International competition is becoming more and more fierce, and as a major immigrant country, the United States is also stepping up to "grab" high-quality talents in various fields.
STEM science and engineering talent plays a very important role in America's scientific development, economic prosperity, and its overall leadership, and the Biden administration naturally sees this.
Therefore, the favorable policy on STEM talent immigration to the United States recently introduced is aimed at attracting global high-tech talents to the United States.
So, what is STEM?
Simply put, STEM is an acronym for four English words: Science, Technology, Engineer, Mathematics.
As early as 1986, the National Science Council recommended training high-quality scientific and technological talents, engineers, scientists, and mathematicians to improve the country's competitiveness.
Since then, the National Science Foundation has been giving special support to STEM education in terms of policy and financial resources.
How good are STEM people?
Let's look at a set of data:
Tesla was founded by South African immigrant STEM students; Google CEO was founded by Indian immigrant STEM students; Zoom was founded by Chinese immigrant STEM students.
It's not hard to see why the U.S. government is changing the bill specifically for talent in the field.
The development of STEM education in the United States
Successive presidents of the United States have attached great importance to STEM education, including current President Joe Biden.
In 2006, with the rise of Silicon Valley, President George W. Bush unveiled the American Competitiveness Plan, which proposed that cultivating PEOPLE with STEM literacy was one of the educational goals of the knowledge economy era and was regarded as the key to global competitiveness.
In 2015, the US STEM Education Act, signed by Obama, officially entered into force, explicitly including computer science in the STEM education category. Ensure its international competitiveness in the field of scientific and technological innovation by enhancing STEM education.
On January 21, 2022, the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security announced a new policy that relaxed the requirement for STEM professionals to get U.S. green cards, while adding 22 new STEM majors.
In addition to the traditional concept of biology, chemistry, computers. This time it also covers financial science, social science, business analysis, environmental science, etc., greatly expanding the scope of STEM majors.
The bill, which eventually goes into effect, will be the most significant immigration legislation in the U.S. Congress in 30 years. High-tech talents from all over the world will be able to quickly obtain U.S. green cards
For excellent science and engineering talents and entrepreneurs, it is undoubtedly good news!
What are the specific impacts of the Act on talent in STEM fields? Let's take a look at Xiaomei together.
1) STEM talents will be more "easy" to stay in the United States
First of all, the field has been relaxed, and 22 new professional categories have been added.
Second, THE OPT extension for STEM students.
OPT is a U.S. employment permit tailored for U.S. international students, generally valid for 12 months, and now extends the OPT for students in STEM disciplines to 36 months.
Again, the duration of internship work for STEM personnel on the J-1 visa was extended, allowing STEM academics on the J-1 visa to work in related fields for 36 months (previously 18 months) after graduation.
Fourth, the O-1A visa processing rules have been relaxed, the relevant criteria for STEM professional applicants in filing O-1 visas have been revised, and the procedures have been simplified.
These initiatives have allowed international students graduating from STEM-related majors more time to stay in the United States to work and live, and increased their likelihood of getting visas and green cards, that is, staying in the United States.
2) Dr. STEM is expected to get a green card directly
The biggest surprise that the Biden administration gave to STEM majors is that STEM doctors are expected to get green cards directly, and professional lawyers say that the process can be shortened by several months.
One might ask, no work experience required? Xiaomei can answer you clearly, yes. Because STEM PhDs apply for the U.S. National Interest Waiver for NIW immigration, they can almost 100% fit.
Therefore, you can be exempted from the labor certification, included in the "National Interest Waiver" (NIW) program, without going through the employer, nor need to find a job, you can directly file an I-140 immigration petition and get a U.S. green card.
3) NIW National Interest Waiver will be the preferred route
Of course, except for the Doctorate, all people with a master's degree or above in STEM majors can take the US National Interest Waiver NIW immigration and get a US green card.
The Biden administration is undertaking a series of initiatives to remove barriers that affect the legal immigration of STEM talent!
U.S. NIW National Interest Waiver For Immigrants
Belonging to a special category of EB2, it does not require a labor certificate, does not require employer sponsorship, is not subject to industry, language and age restrictions, has a high success rate and the application conditions are much lower than EB1A.
For people in STEM professional fields, now is a good time to apply for a U.S. green card, you can learn more.
Application conditions
1. Applicants need to meet one of the conditions of "advanced degree" or "special skills".
1. Advanced degree:
Applicants must have a master's degree or above or equivalent from another university abroad, or a bachelor's degree plus 5 years of work experience in the professional field.
2. Special Skills:
Special skills in the scientific, artistic or commercial fields that meet at least three of the following conditions:
Second, from the applicant's past achievements, it can be seen that future work in the United States can have a beneficial impact on the national interests of the United States.
Applicants based on the National Interest Waiver must meet the following 3 requirements, in addition to demonstrating that they have an advanced degree (master's degree or above) or special talents:
Meet the above two requirements to submit an NIW immigration application.
The importance that the United States attaches to STEM talent can also be seen in the White House statement:
"In science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM), which are critical to the prosperity, safety, and health of our nation, talent provides America with a global competitive advantage, and our commitment to welcoming new talent remains unchanged over the long term."
In the United States, the demand for STEM talents is 70% higher than that of non-STEM talents, which is very hot.
In this new regulation, the US government has largely supported highly educated people in STEM professional fields to get green cards faster and smoother, which is undoubtedly a heavy news for talents in this field.
It is not difficult to predict that STEM disciplines will also become popular majors in the future, and outstanding talents in STEM fields will also receive various green passes around the world.
PS: On the NIW program, the U.S. immigration team has a lot of experience.
Over the past few years, we have successfully assisted doctors, professors, engineers, IT professionals and others to obtain U.S. green cards. Experienced consultants, copywriters and lawyers help everyone "move" forward.
Interested friends, welcome to contact "American Immigrants". We will arrange a professional consultant to do an assessment for you. With comprehensive information and a detailed resume, we will match you with the most suitable immigration plan.
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Source: U.S. Immigrants Official Website