DHS proposed a $70,000 fee for international students’ work training. The rule faces a 60-day public comment period.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday proposed a $70,000 fee tied to international students who seek to work in the United States, adding to the Trump administration’s efforts to limit foreign enrollment. Under the proposed rule, schools would pay the fee for each student who takes part in Optional Practical Training, known as OPT, which lets students work in jobs related to their field of study during or after their studies.
Schools would pay $70,000 for each new student’s initial application and $30,000 for each renewal. Students are generally eligible for one year of post-graduation work under the program. Certain science, technology, engineering and math graduates can receive two additional years. The public has 60 days to comment before DHS can finalize the rule. Higher education groups or business associations could challenge it in court, which could delay it.
DHS described the fee as a response to fraud and abuse of the program, which it characterized as a source of low-cost foreign labor. NAFSA, an association for international education, said the program gives students hands-on experience and helps fill labor shortages in high-demand STEM fields. Its chief executive, Fanta Aw, said in a written statement that discouraging international students would harm American innovation and economic growth. Colleges and universities recruit students from abroad as a source of tuition revenue, and technology companies and other industries hire many of them for technical roles.
The proposal follows a series of administration actions on international students. Last year, the administration began terminating the legal status of thousands of students, detaining and deporting many of them. This summer, it finalized a rule limiting stays to four years without federal approval, and a federal court blocked that rule from taking effect in September. A lawsuit filed Monday challenges new guidance from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Curricular Practical Training, a similar program for internships. Doug Rand, a former Biden administration immigration official, predicted courts would strike down the OPT fee. AP reported that a $100,000 fee on H-1B work visas was also struck down in court, and the administration is now pursuing another route to raise that fee.
The American Council on Education said the number of new international students entering the United States fell 17% last fall, the sharpest drop since the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall figures for this fall are not yet available, but some individual colleges are reporting declines of 30% to 40%, according to the council’s Sarah Spreitzer.
Information for this report came from The Associated Press, as published by PBS NewsHour.