National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 1

Global STEM Talent Pathways for 

Semiconductors, AI, and Emerging Technologies

January 23, 2024
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 2

Today’s Speakers

Dr. Morgan Dwyer

Chief Strategy Officer,

CHIPS for America

Simon Nakajima

Assistant Director 

for STEM Immigration,

OSTP, The White House

Morgan O'Brien

Industry Liaison,

Bureau of Consular Affairs,

U.S. Department of State

Doug Rand

Senior Advisor to the 

Director, U.S. Citizenship 

and Immigration Services 

(USCIS)

Rachel Lipson

Senior Policy Advisor,

CHIPS for America
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 3

CHIPS for America Vision

Economic 

Security

The CHIPSAct will 

strengthen supply chain 

security and increase 

economic resilience in

critical sectors.

National 

Security

The CHIPSAct will ensure 

that the U.S. can manufacture

advanced technologies,

including secure chips for the

U.S. military.

Future 

Innovation

The CHIPSAct will spur 

innovation, increase 

competitiveness, and 

ensure long-term U.S. 

leadership in the sector.
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 4

CHIPS Workforce 

Development Vision

• Delivering on our national and economic security 

objectives demands major investments in the 

semiconductor workforce that will support good-paying 

jobs across the industry. 

• America’s diversity is a comparative advantage; we must 

make significant investments to create opportunities for 

Americans from historically underserved communities.

• Effective workforce solutions enable key stakeholders to 

work together.
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 5

CHIPS Workforce Call to Action

OVER THE NEXT DECADE...

Double the U.S. semiconductor workforce overall.

Triple the number of graduates in semiconductor-related fields, including engineering.

Train 100,000 new technicians through apprenticeships, career and technical education, 

and career pathway programs. 

Expand recruitment for more people from underserved communities – including women 

and veterans – to launch semiconductor industry careers.

Hire and train an additional million women in construction to meet the demand across 

a range of industries, including CHIPS projects.
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 6

Key CHIPS for America workforce milestones 

to date

SINCE THE PASSAGE OF THE CHIPS AND SCIENCE ACT...

At least nine states have dedicated new funding to support workforce 

training for semiconductor jobs.

Over 50 community colleges across 19 states have announced new 

or expanded programming to support semiconductor opportunities.

Semiconductor companies partnering with labor unions to recruit, train 

and retain a skilled construction workforce, including several that 

committed to Project Labor Agreements.

CHIPS for America has engaged directly with education and training 

partners in over 25 states — including hosting in-person workforce 

roundtables and listening tour sessions.

NSTC Vision and Strategy Paper named workforce development as one 

of NSTC’s Top Three priorities
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 7

White House Office of Science

and Technology Policy
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 8

Biden-Harris Administration Actions
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 9

Biden-Harris Administration Actions
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 10

U.S. Department of State
State Department: Business Visa Center

• The Department of State Business Visa Center (BVC) 

works with businesses to facilitate global mobility 

for high-skilled labor. 

• Industry partners may reach out to the BVC at 

BusinessVisa@state.gov for information regarding 

visa processing.
Expedited Appointments

• Each U.S. Embassy or Consulate’s website has

information on how to request an expedited

appointment for time-sensitive cases, and the criteria

on which expedite requests are evaluated.
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 13

Biden-Harris Administration Actions

The U.S. Commercial Service (CS), part of the U.S. Department of 

Commerce’s International Trade Administration, offers companies a full 

range of expertise in international trade.

Companies can find assistance locally in more than 100 U.S. Commercial 

Service offices nationwide and in more than 70 international offices.

U.S. and International Locations at U.S. Embassies and Consulates:

Find an international office or partner post

U.S. Locations (Zip Code look-up tool):

Find the U.S. office closest to you
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 14

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
Terminology

Some foreign nationals can work in the United States on certain temporary visas, also known as employmentbased “nonimmigrant” pathways. These include H-1B, L-1, E-2 and O-1 nonimmigrant visas, and allow foreign 

nationals to temporarily live and work in the United States. 

Some foreign nationals can work in the United States permanently through one of the employment-based 

“immigrant” pathways. These pathways provide the worker with lawful permanent residence (also known as a 

“green card”), which allows the individual to live and work in the United States permanently. 

Unclassified // For Official Use Only (FOUO) 15
H-1B Visa – Specialty Occupations

• H-1B visas provide a pathway for individuals with at least a bachelor’s degree in a specific specialty (or 

equivalent) to work in a job that is related to their degree and that qualifies as a “specialty occupation.” 

H-1B workers are generally permitted to stay in the United States for a maximum of six years, but may 

be able to stay longer if they have taken certain steps towards obtaining lawful permanent resident 

status.

• There is an annual cap on the number of H-1B workers that can be granted initial H-1B status each year, 

although specific types of employers may be exempt from the cap. 

• In October 2023, DHS issued a proposed rule to modernize the H-1B Program.

*For more information on the H-1B classification, visit the USCIS webpage on H-1B Specialty Occupations. 

Unclassified // For Official Use Only (FOUO) 16
L-1 Visa: Intracompany Transferee

• L-1 visas are for employees of qualifying multinational organizations who hold positions as managers or 

executives (L-1A) or have specialized knowledge (L-1B), allowing them to work in the United States for 

the same organization for a maximum of seven years (L-1A) or five years (L-1B). 

• Companies can also use the L-1 classification to send an executive, manager, or employee with 

specialized knowledge to the United States for the purpose of establishing a new U.S office. 

• The foreign national must have a qualifying pre-existing relationship with the multinational company to 

be eligible for an L-1 visa. 

• There is no cap on the number of L-1 nonimmigrants who may be admitted to the United States each 

year. 

