US officials to fast-track immigration for AI experts and STEM workers

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US officials to fast-track immigration for AI experts and STEM workers

The United States Department of Labor (DOL) has initiated a major step to potentially increase the ‘Schedule A’ list for efficient green card processing. The goal of this move is to cover STEM-related occupations and others where there is a scarcity of US workers. 

This proposal has been submitted by the DOL for federal review, and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is currently assessing it as the first move in the regulatory process.

As per the current regulations, cases of the US permanent residence (PR) related to ‘Schedule A’ excuse occupations from the PERM application process and workforce testing, hurrying up the road to employment-based PR in the US. As of now, included primarily in Schedule A are specific occupations in healthcare and individuals with outstanding capabilities. 

If this list is enlarged to comprise identified STEM and other occupations that are in shortage, it will ease the procedure for green cards that employers sponsor.

It is a response to the plan of an exclusive directive that President Biden issued on October 30 to the Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) recent Executive Order. Included in various immigration-related provisions of the order is one ordering the DOL to issue within 45 days a request for information (RFI) to pull together public input to identify STEM-related, AI, and other occupations where an adequate number of skilled workers in the US are not available.

Upon the granting of the OMB clearance, published by the DOL will be the request in the Federal Register for public comment, besides a submission deadline. According to the Executive Order on AI, the DOL is required to release by December 14 the request for public input. It will, however, take a few months before the revisions can be implemented ultimately.  

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