of extraordinary ability in the fields of science, business, education, or athletics. In this update, DHS is clarifying how it determines eligibility for immigrants of extraordinary abilities, such as PHD holders, in the science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) fields.

 

• The new update provides examples of evidence that may satisfy the O-1A evidentiary criteria and discusses considerations that are relevant to evaluating such evidence, with a focus on the highly technical nature of STEM fields and the complexity of the evidence often submitted.

 

• The update also emphasizes that, if a petitioner demonstrates that a particular criterion does not readily apply to their occupation, they may submit evidence that is of comparable significance to that criterion to establish sustained acclaim and recognition. Additionally, it provides examples of possible comparable evidence that may be submitted in support of petitions for beneficiaries working in STEM fields.

 

• With respect to immigration, DHS is issuing an update to its policy manual on how U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a DHS component, adjudicates national interest waivers for certain immigrants with exceptional abilities in their field of work.
  • The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides that an employer can file an immigrant petition for a person of exceptional ability or a member of the professions with an advanced degree. The INA provides that USCIS may waive a job offer requirement, allowing immigrants whose work is in the national interest to petition for themselves, without an employer.
  • The USCIS policy update clarifies how the national interest waiver can be used for persons with advanced degrees in STEM fields and entrepreneurs, as well as the significance of letters from governmental and quasi-governmental entities. This update will promote efficient and effective benefit processing as USCIS reviews requests for national interest waivers. This effort is consistent with the Biden-Harris Administration’s priorities to restore faith in the legal immigration system.

 
If you have any questions about how these immigration and nationality laws in the United States may impact you or your family or want to access additional information about United States or Canadian immigration and nationality laws, please feel free to get in touch with the immigration and nationality lawyers at NPZ Law Group. You can send us an email at [email protected], or you can call us at 201-670-0006 extension 104. In addition, we invite you to find more information on our website at www.visaserve.com

White House link: 
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/01/21/fact-sheet-biden-harris-administration-actions-to-attract-stem-talent-and-strengthen-our-economy-and-competitiveness/

Here are links to the announcements:

DHS Announcement of Three Agency Policies

https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/01/21/dhs-expands-opportunities-us-stem-professionals

State Department Announcement on Two Agency Policies

https://www.state.gov/new-initiatives-further-opportunity-for-international-stem-students-scholars-and-researchers-u-s-entities/

DOS UPDATE: Early Career STEM Research Initiative

https://j1visa.state.gov/programs/early-career-stem-research-initiative/

DOS UPDATE: Expansion of Academic Training for J-1 STEM grads

https://j1visa.state.gov/opportunity-for-academic-training-extensions-for-j-1-college-and-university-students-in-stem-fields/

DHS UPDATE: Expansion of STEM OPT

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2022-01-21/pdf/2022-01188.pdf

USCIS Policy Guidance on O-1:

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20220121-ExtraordinaryAbility.pdf

USCIS Policy update: NIW

https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/policy-manual-updates/20220121-NationalInterestWaivers.pdf

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