International students in the US could face a $100,000 fee to participate in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme under a Trump administration proposal that has cleared White House review.
The proposal is expected to be issued as a rule soon, potentially sharply raising the cost of working in the US after graduation.
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What is OPT and why does it matter?
OPT allows eligible F-1 international students to gain temporary work experience in the US in a field related to their studies. Students can generally work for up to 12 months after completing their academic programme.
Graduates from qualifying science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programmes can receive a further 24-month extension. This allows them to work for up to three years in total.
OPT is also an important link between US education and employment-based immigration. International graduates can use the programme to gain work experience while employers pursue an H-1B petition on their behalf.
Around 300,000 F-1 students had employment authorisation through OPT last year.
Who will pay the $100,000 fee?
It remains unclear whether students themselves would have to pay the proposed $100,000 charge. The Department of Homeland Security proposal does not publicly specify the amount or clarify who would ultimately be responsible for paying it.
Some legal experts have suggested that universities could be required to pay the fee to employers hiring international graduates through OPT.
"Universities will be the ones to pay it, which makes no sense because why would they pay a fee for some random employer?" policy commentator Sam Peak said.
