Miller Mayer immigration attorney Steve Yale-Loehr was quoted recently by various media outlets:
On the EB-5 program:
Mr. Yale-Loehr said, “In March, Congress considered making significant changes to the EB-5 program, such as increasing the minimum investment amount to $800,000 and making it harder to put EB-5 projects in major metropolitan areas. Because of the mid-term elections this fall, I suspect that Congress will again kick the EB-5 can down the road and extend the program for another year without making any changes.”
On the decline in optional practical training (OPT) applications:
- San Jose Mercury News: H-1B Visa Alternative ‘OPT’ Sees Big Drop in Growth
The shrinkage is likely a result of moves by the White House to limit immigration; the Trump administration has “declared war” on legal immigrants, leading to worries among foreign students about the future, said Mr. Yale-Loehr. “Foreign students are concerned about whether they’ll be able to work in the United States after they graduate, either on OPT or on an H-1B after OPT. We may be seeing more international students returning home after they graduate, rather than applying for OPT. We’re shooting ourselves in the foot by dissuading international students from staying in the United States. In effect, we’re telling the best and the brightest to go back home and set up companies in their countries that will compete with U.S. companies.”