*For more information on the L-1 classification, visit the USCIS webpages on L-1A Intracompany Transferee Executive 

or Manager and L-1B Intracompany Transferee Specialized Knowledge. 

Unclassified // For Official Use Only (FOUO) 17
O-1 Visa- Extraordinary Ability

• The O-1 visa is for individuals with extraordinary ability in certain fields, including the sciences, 

education, or business.

• There is no limit to the number of years a person can work on an O-1 visa, and there is no numerical limit 

on the number of O-1 nonimmigrants who may be admitted to the United States each year. 

• January 2022 new guidance provides examples of evidence that may satisfy the O-1 evidentiary criteria 

for nonimmigrants in STEM fields as well as considerations that are relevant to evaluating such evidence 

given the highly technical nature of STEM fields. 

*For more information on the O-1 classification, visit the USCIS webpage on O-1 Visa: Individuals with Extraordinary 

Ability or Achievement. 

Unclassified // For Official Use Only (FOUO) 18
Other Nonimmigrant Visas

Other types of nonimmigrant visas are available to nationals of specific countries and may offer a viable 

pathway to global talent with expertise in the semiconductor industry. For example, visas that are similar to

the H-1B visa are available to Australian nationals (E-3) and to nationals of Singapore and Chile (H-1B1). In 

addition, visas are available to certain technology workers from Mexico and Canada through the U.S.-

Mexico-Canada Agreement (which replaced NAFTA).

*For more information on these visas, visit the USCIS webpage on E-3 Specialty Occupation Workers from Australia

and the USCIS webpage on TN NAFTA Professionals. 

Unclassified // For Official Use Only (FOUO) 19
EB-1 Visa Category

• EB-1A Visa – Extraordinary Ability: foreign nationals who possess extraordinary ability in 

certain fields, including the sciences, education, and business

• EB-1B – Outstanding Professor or Researcher: professors and researchers who demonstrate 

international recognition for their outstanding achievements in a particular academic field to 

pursue tenure or tenure track teaching or a comparable research position at a university, 

institution of higher education, or private employer.

• EB-1C Visa – Multinational Manager or Executive: executives and managers of multinational 

organizations 

• The EB-1 category has an annual cap of 40,040 immigrant visas.

*For more information on the EB-1 visa category, visit USCIS’s webpage on Employment-Based 

Immigration: First Preference EB-1.

Unclassified // For Official Use Only (FOUO) 20
EB-2 Visa Category

• The EB-2 category enables foreign nationals with advanced degrees or exceptional ability in 

certain fields, including the sciences or business, to obtain lawful permanent residence. 

• To be eligible for an EB-2 visa, under the advanced degree professional subcategory, the 

position the foreign national will fill must require an advanced degree and the foreign 

national must possess such a degree or a baccalaureate and five years of progressive 

experience in the specialty. 

• To be eligible for an EB-2 visa, under the exceptional ability subcategory, the foreign national 

must demonstrate that they have “a degree of expertise significantly above that ordinarily 

encountered” in their chosen field.

*For more information on the EB-2 category, visit USCIS’s webpage on Employment-Based Immigration: 

Second Preference EB-2.

Unclassified // For Official Use Only (FOUO) 21
National Interest Waiver

• Although the EB-2 category generally requires the U.S. employer to obtain a certification from 

the Department of Labor that there are not sufficient U.S. workers able, willing, qualified and 

available to accept the job opportunity, this requirement may be waived if it is determined to 

be in the national interest. 

• Working in semiconductors is considered an especially positive factor for purposes of a 

national interest waiver (NIW). A recent USCIS policy update clarifies how the NIW can be 

used for persons with advanced degrees in STEM fields to engage in endeavors of substantial 

merit that are in the national interest, including critical and emerging technologies such as 

those found in the National Science and Technology Council’s Critical and Emerging 

Technologies Update List which includes semiconductors.

Unclassified // For Official Use Only (FOUO) 22
More Information 

For detailed information about these and other pathways, please see Options for Noncitizen 

STEM Professionals to Work in the United States, a resource from USCIS currently available in 

English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, and Russian.

Also note that for many of these pathways, the processing step with USCIS can be expedited 

through the payment of an additional premium processing fee.

Unclassified // For Official Use Only (FOUO) 23
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 24

Additional Resources
J-1 Early Career Research STEM Initiative

• The Department of State’s “Early Career STEM Research Initiative” 

facilitates the use of the existing J-1 exchange visitor program to 

allow individuals to come to the United States to engage in STEM 

research, including research at approved businesses. 

• For example, under this initiative, a State Department-designated 

university could sponsor a J-1 research scholar to conduct research 

at a STEM semiconductor business.

• There is no cap on the number of J-1 exchange visitors who may be 

admitted to the United States each year. 

• For more information on the J-1 classification, visit the Department 

of State webpage on Exchange Visitor Visas. 
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 26

Additional Federal 

Government Resources

• AI.gov

• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services: Options for 

Noncitizen STEM Professionals to Work in the United 

States

• White House Fact Sheet: Biden-Harris Administration 

Actions to Attract STEM Talent and Strengthen Our 

Economy and Competitiveness

• U.S. Department of State – U.S. Visa Information

• U.S. Department of State – U.S. Visa Wait times

• BridgeUSA STEM Initiatives: Information on J-1 Academic 

Training STEM Extension and Early Career STEM 

Research Initiative
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 27

Additional CHIPS Resources

• Visit CHIPS.gov for resources, including:

• Workforce Progress Report

• Workforce Development Guide

• National Semiconductor Technology Center Vision & 

Strategy

• Past webinars recordings and slides

• Join CHIPS mailing list

• Teaming Partner list

• Contact CHIPS 

• askchips@chips.gov – general inquiries

• apply@chips.gov – application-related inquiries
National Institute of Standards and Technology | U.S. Department of Commerce 28

Thank You