Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are the STEM disciplines. Many foreign students study in the United States and obtain advanced degrees in the so-called STEM fields and most of these graduates are highly skilled and the United States is in short of such skills. Hence, these graduates must not be sent back to their home countries and they must be permitted to live in the country as these STEM graduates are innovative and are capable of starting new businesses in the United States. Hence, the best way to retain such graduates with advanced degrees, is to grant them Green Cards. The Republicans who introduced the STEM Jobs Act want the country to eliminate the Green Card lottery program and to grant those visas to the STEM graduates who study in US universities. According to this proposal, STEM visas would be issued to the STEM graduates, while they receive their degree certificates.
According to the Republicans, the STEM Jobs Act, H.R. 6429 must be passed and the diversity lottery Green Card program, must be abolished. Currently, foreign nationals who take part and win the Green Card lottery receive Green Cards and around 50,000 immigrant visas are being granted every year to the winners of the lottery program. But the Republicans want the country to grant all these visas to the foreign nationals with STEM degrees. If Green Cards are issued to STEM graduates, the US employers will be able to easily hire suitable individuals with the required skills and this will help the United States to be the source of innovation and creativity.
According to this Act, Green Cards would be issued to the foreign students who receive STEM degrees from American universities. A student who receives a doctorate in science, maths, engineering or computer science, would become eligible for a STEM visa if the STEM Jobs Act is passed. However, these graduates must be willing to work in the country for at least five years for the sponsoring employer and the sponsoring employer would also be required to obtain labor certification. Apart from the individuals with doctorates, individuals with master’s degrees would also become eligible for STEM visas if Green Cards are not used by the foreign students with doctorates.
An individual with a master’s degree would become eligible for a STEM visa, if he holds a degree in maths, science, computer science or engineering. Likewise, he must be willing to work in the country for at least five years for the sponsoring US employer or for some other employer in STEM fields. These STEM graduates, to become eligible for STEM visas must be sponsored by the US employers who go through labor certification. These employers while applying for labor certification, must submit job orders to the state workforce agencies and this must be done in order to protect the American students who hold STEM degrees. However, foreign students with degrees in biomedical and biological fields would not become eligible for STEM visas.