The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed that international students pay at least $70,000 to take part in Optional Practical Training (OPT), the work programme that lets foreign graduates train in jobs related to their field of study. Under the rule posted online on Wednesday, nonimmigrant students on F-1 visas would pay $70,000 for initial OPT authorisation and $30,000 for any subsequent work training, replacing a system in which participants currently pay around $500.
The proposal is the latest front in the Trump administration's widening crackdown on foreign visa holders, following a summer in which DHS proposed a six-figure fee for new H-1B workers.
What the proposal would change
OPT has long served as a bridge between study and work in the United States. Foreign students can take part-time work training for up to 20 hours a week while school is in session and work full-time for a limited period after graduation, with graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) eligible for an additional 24-month extension.
The new rule would flip the economics of that bridge. Schools would be required to pay the fee for every student recommended for OPT, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services would withhold employment authorisation until payment is made. The rule says institutions could pass the cost on to students or employers, raising open questions about how many schools would continue recommending students at all.
DHS framed the change as a matter of programme integrity. The agency said the rules were meant "to combat fraud, strengthen the integrity of the immigration system, and protect US workers," and a department spokesperson described OPT as having become "a back door into the American workforce" and "a pipeline for cheap foreign labor."
The Federal Register notice also cites national-security concerns: DHS pointed to a 2020 visa-fraud case involving at least 2,693 people, mostly Chinese F-1 students seeking OPT, and noted that one person linked to the operation was later convicted of acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government.
Scale of what is at stake
The numbers are large. Nearly 62,000 Chinese students took part in OPT in the 2024–25 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education's Open Doors report, and the programme has for decades funnelled young engineers and scientists — especially from India and China — from American universities into high-paying jobs and a path toward permanent residency. Leading US technology companies rely heavily on these workers to fill skilled positions.
For universities, the stakes are financial as well as reputational: international students are a major source of tuition revenue, and a programme that prices them out of post-graduation work would make American degrees harder to sell abroad.
Reaction and the legal road ahead
NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, condemned the proposal. Its executive director and chief executive, Fanta Aw, said it would deepen uncertainty for international students and undermine the US economy, arguing that OPT fills shortages in high-demand STEM fields and creates jobs for American workers. "International students don't take opportunities from Americans, they create them," she said, warning that driving them away "will only hurt American innovation, economic growth, workforce development and global leadership."
The proposal lands amid a broader pattern of pressure on foreign students, a trend also visible in other countries' immigration debates this year. It also sits awkwardly beside the president's own 2024 campaign pledge to make it easier for foreign graduates to remain in the country — at one point even floating automatic green cards at graduation.
Like other DHS proposals of this kind, the OPT fee is expected to face swift legal challenges once finalised. In the meantime, students, universities and employers are left to plan around a rule that would transform a $500 programme into a five-figure gate.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Optional Practical Training (OPT)?
OPT is a US work-training programme for F-1 visa students that lets them work in jobs directly related to their field of study — part-time while enrolled and full-time for a limited period after graduation, with STEM graduates eligible for an extra 24 months.
How much would the proposed fee be?
$70,000 for initial OPT participation and $30,000 for any additional work authorisation, including extensions. Participants currently pay around $500.
Who would pay the fee?
Schools would be required to pay before recommending a student for OPT, though the proposed rule says they could pass the cost on to students or employers.
Is this already in force?
No. It is a proposed rule released by the Department of Homeland Security. Like similar DHS proposals, it is expected to face legal challenges before it could take effect.
Why does DHS say the change is needed?
The agency cites fraud and abuse in the programme, including visa-fraud cases and "pay-to-stay" schemes, and says the fee would ensure participants are engaging in appropriate training activities.
