According to Danielle Goldman, CEO and co-founder of Build, the proposed change in US student visa rules could make it more difficult for international graduates, especially Indians, to stay and work in the US after completing their studies. According to American Market, Goldman warned that the proposal could worsen the labor shortage in key sectors such as AI, technology and engineering by reducing the pathways that many international students currently use to stay and pursue careers in the country.The concerns center on a proposal issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) last month. Under the current system, most international students on F-1 visas are admitted under a policy called “duration of status”, which allows them to remain in the US as long as they maintain their student status and meet visa requirements.The proposed rule would replace that arrangement with a fixed term of up to four years. Students who need more time to complete their studies or participate in postgraduate work programs must seek approval from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).Speaking about the potential impact, Goldman said Indian students could be among the most affected groups as they are one of the largest international student communities in the US and participate heavily in it. H-1B visa System.“Indian students are one of the largest student populations in the United States,” Goldman said.She said: “They’re getting jobs, they’re working through school, they’re getting companies to say, ‘Yes, we’ll sponsor you,’ and they’re entering the H-1B lottery at a very high rate.”Many international graduates use the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program to gain work experience after university. During this period, employers often invest in training and developing talent while sponsoring workers for the H-1B visa lottery.However, not all applicants are selected. Goldman said many companies rely on alternative options to retain traditionally skilled workers when H-1B sponsorship efforts fail.One of the most common routes has been the Day 1 CPT program, which allows some students to continue working legally while enrolled in another academic course. According to Goldman, major employers often encourage workers to use this option if they are unsuccessful in obtaining an H-1B visa.He believes the proposed rule would restrict that route.Under the new framework, students who have already completed a degree at a certain academic level will generally be unable to enroll in another program at the same level in order to maintain work authorization.“Someone who already has a master’s degree won’t be able to go back and say, ‘I need another master’s degree because I need work authorization to continue working,'” Goldman said.Instead, some workers may have to obtain higher qualifications, such as a doctoral degree, to remain eligible to remain in the country.He said: “It’s not fair to people. When they’re a data scientist and they’re using machine learning every day and they already have a master’s degree, they don’t want to sign up for a five-year PhD program.”Goldman warned that thousands of highly skilled workers, including many Indian citizens who have repeatedly missed out on the H-1B lottery, could be left looking for alternative immigration options.He also suggested that if the proposal goes ahead, major employers may need to rethink how they retain international talent.“Amazon and Meta and a lot of these companies that relied on that solution to retain their talent during the OPT period may no longer be able to do that, and they’re going to have to think about solutions,” Goldman said.