Washington: A US Republican senator has urged President Donald Trump to scrap a key work permit program for foreign students, arguing it harms American graduates and poses national security risks, particularly from China.
Senator Rick Scott, in a letter to Trump, praised the administration’s reported move to curb or eliminate the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, calling it a “matter in desperate need of your attention”.
“These foreign student work permits not only harm the job prospects of recent college graduates, but are also abused by and create a serious national security risk from a self-declared enemy nation – Communist China,” Scott wrote.
The Florida senator said young Americans are increasingly struggling in the job market. “In the past, recent graduates had a lower unemployment rate than the general population, but since 2020, this has no longer been the case,” he said.
He pointed to particular challenges for STEM graduates. “The jobless rate for recent graduates with computer engineering degrees is nearly double the general unemployment rate,” Scott noted, adding that unemployment among computer science graduates is “over 50% higher than the general jobless rate.”
Scott argued that foreign competition under the OPT program is exacerbating the situation. “Right now, over half a million student visa holders have OPT work permits,” he wrote, adding that the permits “allow foreign students to compete with Americans for American jobs” and remain in the country after graduation.
