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This week I bring you the news that Indian Nationals DO NOT need to attend an MS STEM in the US any longer and go directly to the Ph.D. programs in STEM. If you have subscribed to our podcast, I talk about STEM programs. Now with the new approval, STEM MS aspirants can save money and stay home.
I had talked about ROI and the money required to study in the US. As an Indian national, the immigration lines are longer so this means that it takes longer to get a green card. Many students need to take multiple degrees at the so-called CPT-Day One Universities that offer the ability to work and study at the same time.
The 22 new fields of study are bioenergy, general forestry, forest resources production and management, human-centered technology design, cloud computing, anthrozoology, climate science, earth systems science, economics and computer science, environmental geosciences, geobiology, geography and environmental studies, mathematical economics, mathematics and atmospheric and oceanic science, general data science, general data analytics, business analytics, data visualization, financial analytics, other data analytics, industrial and organizational psychology, and social sciences, research methodology, and quantitative methods.
Source: https://www.dhs.gov/news/2022/01/21/dhs-expands-opportunities-us-stem-professionals
Legislation fast-tracked in the U.S. House would exempt STEM Ph.D. graduates from green-card caps. A U.S. House bill aimed at boosting American competitiveness would exempt STEM Ph.D. graduates from numerical limits on immigrant visas — and require them to pay a supplemental fee to fund scholarships for low-income American students in science and engineering. (This is $1,000).
The measure would effectively staple a green card to the doctoral diploma of qualifying international students in STEM, a long-held priority of college groups. The green-card exemption would also extend to immigrants who earn STEM Ph.D.s from foreign universities if they are equivalent.
Source: https://www.getrevue.co/profile/latitudes/issues/competes-edition-1003963?utm_campaign=latitude%28s%29&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Revue%20newsletter
The bill DID NOT pass for a minor technical issue. In the meantime, August published its first journal that has more practical solutions to the STEM talent that can be resolved with minor changes.
I read the reason for the rejection and it is a minor jurisdiction issue with respect to the taxes that are proposed so it will make it eventually. Nevertheless, the advice below remains good because there is already a pathway for STEM students to apply for their own green cards.
This means that good students should stay in India and as an action step:
* Find an MS STEM that will accept them in their home country now.
* Find a Ph.D. STEM programs in so many fields.
* Contact us and follow us to get a list of all the STEM fields in addition to the 22 above or you can google it too.
* Ping [email protected] or Instagram DM August.Network for strategies to save money if you want to spend money on a STEM MS when you can do the same degree and prepare for Ph.D. proposals.
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Recently, I was speaking to an old friend of mine who is looking for a university for his son. He was so frustrated with his experience that he thought he should get into counseling as he didn’t think that the counselors knew what they were talking about.
“That will be really helpful … it will be good to talk through it sometime next week. The reason we want to do it is bcos I interacted with a lot of these so-called counselors for my son and they were all hopeless… all looking at making money that’s it.”
I get this a lot so I thought I’d piggyback on this topic and expand on my views on how to approach this situation. In reality, it is often the parents and students that do not know how to approach the consultant to get what you need.
I wanted to break this down.
First, as a customer, you need to know the market yourself and educate yourself on the basics of the country’s education system that you want your child to attend. It will take one to three years to do that and it is a big purchase so take the time like you would for a car or a house.
Second, you need to be able to go to the consultant and be specific about what you want. In this case, we recommend that you determine how much money you have as a family. If you have more than $100,000, you’d follow one strategy, if you have less than that, another strategy, and so on and so forth. Let us assume that you want to spend the least amount of money possible and you want your child to settle abroad. In this case, for the US, it is best to select the cheapest STEM MS you can find. I have added the link to the pdf with STEM programs so you can read and get familiar with it. You will need to understand that a STEM program is important because your child will get 3 years of work experience and the chance to recover the money.
Third, once you figure out which field, you need to determine the money you have. For example, assume you have $100,000 to spend for the ENTIRE time your child is in the US till they get their green card. This is over 10 years so your budget is $10,000/year and no more than that.
Fourth, realize that after the first STEM program, 2 years ($30,000 tuition and $20,000 living costs), your child will get OPT (optional practical training) for 3 years. If you had a budget of $100,000, to begin with, you have spent $50,000 in tuition and living expenses.
During this OPT time, perhaps your child can earn $50,000/year to not need support and have $150,000 assuming he/she spent no money at all during that time.
After that, he/she will then need to go through another program with CPT (curricular practical training) after those 3 years of free work authorization and pay $20,000/year to have work authorization to attend that for 3-6 years. This is $60,000 to $120,000.
So if you had a budget of $100,000, now have the $50,000 budget.
If your child had $150,000, she/he spent $120,000 of it in education just to work. It can easily take longer than 3-6 years so you may need to send money to the US at that point and remember, you only have $50,000 left.
