US proposes $70,000 fee for foreign students seeking post-study work authorisation
The Department of Homeland Security has proposed charging schools $70,000 per international student for initial OPT work authorisation, up from around $500.
The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed a $70,000 charge per international student for post-graduation work authorisation — up from around $500 — in a major overhaul of Optional Practical Training (OPT).
Announced on Wednesday, the proposal would make schools pay $70,000 per F-1 student for initial OPT and $30,000 for any subsequent round. Payment is due before schools can recommend a student, and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would withhold authorisation until it is paid. Schools could pass the cost to students or employers, the proposal says (DHS).
DHS said the fees would “combat fraud, strengthen the integrity of the immigration system, and protect US workers”. A DHS spokesperson said OPT “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.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the programme was “flooded with participants seeking to exploit the program for improper purposes” (Newsmax).
NAFSA chief executive Fanta Aw said international students “don’t take opportunities from Americans, they create them,” warning the plan would deepen uncertainty and hurt US innovation (SCMP).
Nearly 62,000 Chinese students did OPT in the 2024–25 academic year, per the Institute of International Education’s Open Doors report. OPT currently allows part-time work during study and up to 12 months per education level, plus a 24-month STEM extension.
Public comments open on October 8 and run to November 9. Reuters notes such changes are likely to face swift legal challenges.
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