White House Announces Measures to Attract Foreign-Born Entrepreneurs and Highly-Skilled Immigrants
On January 31, 2012, the White House recognized the one-year anniversary of the Startup America Initiative by announcing steps DHS and DOS will take to attract and retain foreign-born entrepreneurs and highly-skilled immigrants and spur economic growth.
The Administration sent the Startup America Legislative Agenda to Congress which will expand tax relief and unlock capital for startups and small businesses that are creating jobs. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will take steps to attract and retain foreign-born entrepreneurs and highly-skilled immigrants so they can start up the next generation of small businesses and great American companies.
On January 31, 2012, the Department of Homeland Security issued a press release informing about the Administration's proposed reforms to attract and retain foreign skilled immigrants. These are some of the proposedreforms:
- Expand eligibility for 17-month extension of optional practical training (OPT) for F-1 international students to include students with a prior degree in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM);
- Allow for additional part-time study for spouses of F-1 students and expand the number of Designated School Officials (DSOs) at schools certified by DHS to enroll international students;
- Provide work authorization for spouses of certain H-1B holders;
- Allow outstanding professors and researchers to present a broader scope of evidence of academic achievement
- Launch Entrepreneurs in Residence initiative
According to the Obama Administration, the Department of State (DOS) and DHS are working together to improve and speed up the visa process for certain categories of travelers. Under a new initiative, in select circumstances, qualified foreign visitors who were interviewed and thoroughly screened in conjunction with a prior visa application may be able to renew their visas without undergoing another interview. Eliminating interviews for these applicants will save them time and money and encourage them to choose the United States again as their tourism destination. The DOS Bureau of Consular Affairs explains how they plan to implement this initiative at "Capitalizing on Visa Demand to Spur Economic Growth in the United States".
