Overview
- The Wall Street Journal reported late Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security is privately considering a $100,000 charge linked to Optional Practical Training, the program that lets most F‑1 students work in the U.S. after graduation.
- Optional Practical Training, or OPT, allows graduates to work one to three years in jobs tied to their studies and is a common first step toward employer sponsorship for longer visas.
- A federal judge recently struck down the administration’s proposed $100,000 H‑1B fee as effectively a tax that only Congress can authorize, a legal precedent likely to be cited against any OPT charge.
- Roughly 418,000 people used OPT in 2024 and analysts say a large share are Indian students, meaning the proposal could sharply raise costs for students and alter employer hiring pipelines.
- Officials have not decided who would pay the fee and DHS says no policy is final, while universities, tech employers and immigrant advocates are expected to oppose the plan and any move could trigger litigation or congressional review along with related measures such as a four‑year student stay rule and a proposed green‑card bond.