By Kritika Agarwal
AAU has endorsed the Keep STEM Talent Act, which would enable international students with advanced degrees in science, technology, math, and engineering (STEM) from American universities to live and work in the United States after graduation. The bipartisan bill was introduced earlier this month by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD).
International STEM graduates play a significant role in the American research enterprise and drive entrepreneurship and innovation. Data from the National Science Board show that, in 2021, “foreign-born individuals made up … 43% of doctorate-level scientists and engineers” in the United States. Another 2022 analysis from the Institute for Progress showed that more than half of STEM doctoral degree holders (56%) working in defense-related industries in the United States were foreign-born. Further, as Sen. Durbin’s office noted in a press release, “Last year, nearly half of U.S. graduate students in key fields such as artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor-related programs were born abroad.”
Among other things, the Keep STEM Talent Act proposes to address application backlogs for permanent residency and allow STEM graduate students to apply for a green card while maintaining their student status. It also includes protections for U.S. 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.” It also proposes to impose a rigorous vetting process for international students prior to starting their graduate program.
“Maintaining a strong STEM workforce strengthens our economy, creates jobs, and enhances our ability to compete on the world stage,” Durbin said in a press release, adding: “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.”
Sen. Rounds also noted how “Legal, highly skilled STEM immigration is crucial for our nation and has opened doors for talented immigrants like Albert Einstein to come to America.” He continued: “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.”
Other endorsers of the bill include the American Council on Education; the American Mathematical Society; the American Physical Society; and the Information Technology Industry Council.
Kritika Agarwal is senior editorial officer at AAU.