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The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed a steep fee for schools enrolling students in the OPT work programme. The move could hit universities and employers hard while deepening the administration's crackdown on international students.
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Washington,Oct 7, 2026 21:24 IST
The US Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday proposed a fee of USD 70,000 for international students seeking to work in the country, in the latest move by the Trump administration to tighten rules around foreign enrolment.
Under the proposal, schools would have to pay the fee for every student who joins the Optional Practical Training programme, or OPT, which allows international students to work in jobs linked to their main subject during or after their studies. The proposal is likely to affect universities that rely heavily on overseas students for tuition revenue, as well as companies that hire international graduates for technical roles.
Students are generally eligible for one year of work after graduation under the OPT programme. Certain science, technology, engineering and maths students can get an additional two years.
Schools would be required to pay USD 70,000 for each new student’s initial application to the programme and USD 30,000 for each renewal.
Fanta Aw, chief executive officer of NAFSA, an association representing international education, said the OPT programme allows international students to gain hands-on experience and helps fill labour shortages in high-demand STEM fields. “Driving away the talents, perspectives, and aspirations of international students will only hurt American innovation, economic growth, workforce development, and global leadership,” Aw said in a written statement.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said the fee was meant to address fraud and abuse in the visa programme, which it described as a “pipeline for cheap foreign labour”.
The public has 60 days to comment on the proposal before the department can finalise it and bring it into effect. The proposal could also face legal challenges from higher education groups or business associations, which could delay it.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration has increased pressure on international students as part of its wider immigration crackdown and effort to reshape higher education. Last year, the administration began suddenly terminating the legal status of thousands of international students, detaining and deporting many of them.
This summer, the administration finalised a rule aimed at stopping international students from staying in the US for more than four years without approval from the federal government. The move drew swift backlash from higher education leaders, who said it would add to the burden on schools and pointed out that many courses are designed to run for longer than four years. A federal court blocked that rule from taking effect in September.
In effect, the latest proposal would place a heavy new cost on schools using the OPT system, while adding to a series of measures by the Trump administration that have tightened rules for international students in the US.
With PTI Inputs
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