Durbin, Rounds Introduce Bipartisan Legislation To Retain International Graduates With Advanced STEM Degrees
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD) today introduced bipartisan legislation that would streamline the path for advanced Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) international graduates who studied at our nation’s universities to remain in the United States. Last year, nearly half of U.S. graduate students in key fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor-related programs were born abroad. U.S. Senator Angus King (I-VT) is a cosponsor of the Keep STEM Talent Act.
“Maintaining a strong STEM workforce strengthens our economy, creates jobs, and enhances our ability to compete on the world stage,” Durbin said. “By denying international students with advanced STEM degrees the opportunity to continue their work in America, we are losing their talents to countries overseas and won’t see the positive impacts of their American education. I thank Senator Rounds for joining me in this commonsense and bipartisan effort.”
“Legal, highly skilled STEM immigration is crucial for our nation and has opened doors for talented immigrants like Albert Einstein to come to America,” said Rounds. “Particularly with the advancements of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, we must keep talent in the United States and stay ahead of our near peer competitors such as China and Russia. This bill enhances national security by imposing new, stringent vetting requirements, while also making certain talent stays serving the United States, not our adversaries.”
Specifically, the Keep STEM Talent Act:
- Addresses Green Card Backlogs: This legislation would exempt advanced STEM graduates who are educated at U.S. universities and have a job offer in the United States, along with their spouse and children, from numerical limitations for employment based green cards.
- Protects U.S. Workers: This legislation would protect American STEM workers by requiring that employers sponsoring foreign STEM graduates under this bill recruit U.S. workers first and agree to pay workers hired above-average wages.
- Permits Dual Intent: Currently, a student visa holder cannot apply for a green card while in student status. This legislation would allow advanced STEM degree students at U.S. universities to have a dual intent, meaning that they will not lose their student visa status if they are sponsored by an employer for a green card.
- Imposes Rigorous Vetting: This legislation requires advanced degree students in STEM fields to apply for a visa or status before starting their advanced degree program, requiring them to undergo rigorous vetting and address any national security or counterintelligence concerns prior to being approved for student status.
Endorsers of the Keep STEM Talent Act include: the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers USA; American Mathematical Society; American Physical Society; the Department for Professional Employees, AFL-CIO; American Federation of Teachers; SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics; Association of American Universities; Information Technology Industry Council; American Council on Education; International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers; Society of Women Engineers; NAFSA: Association of International Educators; Optica; American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations.
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