When Bill Gates Says Jump, Even Homeland Security Asks How High?

Bill Gates doesn't have to wait for much of anything these days, even when it comes to Homeland Security altering laws based on his recommendations. Gates testified before Congress on March 12th of this year requesting the government to reconsider its stance on the length of time foreign non-immigrant students could remain and work in the US. Less than a month later, on April 4th, the Department of Homeland Security granted his request verbatim.

Testifying before Congress, Gates said:

Extending Optional Practical Training from 12 to 29 months would help to alleviate the crisis employers are facing due to the current H-1B visa shortage. This only requires action by the Executive Branch, and Congress and this Committee should strongly urge the Department of Homeland Security to take such action immediately.

On April 4th, the Department of Homeland Security issued the following press release:

The US Department of Homeland Security released today an interim final rule extending the period of Optional Practical Training (OPT) from 12 to 29 months for qualified F-1 non-immigrant students.

Dang! DHS could have basically put that in quotation marks. To clarify, what was changed thanks to Mr. Gates' input is the length of time a foreign student specializing in science or technology can work within the Untied States without applying for a worker visa. That's right: in the time it would take you to get a replacement driver's license from the Washington State DMV, Bill Gates has changed federal immigration law.

Image of Bill Gates courtesy of the AP