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>> The program is commonly used as a bridge for high-performing students to enter the U.S. job market, especially in tech.

Is the idea that students on OPT or employees on H-1Bs are all high-performing geniuses a myth that is believed widely? The implication (or maybe I am reading too much into one sentence) is something that I have seen quite often. Every student from an accredited university is eligible for a one-year OPT. Every student with a STEM degree is eligible for the STEM extension. The field one works in does not have to do anything with the degree since the case is often made that the skills learned during the degree program are highly transferable. In my experience, it was very rare to not get an OPT or an extension approved. This made a masters degree the cheapest and the fastest path to immigrate into the U.S. Whether this is fair or not is a collective judgement call by U.S. citizenry but it would reasonably be given very low or no priority when millions of citizens are suffering economically.