Thus, your job as a parent is to find the
* Cheapest STEM program in the fields listed below. If you do not do this, your child will not have the opportunity to recover the money later.
* A program that best suits your child’s profile. If your child is street smart, pick the strategy accordingly.
* A job that your child can do upon completion of the program.
So you should learn everything and then go to the consultant and delegate this search to them. Rather than begrudge that they are not interested, give them money with incentives to find you the type of university you need. You need a state school, an accredited one, with the right program, that is approved for H visas and that’s it. Wait for 15 years after the MS to get an MBA at a brand name but until that time, I’d select the cheapest programs I could find and I would find a consultant to do that while I spent my time setting up or looking for job/internship connections.
“DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) STEM Designated Degree Program List is a complete list of fields of study that DHS considers being science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields of study for purposes of the 24-month STEM optional practical training extension described at 8 CFR 214.2(f). Under 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(C)(2), a STEM field of study is one “included in the Department of Education’s Classification of Instructional Programs taxonomy within the two-digit series containing engineering, biological sciences, mathematics, and physical sciences, or a related field. In general, related fields will include fields involving research, innovation, or development of new technologies using engineering, mathematics, computer science, or natural sciences (including physical, biological, and agricultural sciences).” Accordingly, this list designates the following four primary CIP series at the 2-digit CIP code level: Engineering (14), Biological and Biomedical Sciences (26), Mathematics and Statistics (27) and Physical Sciences (40). Any new additions to those areas will automatically be included on this STEM Designated Degree Program List.
This list also includes CIPs from the following 18 related CIP series at the 6-digit CIP code level: Agriculture, Agriculture Operations and Related Sciences (01); Natural Resources Conservation (03); Architecture and Related Services (04); Communication, Journalism and Related Programs (09); Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services (10); Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (11); Education (13); Engineering Technologies and Engineering-Related Fields (15); Military Science, Leadership and Operational Art (28); Military Technologies and Applied Sciences (29); Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies (30); Science Technologies/Technicians (41); Psychology (42); Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and Related Protective Services (43); Social Sciences (45); Transportation and Materials Moving (49); Health Professions and Related Programs (51); and Business, Management, Marketing and Related Support Services (52).”
https://www.ice.gov/sites/default/files/documents/stem-list.pdf
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Branded University vs. Mid Budget Options
So you want to study in the USA? Let’s face facts. You want to settle in the US. To arrive at a goal, you first need to identify that goal. In this case, it is to have enough money to survive the long immigration cycle that it will take for you to get a green card.
You may think that your brand name university will ensure that you get a job but this is not the reality. The reality is that you will spend $200,000 on your brand-name university and then need another $250,000 to survive for another 5 years that it will take to get that green card.
After you finish your MS STEM at let’s say Brand Name Top Ranked university, you will get a 3 year STEM OPT and then hopefully you will get your H-1, work for 6 years, then wait for the legal process during that time which is often uncertain. At a minute’s notice, you will lose your H-1 and then need to switch to an F-1 visa again.
So you need to make sure that you think this through and the years it will take and how you can impact the necessary critical steps so if you are a budget student or a medium student, you NEED to know this reality before you come to the US.
You may end up having to add a CPT university to your resume even if you have a branded name university. One of our students had to make that tough decision, in fact, many have to and we thought we should share this knowledge with you to give you the reality.
The five things you need to have before thinking about USA immigration as a student.
Timeline: Understand the timeline it will take for you to get a green card as an Indian passport holder. If you start in 2021, it will take 10-15 years to get that.
* Money & Money: You need money or a plan to figure out how you will have money (plan to get a job, what is the plan to get that job, work authorization issues). may think that your brand name university will ensure that you get a job but this is not the reality. The reality is that you will spend $200,000 on your brand-name university and then need another $500,000 to survive for another 10 years to get that green card.
* After you finish your MS STEM at let’s say Brand Name Top Ranked university, you will get a 3 year STEM OPT and then hopefully you will get your H-1, work for 6 years, then wait for the legal process during that time which is often uncertain.
* At a minute’s notice, you will lose your H-1 and then need to switch to an F-1 visa again to get CPT (curricular practical training) tuition of $15,000/$20,000/year to keep working till you get H1 ($60,000 4 years at least).
* Job Connection: You need to have either looked for a job prior to your education application. You need a job or paid internship lined up.
* Work Experience: If you are in technology and can gather work experience so you can hit the ground running especially if you don’t have money.
* An Attorney: You must meet and talk to a US attorney that costs $350-$500/hour. This seems expensive but it is better to approach your immigration file with the end goal first so you are fully prepared for the expenses ahead.
* Knowledge Consultant: You need to have a consultant that helps you find the best scholarship deals, the best immigration pathway for your profile with education options.
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