Trump mulling $1,00,000 fee for students keen to work in U.S. after graduation
The Trump administration is reportedly considering a $100,000 fee for international students seeking to work in the U.S. via the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. This move follows similar proposals for H-1B visas and green card applicants as part of a broader effort to tighten immigration policy.
Why it matters
Such a fee would significantly alter the landscape for international students and U.S. tech companies that rely on foreign talent recruited from American universities.
The U.S. is planning to impose a $1,00,000 fee on visas issued to international students for working in the U.S. after graduation from an American university, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Trump administration move comes after a U.S. court struck down a proposal to levy a $1,00,000 fee on H1-B visas.
According to The Wall Street Journal , the Department of Homeland Security is mulling the high fee on Optional Practical Training (OPT) visas which are an extension of F-1 visas issued to students.
The OPT programme allows foreign graduates to work for one to three years on their student visas in areas directly related to their studies.
Roughly 4,19,000 foreigners were working on OPT in 2024, the latest year for which data are available.
Tech companies, which conduct most of the recruitments from U.S. universities, opposed the $1,00,000 fee on H1-B visas.
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