The Department of Homeland Security announced a proposed rule that would impose a $70,000 fee for F-1 students seeking to participate in the OPT program and $30,000 for each subsequent OPT authorization including STEM OPT extensions.
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that → announce → extensions
Schools will have to pay this fee, not the international students.
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Schools → have → fee
The proposed rule is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on October 8, 2026, and DHS will accept public comments for 30 days.
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DHS → propose → days
“Optional Practical Training was never meant to be a back door into the American workforce, a subsidy for cheap labor, or a prize for those who game the system,” said a DHS Spokesperson.
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Spokesperson → mean → system
“DHS is upskilling OPT to require foreign students to justify their worth to employers.
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DHS → upskille → employers
American workers should not have to compete against a program that has been turned into a pipeline for cheap foreign labor.
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that → have → labor
”
What does new DHS proposal say?
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proposal → say → What
Existing federal regulations allow eligible F-1 nonimmigrant students to engage in OPT if the OPT is directly related to the student’s major area of study.
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OPT → exist → study
To participate, F-1 nonimmigrant students must receive a recommendation from their designated school official (DSO) and apply for employment authorization with U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the proposal said.
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proposal → participate → Services
F-1 students may apply for OPT during their academic program (pre-completion OPT) or after completing their program (post-completion OPT).
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students → apply → program
Eligible F-1 nonimmigrant students may receive up to 12 months of OPT at each education level.
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students → receive → level
Those who earn degrees in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics fields may be eligible for an additional 24-month extension.
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who → earn → extension
DHS said the proposed rule is in response to fraud and abuse identified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP).
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rule → say → Program
As more F-1 nonimmigrant students have participated in OPT, SEVP has encountered schools, designated school officials, employers, and F-1 nonimmigrant students engaged in schemes to exploit current regulations, including problematic worksites and “pay-to-stay” visa schemes.
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SEVP → participate → worksites
DHS believes the proposed fees would encourage schools to exercise greater oversight and selectivity when recommending F-1 nonimmigrant students for OPT, helping reduce fraud and strengthen program integrity, it said.
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it → believe → integrity
Who will pay?
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Who → pay → ?
DHS clarified that under the proposed rule, SEVP-certified schools must pay the fee before designated school officials recommend F-1 nonimmigrant students for OPT in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and before F-1 nonimmigrant students apply for employment authorization with USCIS.
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students → clarify → USCIS
USCIS would not grant employment authorization to F-1 nonimmigrant students if schools have not paid the required fee.
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schools → grant → fee
The proposed fee would not be tied to a specific employer.
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fee → propose → employer
Instead, it would apply when schools recommend an F-1 nonimmigrant student for any type of OPT.
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schools → apply → OPT
Collected fees would be deposited in the Treasury of the United States.
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fees → deposit → States
'This will decimate our STEM talent ecosystem'
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This → decimate → ecosystem
Labor and mobility policy manager Sam Peak commented on the proposal saying that it will decimate America's STEM talent ecosystem.
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it → comment → ecosystem
Manhattan Institute researcher Daniel Di Martino said this will be bad for innovation and will cost taxpayers.
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this → say → taxpayers
What was the earlier $100K OPT fee proposed?
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fee → propose → ?
The $100K fee was a proposal which cleared White House review and now the DHS has published the details of it giving a clear break up of the $100K and clarifying that the schools recommending OPT for students will have to pay it.
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schools → clear → it
The Aporia
