Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
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Work Authorization for MBAs - how you can take action
 
On April 2, USCIS received a volume of H-1B applications well in excess of the 65,000 annual limit, creating an unprecedented eighteen-month restriction on access to new H-1B visas for temporary professional employees.

In response to a commitment to support the careers of international MBA students, the Tuck Career Development Office is sponsoring this site as a way of communicating relevant information around work authorization policies for international MBAs.
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Send a link to this page by Email.
 You can take action:  
Support the bill in Congress, the SKIL Act of 2006 or "SKIL Bill", which would provide MBA students regardless of citizenship with the opportunity to get work authorization in the United States.

 Click Here to Email the Senate regarding Senate Bill (S.2691)

Click Here to Email the House of Representatives regarding House Bill (H.R. 5744)


  

Highlights of the SKIL BILL

 
The SKIL Bill (short for Securing Knowledge Innovation and Leadership) would reform both the H-1B visa and employment-based (EB) green card processes by exempting United States-educated foreign workers with advanced degrees from the H-1B and EB quotas.

Below are selected highlights from the (S.2691) legislation:		  
H-1B Visas  
  • Creates a new exemption to the H-1B visa cap for anyone who has an advanced degree (Master's degree or higher) from an accredited United States university.
  • Increases the annual H-1B visa cap of 65,000 to 115,000 and creates a flexible system that adjusts with the market.
Green Card Caps		  
  • Exempts United States-educated professionals with advanced degrees from the annual green card (i.e. immigrant visa) cap.
  • Exempts spouse and minor children of professionals from the employment-based cap.
Optional Practical Training (OPT)		  
  • Extends optional post-degree job training for foreign students from 12 months to 24 months.
  • Enables employers to start the green card process while the foreign worker is on a student visa (F-1) during Optional Practical Training (OPT).
  
 
Highlights were extracted from the overview of (S.2691) "The SKIL Bill", downloaded 3/1/2007.
Information on the H1-B Cap was extracted from http://capwiz.com/aila2/issues/alert/?alertid=9589591 on 4/18/2007.
If you have any questions, please send an email here.

The views expressed on this site are not those of Dartmouth College.