A recent change in the immigration rules will allow certain foreign students studying in the United States to work in the U.S. on their student visa for as long as three years after graduating from qualifying courses at accredited schools. The rule only applies to students studying science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).

The post-graduation, work period is called "optional practical training," or OPT and all students who graduated from a qualifying 12-month program are granted OPT work authorization for 12 months, post graduation. Students on OPT extensions of student visas frequently use this time to find a job in the U.S. and apply for an H1-B visa.

Earlier regulations had extended OPT for STEM students for an additional 17 months, allowing them to gain work experience for a total of 29 months. Though this extended period allowed students to enter the H-1B lottery at least twice in the 29-month period, due to a strict cap on the number of H-1B visas that are issued each year, many foreign students could not continue to work once their OPT had expired as their petition was not selected in the lottery and they were forced to leave the U.S. immediately.

The new regulations announced by the Department of Homeland Security increase the STEM work authorization period to two years. This extra time will allow students to enter the lottery for an H-1B visa for at least a third time, increasing their chances of being allowed to work in the U.S. for longer periods of time.

The rule, requires qualifying students to attend accredited universities in order to get the STEM OPT extension. Those who attend unaccredited schools can only stay in the U.S. for one year. This is an important change as earlier STEM students graduating from unaccredited schools could also avail of extended work authorization on a student visa.

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