The Trump administration is mulling a plan for foreign students who wish to work in the US as a result of its efforts at the moment is to raise a fee of $100,000 for foreign students with the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, a move that would raise the price for international students with a degree in US universities and international students looking to pursue their masters in the US for a job as US graduate students who wish to pursue higher education after graduation would likely dramatically increase the cost of higher education in the United States after graduation and is going to be a deal breaker for international students who want to go to the United States of America and work in the United States.
The OPT program currently allows selected international students on F-1 visas to get a temporary job in the US after completing their degree. It is particularly popular among graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) who use the program to get jobs before getting longer-term work visas like the H-1B.
Under the proposal, international graduates may pay a one-time fee of $100,000 to get work authorization through OPT. But the plan is not in place yet and the Department of Homeland Security is still reviewing it in line with more general immigration and employment policies.
If it gets implemented it will have a significant effect on universities, employers and international students. The United States is still one of the world’s top destinations for higher education, drawing hundreds of thousands of students each year.
Education theorists have previously expressed concern that such high fees would deter talented students from choosing the US over other international destinations (Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, etc.) where post-study work opportunities are generally more affordable and accessible. And universities that depend on international students could be hit financially if applications go down.
Technology, engineering, finance and healthcare sectors may also be impacted. In the OPT program, most American companies recruit highly skilled international graduates before sponsoring them for longer-term employment visas. An increase in costs may reduce the pool of talent available and affect employment for companies that rely on global expertise.
According to the proposal, it follows a previous legal fight over a separate $100,000 H-1B visa fee that was blocked by U.S. courts. That history indicates that a new fee would need to be weighed with other legal and policy issues before it can take effect.
For now, the OPT fee is still being considered and no final decision is made. International students planning to study or work in the US are advised to monitor official announcements from US immigration authorities and their universities for the latest updates on the matter.
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