The Department of Homeland Security proposed a $70,000 fee on Wednesday for international students seeking to work in the United States, the latest move from the Trump administration targeting foreign enrollment. Under the proposed rule, schools would be required to pay the fee for every student who participates in the optional practice training program, known as OPT, which allows students to work in jobs related to their major during or after their time in school. The rule represents a sharp escalation in the administration's campaign to reshape higher education and immigration policy.
Schools would pay $70,000 for each new student's initial application to the program, and a $30,000 fee for each renewal. Students are generally eligible for one year of work post-graduation, though certain science, technology, engineering and math majors are eligible for an additional two years. International enrollment has already suffered under the administration's policies — last fall, the number of new students entering the United States for the first time fell by 17%, the sharpest decrease since the COVID-19 pandemic. Some individual colleges are reporting drops of 30% to 40%, according to Sarah Spreitzer, vice president at the American Council on Education.
In a statement, DHS described the fee as a response to fraud and abuse of the visa program, which it called a "pipeline for cheap foreign labor." Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association that represents international education, countered that "driving away the talents, perspectives, and aspirations of international students will only hurt American innovation, economic growth, workforce development, and global leadership." Doug Rand, a former senior adviser at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Biden administration, said in an email that "when we educate international students at our universities, and they want to work and apply their talents here after graduating, of course we should embrace them."
The proposed rule would hit American colleges and tech companies hard, according to education and immigration experts. Universities heavily recruit students from overseas as a source of tuition revenue, while tech companies and other industries hire many international students for technical roles. Houston-based immigration lawyer Steven Brown said the administration "has been trying to hinder legal employment-based immigration through numerous means" and called this "the next level of attack." He added, "I think it's a design to kill the program without killing the program. I don't see too many schools wanting to pay $70,000 for a student to get OPT." The change would be a blow to both higher education and businesses that rely on international talent to fill labor shortages in high-demand STEM fields.
The public has 60 days to comment on the proposal before DHS can finalize it and put it into effect. The proposal also could face legal challenges from higher education groups or business associations that could delay it. Rand predicted that the fee would be struck down in the courts, as was a $100,000 fee for the H-1B work visas that many tech companies and universities rely on to fill openings for skilled jobs. For now, the proposal stands as the administration's boldest attempt yet to discourage international students from working in the United States after graduation.