Many American universities are expanding the scope of their STEM offerings. Sounds like good news, right? But then again you probably think STEM means: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. That would be wrong.
ICYMI: The federal government needs to get out of the business of paying people to not work.
You see universities are changing what makes up STEM programs. They are doing this in an attempt to get around immigration law. Here’s how the game works.
Immigration regulations have a provision for students with STEM majors. They can stay in America two years longer than students with humanities majors. So, what universities are doing is to include journalism, classics, drama therapy etc., as STEM offerings.
Many universities are exploiting this U.S. immigration policy loophole. Normally immigrant students must leave the country a year after finishing their studies.
But, regulations permit those who study STEM disciplines to stay and work for an additional two years. The policy is part of the DHS’s Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. It aims to shore up the United States’ supply of engineers and tech workers. We don’t actually have a shortage, oh by the way. Big tech just likes to pay less for its employees… and immigrants will work for less.
The result has been a dramatic increase in the number of foreign students seeking the STEM exemption. Imagine that. It ballooned from just over 2,000 in 2008 to nearly 70,000 in 2018.
Who is playing the game?
The UC, Berkeley, BU, CSU, etc. are classifying journalism, media studies, and digital media arts as STEM. Many schools are classifying subjects like economics and business as STEM. So the fraud is wide and deep, excuse me, loophole exploitation.
The introduction of foreign workers into the U.S. labor market comes at the expense of American workers. The DHS program increases competition for domestic jobs. It depresses American wages. When employers hire internationals they are exempt from paying Medicare and Social Security taxes for them. That alone saves 12.4% of gross wages.
When an American student and a foreign student have the exact same grades. If they go to an employer, the employer has a financial incentive to hire the foreigner over the Americans. At the same time, people getting to the Social Security and Medicare age are going to be at a disadvantage. The employer doesn’t pay contributions into the entitlement system. The benefits under these programs are not being funded per design.
The result is fewer jobs, lower-paying jobs, and not paying their fair share into our entitlement system. It’s a sweet system design, right? Thank your Democrat lawmaker. Do it at the polls.
On paper, DHS is supposed to regularly monitor American universities. However, such audits rarely occur. The department responsible for enforcing the provisions claims to be underfunded. It also faces deterrence from the potential public relations fallout a crackdown would draw.
An ombudsman report for the USCIS found the program is “vulnerable to fraud” due to understaffing. The report also found that the program exhibits “significant vulnerabilities.”
The vulnerabilities allow the program to act as a conduit for Chinese espionage. Chinese students are the top beneficiaries of the OPT program. They represent more than one in three international students studying in the United States.
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
The creation of OPT was to offer the opportunity to gain work experience in their area of study. Currently, it is in use by government actors as a means of conducting espionage. Worse yet, it is a means of facilitating technology transfer.
In anticipation of legal consequences for exploiting the OPT loophole. Schools provide a template letter to international students to submit to federal authorities. To avoid any confusion by USCIS, you understand.
Face it, universities have incentives to play “fast and loose with visa rules.” They can boost international student admissions, get full tuition, and claim diversity gains. The only loser is America, American workers, and funding for entitlement programs. For universities, it is a win-win-win.
“‘STEM’ means whatever it takes to keep high paying international students pouring in. The effort by universities to expansively define STEM demonstrates their legal and linguistic talent. Universities regularly engage in this fraud to pad their bottom lines. Colleges and universities see America’s visa rules as a system to game for their own financial benefit.
STEM Majors are being used to circumvent immigration policy and weaken national security… intentionally. And no one is doing a thing about it. Okay, Pappas, Kuster, Shaheen. What have you done to help New Hampshire citizens?