OPT Site Visits
Immigration lawyers say that federal investigators are taking a closer look at employers who participate in a government program that allows international STEM students and graduates to work in the United States. The program, known as Optional Practical Training, or OPT, has existed for decades but in recent years has become a hot-button issue as some anti-immigration groups argue that it takes jobs away from American workers. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have reportedly started to visit workplaces to make sure companies are complying with the program’s rules. Karine Wenger, an immigration lawyer in San Diego, told Bloomberg Law that ICE has always had the authority to conduct the checks, but actually doing them has been a “very recent” development. ICE said that it has been making such visits since 2016.
Higher-Ed Groups Warn of “Surveillance” of Chinese Academics
As political and trade tensions between the United States and China grow, higher-education associations are raising concerns that the monitoring of Chinese scholars here could “trample on individual rights” and impede scientific research. The statement, published Monday by PEN America, a free-speech group, follows reports that federal law-enforcement officials have urged colleges to keep an eye on campus visitors from China to avoid the theft of data or intellectual property. It’s a step some institutions have already taken.
Australian Academics Balk at Chinese Request
Fears of surveillance of academics also arose this week between China and Australia. The Guardian reports that Australian faculty members declined to provide their passport numbers and dates of birth as requested by Hebei Normal University, located near Beijing. The Australian instructors are part of a biotechnology degree program in which Chinese students spend three years at Hebei and finish at the University of Technology Sydney. Hebei said the information was required for accreditation purposes. The news comes after concerns that China has undue influence on aspects of Australian higher education. In July, the Australian government announced plans to examine Confucius Institutes, cultural and educational programs funded by China to operate on foriegn university campuses.
Concerns About the Future of Erasmus
Worries that Brexit may hobble a popular European student-exchange program have surfaced again. In a public letter, the Scottish and Welsh governments are seeking assurances that the Erasmus program, which has paid for millions of European students to study at universities within the continent, will continue to operate even if the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a deal in place. “It is the Scottish government’s preference to remain in the EU but in the event of a damaging no-deal Brexit, students could now see the door to this fantastic cultural and educational exchange slammed shut,” wrote Richard Lochhead, Scotland’s further and higher education minister. A spokeswoman for the U.K.’s Department for Education said it is exploring ways to ensure that the program continues.