"24,000 Enrolled in 2-Year Employment-Ready Curriculum"
Reflecting the Reality of Difficulty in Issuing 'H-1B Visa' for Highly Skilled Workers
Dropouts Follow Visa Acquisition After Enrollment
In American college towns, there is a growing business of employment visas targeting highly skilled foreign workers. Foreigners are registering for courses costing tens of millions of won for a kind of fake degree, exploiting loopholes in immigration law to target their wallets.
Bloomberg recently reported, citing data from the Department of Education, that the number of foreign students enrolled in the 'Day One CPT' program?a curriculum that allows graduate students in the U.S. to study and work simultaneously?reached a record high of 24,000 as of fall 2022. Students taking this course can receive employment visas for two years.
Bloomberg explained, "Dozens of U.S. universities have created and operate this curriculum by utilizing federal practical training rules," adding, "Most classes are conducted online, and students only need to attend in person a few times a year, allowing them to work full-time."
The number of students in this curriculum grew from 837 in 2010 to over 10,000 in 2017, and surpassed 20,000 just one year later in 2018. This surge is interpreted as a rapid increase in foreign students urgently needing visas after the Trump administration halted the issuance of employment visas for professionals and expatriates. The number temporarily declined to around 18,600 during the COVID-19 period in 2021 but then surged again within a year.
Most students enrolled in this curriculum are foreigners who face difficulties obtaining the specialized professional employment visa (H-1B), which is essential for working in the U.S. The H-1B visa allows foreigners to stay and work in the U.S. for a short term. The visa permits a stay of three years, which can be extended for another three years upon review, allowing a maximum of six years of work in the U.S. However, both new H-1B visa issuance and reapproval are currently very difficult. Last year, there were 446,000 applicants for this visa, but only 85,000 were approved.
A, a 33-year-old data analyst from Pakistan, explained that through Harrisburg University of Science and Technology in Pennsylvania, which operates this curriculum, he was able to work longer in the U.S. without an H-1B visa. He earned an MBA in Philadelphia and worked for a large pharmaceutical company for the initial three years but failed to obtain an H-1B visa, eventually turning to this curriculum.
A expressed regret over the burdensome cost of $30,000 (approximately 40.32 million won) required to take the curriculum. However, he decided to pay the fee because it allowed him to legally work in the U.S. for two years and try applying for the H-1B visa again. During this process, he met many Asian professionals, including those from India, and high-ranking employees working in IT and pharmaceutical companies. He said, "(Most) just wanted to buy more time. No one came to earn a degree."
Harrisburg University is using the substantial funds earned from this curriculum to expand its campus, building new facilities and opening campuses in other regions.
Given the situation, some students drop out after obtaining an H-1B visa during the two years of the curriculum. According to data released by Harrisburg in 2017, more than half of the foreign students who enrolled about ten years ago dropped out after receiving an H-1B visa. Graduate A also received an H-1B visa last year and did not register for classes this year.
However, there are concerns about the risks involved, as this curriculum operation is only possible due to the absence of related regulations in immigration law and does not constitute a full visa issuance. David Gluckman, an immigration lawyer in Virginia, called it an "inevitable evil," pointing out, "What people should be angry about is the immigration system that forces solutions exploiting such loopholes."
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