Archive · 6 Aug 2026
CIS report urges scrapping OPT as US student visas decline
Many students from other countries go to America to study in college.
After they finish their degrees, some of them can stay and work for a little while through a program called OPT.
A group called the Centre for Immigration Studies wrote a report saying this program should be removed.
They believe it takes jobs and money away from American students and workers.
The report says almost 300,000 foreign graduates worked in the US last year.
Most of them came from India and China.
The report also says fewer student visas are being given out now.
Visas for Indian students dropped by 62%, and visas for Chinese students dropped by 34%.
The group's lawyer, George Fishman, thinks ending OPT will help protect American jobs.
The Centre for Immigration Studies (CIS) report advocates terminating the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program to protect American students and workers.
US student visas issued to Indian nationals fell 62% in 2025 to 22,149, compared with 58,694 in 2024.
Visas issued to Chinese students declined 34% to 40,034 in 2025, versus 61,075 the previous year.
In 2024-25, 294,253 foreign students—about one-quarter of all foreign students—were working in the US under OPT, with 49% from India and 21% from China.
Indian and Chinese students made up 53% of all foreign students (1,177,766) at the post-secondary level in 2024-25.
CIS author George Fishman cited the May-August visa issuance period as the bulk of annual F-1 visas are issued then; 77% of Indian and 76% of Chinese F-1 visas were issued in that window in 2024.
- Who
- The Centre for Immigration Studies (CIS), whose report was authored by senior legal fellow George Fishman, citing data from the Institute of International Education (IIE).
- What
- A CIS report advocates scrapping the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, noting declines in US student visas issued to Indian and Chinese nationals.
- When
- The report was published around August 5; it covers the 2024-25 academic year and 2024–2025 visa comparisons.
- Where
- United States, reported from Washington.
- Why
- CIS argues that OPT harms the wages and employment opportunities of American students and workers, and that reducing the pipeline of Indian and Chinese OPT participants would lessen those effects.
- Indian student visas 2025
- 22,149
- Indian student visas 2024
- 58,694
- Decline in Indian student visas
- 62%
- Chinese student visas 2025
- 40,034
- Chinese student visas 2024
- 61,075
- Decline in Chinese student visas
- 34%
- Foreign students in US (2024-25)
- 1,177,766
- Students working under OPT (2024-25)
- 294,253 (India 49%, China 21%)