The Trump administration is considering imposing a $100,000 fee on international students seeking to work in the United States after graduating from American universities, according to people familiar with the discussions cited by The Wall Street Journal.
The proposal would apply to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows foreign graduates to work in the U.S. for up to three years, and would represent another step in the administration's effort to tighten legal immigration.
The proposal remains under review at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and it is unclear whether the White House will approve it or whether the cost would be borne by students, employers or universities. A DHS spokesperson provided a statement to the Wall Street Journal that stated:
"No policies should be considered final until formally announced," adding that the department is "always having conversations about how to use all tools in our arsenal to protect the integrity of our legal immigration system"
The news outlet reported that the fee would likely accompany a new requirement announced this month requiring international students to apply for visa extensions in order to participate in OPT. The administration is also preparing a broader overhaul of the program, expected as early as this fall. Roughly 419,000 foreign graduates were working through OPT in 2024, according to the latest available data.
The proposal follows a federal appeals court decision rejecting the administration's attempt to reinstate a separate $100,000 fee on new H-1B visas for highly skilled foreign workers. The court agreed with a lower court that the charge likely amounted to an unauthorized tax not approved by Congress. The earlier fee did not apply to foreign graduates already in the United States on student visas, many of whom later transition to H-1B status.
The possible OPT fee comes as universities are adjusting to a broader set of immigration restrictions affecting international students. Earlier this month, DHS finalized rules replacing the longstanding "duration of status" system with fixed visa terms of up to four years, requiring many students to seek extensions, limiting transfers and changes of study during the first year, and reducing the post-graduation grace period from 60 days to 30 days, as NPR reported on July 20.
