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The US government is planning to impose a new $100,000 fee on visas issued to students from foreign countries who plan to continue working in the US after graduating from an American university, as per a report by The Wall Street Journal . As per the report by Wall Street Journal , the Department of Homeland Security is planning to introduce the fee on Optional Practical Training (OPT (work permit after graduation)), which are an extension of the F-1 student visa visas that are issued to foreign students. The latest data for the number of foreign workers in the US on OPT is 419,000 from 2024. However, the DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security) has said in a statement this fee is not law yet: "No policies should be considered final until formally announced. At DHS we are always having conversations about how to use all tools in our arsenal to protect the integrity of our legal immigration system." Tech companies, which carry out their recruitments in US universities are where most of the foreign workforce ply their trade. These companies had opposed the $100,000 fees on H-1B work visa visas. The OPT programme is one of the main reasons for international students opting to pursue their education in the United States. Earlier this month, the DHS announced that it was doing away with a decades-old policy which allowed student visa holders to continue their stay in the country for as long as their studies continued. Instead, the DHS has limited their time to four years unless they get a special extension. Stay updated with the latest Trending , India , World and US news.
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Tech companies, which carry out their recruitments in US universities are where most of the foreign workforce ply their trade. These companies had opposed the $100,000 fees on H1B visas.
Lubna Kably is a senior editor, who focuses on various policies and legislation. In particular, she writes extensively on immigration and tax policies. The Indian diaspora is the largest in the world; through her articles she demystifies the immigration-policy related developments in select countries for outbound students, job aspirants and employees. She also analyses the impact of Income-tax and GST related developments for individuals and business entities.
The Trump administration is considering a $100,000 (about Rs 96.4 lakh) fee for international graduates seeking to work in the US under the Optional Practical Training ( OPT (work permit after graduation) ) programme, a move that could hit thousands of Indian students and make American universities less attractive to foreign applicants , according to a Wall Street Journal report. The fee would apply to Optional Practical Training (OPT) visas, an extension of the F-1 student visa student visa that lets foreign graduates work in the US for one to three years in fields related to their studies. Around 419,000 foreign nationals were working under OPT in 2024, the most recent year for which data is available. The proposal follows a US court ruling that struck down an earlier plan to charge a $100,000 fee on H-1B work visa visas. Beyond H-1B and student visas, State Department officials are also weighing a $100,000 (roughly Rs 96.4 lakh) bond requirement for green card applicants based outside the US, refundable only once they move to the US and become citizens. The OPT programme is one of the main reasons international students choose to study in the US. A major focus area of the desk is US immigration and visa policy, including developments related to student visas, work permits, permanent residency pathways, executive actions, and court rulings. The Global Desk also closely tracks Canada’s immigration, visa, and study policies, covering changes to study permits, post-study work options, permanent residence programmes, and regulatory updates affecting migrants and international students. Nischai Vats – Deputy Copy Editor specialising in US politics, US visa and immigration policy, and policy-driven international coverage. Mashkoora Khan – Sub-editor focusing on global developments, with a strong emphasis on Canada visa, immigration, and study-related policy coverage. ...
OPT (work permit after graduation), or Optional Practical Training, is a work authorisation available to international students studying in the US on an F-1 student visa student visa. For years, OPT has been one of the biggest attractions of studying in the United States, giving graduates an opportunity to earn a US salary, gain industry experience and improve their chances of securing longer-term work visas such as the H-1B work visa. OPT is not a visa. It is a temporary employment authorisation granted to students on an F-1 visa. India is now the largest source of international students in the US. Many of them study STEM courses, which make them eligible for a 24-month OPT extension after graduation. A sharp increase in the OPT fee could make studying in the US more expensive and influence future enrolment decisions. For many international students, OPT serves as a bridge between university and long-term employment. Many technology, engineering, finance and research employers recruit international graduates through OPT before deciding whether to sponsor them for longer-term employment. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the Trump administration is considering a $100,000 fee for graduates seeking to work through OPT as part of a broader overhaul of student visa rules.
