Newswise — More than 100 public and private universities and colleges – including Babson College – have filed an amicus brief to defend the long-standing immigration program known as Optional Practical Training (OPT) that benefits international students studying in the U.S.
“At Babson, we value the presence of international students on our campus and continue to welcome them from around the world. We know that engaging in OPT has provided meaningful experiential opportunities for our international students who have made unique contributions to their employers or started their own businesses. Therefore, we see the importance of OPT for our students’ learning and for future employers looking for the top talent from the US and abroad,” said Amir Reza, Dean of the Babson Academy & Global Education
OPT permits international students studying at colleges and universities in the United States in F-1 status to pursue practical training with a U.S. employer in a position directly related to their course of study. Hundreds of thousands of international students and graduates participate in OPT across the nation each year. At Babson College, the Glavin Office advises and supports international students’ OPT application.
The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and NAFSA coordinated the brief in the Washington Alliance of Technology Workers Union vs. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Washtech) litigation; and the amici are primarily represented by Jenner & Block.
The amicus brief states:
“[OPT] is a longstanding government program that permits international students to continue, and deepen, their education by applying the skills and knowledge they learn in the classroom to a professional setting. OPT provides untold benefits for these international students. But, just as critical, being able to provide international students with the opportunities facilitated by OPT gives American institutions of higher education an edge in an increasingly competitive global education market.”
About the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
The nonpartisan Presidents’ Alliance brings together college and university leaders dedicated to increasing public understanding of how immigration policies and practices impact our students, campuses and communities, and supporting policies that create a welcoming environment for undocumented, immigrant, and international students. The Presidents’ Alliance is comprised of over 430 presidents and chancellors of public and private colleges and universities, representing over four million students in 41 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Learn more at https://www.presidentsimmigrationalliance.org and follow us at @PresImmAlliance.
About NAFSA: Association of International Educators
With more than 10,000 members, NAFSA: Association of International Educators is the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. NAFSA advocates for policies that foster a more peaceful world, result in a commonsense immigration process, encourage enlightened global engagement, and sustain an informed civic culture through international education. Learn more about NAFSA’s advocacy efforts on behalf of international education at ConnectingOurWorld.org and @ConnectOurWorld on Twitter.
About Babson College
Babson College is the educator, convener, and thought leader of Entrepreneurship of All Kinds®. The top-ranked college for entrepreneurship education, Babson is a dynamic living and learning laboratory where students, faculty, and staff work together to address the real-world problems of business and society. We prepare the entrepreneurial leaders our world needs most: those with strong functional knowledge and the skills and vision to navigate change, accommodate ambiguity, surmount complexity, and motivate teams in a common purpose to make a difference in the world, and have an impact on organizations of all sizes and types. As we have for nearly a half-century, Babson continues to advance Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® as the most positive force on the planet for generating sustainable economic and social value.
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