Foreign Grad Training Again Allowed at Third-Party Sites

Information technology staffing companies are no longer locked out of a training program that’s widely viewed as a launch pad for H-1B skilled guestworker visas.

International students participating in the optional practical training (OPT) program for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates can work at third-party sites, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said Aug. 17 in a reversal of course. They must prove, however, that there’s a “bona fide employer-employee relationship” between the STEM OPT student and the company, the agency said.

The agency earlier this year said STEM OPT participants weren’t allowed to work at third-party client sites and ...