The Trump administration is considering an OPT fee proposal that could require international graduates seeking to remain in the United States under Optional Practical Training (OPT) to pay $100,000, according to people familiar with the matter. The Department of Homeland Security said the proposal remains under internal discussion, is not final, and it is unclear whether it has White House approval or whether the fee would be paid by students or employers.
Optional Practical Training allows international university graduates to remain and work in the United States on a student visa for one to three years, depending on their field of study. The Institute of International Education reported that about 300,000 students were enrolled in OPT last fall, accounting for roughly 25% of all foreign students in the country. The proposed fee mirrors an earlier administration objective to impose a $100,000 charge on H-1B visas.
Government figures cited in the report showed that nearly 419,000 international graduates were employed under the OPT programme in 2024. The programme has become an important pathway into the American technology and finance sectors and frequently serves as a precursor to employer-sponsored H-1B visa applications. The newly discussed OPT fee proposal is tied directly to the existing programme, which permits eligible graduates to stay and work in the United States for up to three years after completing their studies.
How the OPT Fee Proposal Could Affect International Graduates
The administration has not finalized the proposal, and officials have not determined whether students or employers would be responsible for paying the fee. The Department of Homeland Security said the policy remains under review and emphasized that discussions are continuing internally.
The scale of the programme highlights the potential reach of the measure. According to the Institute of International Education, about one-quarter of all foreign students in the United States were participating in OPT last fall. Government data cited in the report showed that close to 419,000 graduates were employed under the programme in 2024, underscoring its role as a talent pipeline into Silicon Valley and Wall Street.
The development comes only days after another immigration initiative encountered legal challenges. Last week, a federal appeals court in Boston blocked enforcement of a separate $100,000 fee that the administration had sought to impose on certain H-1B visa applicants. Technology companies opposed the measure and warned that it could affect access to skilled foreign labour.
Following the court’s decision, the administration narrowed the H-1B proposal so that it would apply only to certain professionals entering the United States directly on H-1B visas. The earlier proposal and the newly reported OPT fee proposal both involve charges of $100,000 and form part of broader discussions surrounding legal immigration pathways into the country.
The Optional Practical Training programme has long allowed international graduates to gain work experience in the United States after completing their degrees. Depending on the field of study, eligible students can remain in the country for up to three years while working under OPT status. Many participants later transition to employer-sponsored H-1B visas.
If pursued, the OPT fee proposal would represent one of the most significant changes to the rules governing legal immigration into the United States. The measure could reshape how international students evaluate the benefits of obtaining a US degree and alter the role of OPT as a pathway into American universities, Silicon Valley companies and Wall Street firms.
