Trump Administration Considers $100,000 OPT Fee for International Students

The Trump administration is considering a proposal to charge a $100,000 fee for participation in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, which allows international students to work in the United States after graduation, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The proposal has not been formally announced, but it would significantly increase the cost of remaining in the United States after completing a degree. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said no policy should be considered final until it is officially announced, while confirming that discussions are continuing on measures to protect the integrity of the legal immigration system.

Officials have not decided whether the fee would be paid by students, universities or employers, leaving uncertainty over how the proposal would be implemented.

More than 419,000 international students worked under the OPT programme in 2024, with many taking technical and financial roles at major companies in Silicon Valley and on Wall Street.

Universities could also be affected because international students provide an important source of income, particularly in California, New York and Texas, which together enrol almost one-third of the country's 1.25 million international students. According to NAFSA: Association of International Educators, international students contributed $42.9 billion to the US economy and supported more than 355,000 jobs during the 2024–25 academic year.

The proposal forms part of a broader effort by the administration to tighten immigration rules for international students. Earlier this year, officials confirmed plans to limit student visas to four years unless permission is granted to stay longer.

This would replace the long-standing "duration of status" system, which allowed students to remain in the country for as long as they continued their studies. The change, together with repeated warnings about visa overstays, has raised concerns among universities that stricter rules could discourage prospective students.

Employers would also face higher costs if the fee is introduced. Although many IT and accounting firms recruit overseas workers directly through H-1B visas, leading technology and financial companies often hire graduates from US universities through the OPT programme before moving them to longer-term visas. 

A $100,000 fee could make that route significantly more expensive and reduce the number of international graduates employers choose to hire.