Curricular Practical Training

But one of the things that seems to be happening here with universities and students, I feel like the Homeland Security is kind of painting us in a corner, so to speak.

We have new guidance regarding curricular practical training, two new broadcast messages, changing the definition basically of when curricular practical training is quote unquote integral to a program and changing that definition, basically saying it has to be required for everyone.

So we've got this CPT, the broadcast messages, luckily that are in fact subject to litigation, NAFSA just filed litigation related to these.

So we have the CPT rule.

Obviously, it's going to do a lot to discourage prospective international students.

I think a lot like, you know, what happened with Curricular Practical Training or CPT, where they were seeking to make changes to it.

There's litigation right now on the CPT changes.

I think we'll likely see litigation on this proposed fee.

For some international students, the proposal is another piece of bad news.

International students have already faced uncertainty over changes to Curricular Practical Training , which allows them to work in internships related to their studies before graduation.

New federal guidance has made it harder for some students to qualify for CPT.

The new OPT fee proposal adds another concern about their future careers.

If you watch everything for the past 18 months, it, it stops looking like a policy here and a policy there.

You know, you have SEVIS terminations, visa revocations, fewer, uh, appointments abroad, limiting how long students can stay and, you know, potential OPT investigations and pushback, and then you have this CPT bulletins that they've put out.

It's a, it's seemingly always something.

Yeah.

[laughs]

Yeah, so, so and we gotta give us a refresher.

CPT.

Yeah, so this lets F-1 students do an internship, co-op, or practicum while they're still in school, so it's before they graduate, as long as it's an integral part of an established curriculum, quote, unquote, and it has to be directly related to their major.

That requires more than a degree with a technical sounding name, the field must qualify, the employer must participate in E-Verify, and the student and employer must complete a formal training plan, among other conditions.

You may also hear about Curricular Practical Training, or CPT, that is a separate pathway for work that is integral to an established curriculum.

It isn't covered by this proposed OPT fee.

That's the higher education connection, the academic program, the student status, and the school's responsibilities remain part of the picture, even when the learning moves into a workplace.

In plain terms, it lets a student actually put their degree to work, take a job related to what they studied, get real professional experience, and start building a career, all while their student visa keeps them lawfully present in the country.

Dr. Lee used her own OPT year to work at New Americans Welcome Center in Queens, which by her account is what first pulled her into this work and to the Dream.US. One other term I want to talk about, which didn't really come up, but it's CPT, Curricular Practical Training, and it works a bit differently.

Instead of being authorized by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, like OPT, CPT is authorized directly by a student school.

And it has to be tied to something built into their actual coursework, a required internship or co-op program, for example.