New US legislation to encourage promising students to stay put

Washington: Indian-American Congressman Shri Thanedar has introduced legislation aimed at encouraging promising foreign students to stay in the US after their studies by expanding the availability of H-1B visas, the most sought-after by Indian IT professionals. Thanedar, a Democrat, Congressman Thanedar used his personal experience to affirm the importance of this legislation. “As an immigrant whose educational opportunities in the US shaped all the subsequent opportunities I received, I understand the importance of keeping our most gifted students in the country,” India-born Thanedar said in a statement on Friday.

Keep STEM Graduates in America Act proposes reforms to the H-1B visa process and rises the number of available visas each year to make staying in the United States more accessible for individuals capable of contributing to our industry and economy, a media release said. The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. Technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China.

Thanedar said that the bill expands “the availability of H-1B visas and making the process to obtain one more simple, we take an important and tangible step towards a future where those students with the most potential to innovate will innovate in the US.”

According to his office, the US Congress found that foreign students pursuing an education in technology and the sciences have significantly contributed to overall innovation and growth in the US Congressman. Thanedar has placed heavy emphasis on the visa process for STEM (science, technology, engineering, or mathematics) graduates, thus placing hardworking, merited students at the forefront of his efforts.