To the editor: Kudos to contributing author Veronique de Rugy for her wonderful and well timed commentary (“What happens when the U.S. drives away the world’s best talent?” July 31). Every week earlier than this op-ed ran, I had despatched letters to all my congressmen expressing this similar sentiment. As De Rugy signifies, this new rule establishes “mounted admission durations” for international college students that restrict their visas to solely 4 years — no matter time required to finish the specified diploma. If extra time is required to complete their packages, college students should apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Companies for an extension and submit to biometric testing, background checks and fraud screenings. This “harmful embrace of protectionism” (De Rugy’s phrases) imposes irrational circumstances unrelated to an instructional program.
Since July 26, 1978, now we have allowed international college students to remain within the nation till ending their packages. In accordance with a research by the Economic Innovation Group, of those that do graduate, roughly 41% apply for citizenship and stay afterward as contributors to the American financial system. Solely 17% with a bachelor-level terminus determined to remain. Nevertheless, 50% of these finishing a grasp’s diploma remained, whereas 75% of international college students receiving PhDs stayed.
Overseas college students remaining after commencement symbolize the world’s greatest and brightest of younger folks and may solely strengthen the US. This draconian restriction will pressure a “mind drain” that may solely additional isolate us from the remainder of the world.
Philip Moynihan, La Cañada Flintridge
