Obama announces plans to extend visa for international students

President Obama has announced a program that will see international students studying in the US extend their stay in the country through internships and professional training.

The Optional Practical Training (OPT) program allows international students to extend their visas for up to 29 months. Students studying sciences, technology, engineering or math (STEM) can stay in the US for more than 2 years after their studies, while other fields have a year for internship.

International students, including Kenyan students, are allowed to take the OPT program before they complete their studies, but the condition is that the internship they take must be directly related to their area of study. Students can only work a maximum of 20 hours a week. This applies to undergraduate and graduate students.

More information: F-1 OPT