US plans USD 1,00,000 OPT visa fee for foreign graduates

The US is considering a USD 1,00,000 fee for international graduates using the OPT work route after American degrees. The proposal could weaken the appeal of US universities and reshape post-study immigration choices.The US is planning to impose a USD 1,00,000 fee on visas issued to international students who want to work in the country after graduating from an American university, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The proposed move centres on the Optional Practical Training, or OPT, programme, which lets foreign graduates work in the US for a limited period in jobs linked to their studies.The proposal comes after a US court struck down an earlier plan by the Trump administration to levy a USD 1,00,000 fee on H-1B visas. The Wall Street Journal reported that the Department of Homeland Security is now considering applying a similar high fee to OPT visas, which are an extension of F-1 student visas.The OPT programme allows foreign graduates to work for one to three years on their student visas in areas directly related to what they studied. It is one of the main reasons international students choose to study in the US. Roughly 4,19,000 foreigners were working on OPT in 2024, the latest year for which data are available.Tech companies, which make most of their hires from US universities, had opposed the USD 1,00,000 fee on H-1B visas. A DHS spokeswoman said in a statement, "No policies should be considered final until formally announced. At DHS we are always having conversations about how to use all tools in our arsenal to protect the integrity of our legal immigration system." Alongside the H-1B and student visa proposals, officials at the State Department are also considering attaching a USD 1,00,000 bond on green card applicants outside the US. The bond would be redeemable only after they move to the US and become citizens. Without OPT, most international students would have to leave the US immediately after graduation, taking the skills they gained at American universities to other markets.In sum, the US administration is considering a steep new cost for international graduates seeking to work after their studies, while also weighing similar financial conditions for other immigration routes. The OPT programme remains central to the appeal of US education for foreign students, and any such change could have wide implications. With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Jul 31, 2026 06:10 IST