Federal Update for January 31, 2012
As part of its Startup America Initiative, the Administration proposed today a series of administrative changes in the immigration system in an attempt to attract and retain more high-skilled international talent.
The proposed changes include, in part, the following:
Dr. Robert Detrick, a marine geophysicist, has been named as the new head of Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He will assume his duties on February 13. Most recently, Detrick served as Director of the National Science Foundation Division of Earth Sciences and was previously a senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In addition to being Assistant Administrator, Dr. Detrick will become the acting chair of the NOAA Research Council.
(APLU and the UW System Office of Federal Relations contributed to this report.)
The proposed changes include, in part, the following:
- Expand eligibility for 17-month extension of optional practical training (OPT) for F-1 international students to include students with a prior degree in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
- Allow for additional part-time study for spouses of F-1 students and expand the number of Designated School Officials (DSOs) at schools certified by DHS to enroll international students.
- Provide work authorization for spouses of certain H-1B holders.
- Allow outstanding professors and researchers to present a broader scope of evidence of academic achievement.
- Launch Entrepreneurs in Residence initiative
Dr. Robert Detrick, a marine geophysicist, has been named as the new head of Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). He will assume his duties on February 13. Most recently, Detrick served as Director of the National Science Foundation Division of Earth Sciences and was previously a senior scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. In addition to being Assistant Administrator, Dr. Detrick will become the acting chair of the NOAA Research Council.
(APLU and the UW System Office of Federal Relations contributed to this report.)
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