A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposal would require certified schools to pay $70,000 before a student's first recommendation for Optional Practical Training (OPT), raising the cost of a work route used by international students.
Under the proposed rule, a school certified by DHS's Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) would pay before recommending an F-1 visa student for any type of OPT, whether before or after graduation. A later recommendation, including one for a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) extension, would cost $30,000. The charge would not recur annually, and a change of employer would not trigger another payment.
Eligible F-1 students may use standard OPT for up to 12 months in a job related to their field of study. Graduates in designated STEM fields may qualify for an additional 24 months.
The Institute of International Education counted 1,177,766 international students at U.S. colleges and universities in the 2024-25 academic year, including 294,253 on OPT, a 21% increase from the prior year. NAFSA: Association of International Educators and JB International estimated that international students contributed $42.9 billion to the U.S. economy and supported 355,736 jobs that academic year.
Waded Cruzado, president of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, said the proposal could “instead incentivize these students to study, work, and boost the economies of other countries.”
DHS says the fees would encourage schools to review OPT recommendations more closely, with the stated aims of addressing fraud and protecting U.S. workers. The rule makes schools responsible for payment, but DHS says they may pass the cost to employers or students across the institution, including students who are not in the F-1 program. The proposal does not set how those costs would be shared.
DHS estimates annualized costs over 10 years at $4.1 billion in its primary estimate, with a range of $32 million to $8.2 billion. The agency says the range reflects uncertainty about how many fees schools would pay and how much OPT participation might decline. It also says it cannot confidently predict the size of any decline.
DHS projects that students could lose work experience and earnings if participation falls. Employers could lose productivity if they cannot replace OPT participants with other qualified workers; schools could lose enrollment revenue if OPT helped attract students and they cannot cover the fees.
Comments on the proposal are due Nov. 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Comments on its information-collection provisions are due Dec. 7, 2026. If finalized, the rule would take effect 60 days after publication of the final rule.
