August 15, 2019

Dear Presidents' Alliance Member,
We write to invite you to join a telephonic briefing from 1-2 pm ET on September 5, 2019 hosted by the Presidents’ Alliance and partners.

The purpose of the briefing is to: (1) provide information about Optional Practical Training (OPT); (2) discuss what is at stake in the WashTech case; (3) outline the arguments to be presented in the amicus brief; and (4) provide perspectives from campus legal experts to help inform your decision to join the brief.

To RSVP to the briefing, use this link:


The briefing will feature the following speakers:


For more information regarding joining the amicus brief and the form to sign-up, click here . The deadline to sign on is October 11, 2019.

Thank you for your support.
 
Miriam Feldblum, Executive Director, and Jose Magaña-Salgado, Director of Policy and Communications
Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration
More on OPT and International Students
For overviews of the WashTech litigation and the importance of defending OPT, Cyrus Mehta's blog post and Stuart Anderson's article are useful starts.

This week, Stuart Anderson also reported on ICE starting site visits to employers with international students participating in STEM OPT. The article points out that this is one of a series of measures the administration has taken regarding international students.

And Cyrus Mehta reported on the LexisNexis H-1B Denial Case, where the Court just granted summary judgement for the Plaintiffs. The case involves a student who was on a F-1 visa and participating in OPT. Mehta writes, " Finding that the LexisNexis position was “a distinct occupation which required a specialized course of study,” as supported by a “mountain of evidence” that “more than meets the preponderance of the evidence standard,” the court concluded that the agency’s decision to deny the H-1B petition was not based on a consideration of the relevant factors, was a clear error of judgment, and that USCIS “acted arbitrarily, capriciously, and abused its discretion in denying employer’s petition for H-1B visa status” on behalf of the data analyst." Additional coverage of the case can be found in this Bloomberg article and an immigration law blog .

We regularly share these and other insightful articles on our Twitter, be sure to follow us @PresImmAlliance if you don’t already.