Archive · 2 Aug 2026
Trump Administration Considers $100,000 OPT Visa Fee
The U.S. government is thinking about charging a huge $100,000 fee to international students who want to work in the U.S. after they finish school.
This would be for a program called Optional Practical Training, or OPT, that lets students keep working for up to three years.
About 419,000 foreign students were working on OPT last year, and many of them are from India.
Tech companies that hire these students are worried that the fee would make it hard to find good workers.
Students and universities fear the fee would make studying in the U.S. too expensive and could push them to other countries.
Trump administration is considering a $100,000 fee on Optional Practical Training (OPT) visas for international students.
The proposal follows a court‑blocked attempt to impose a similar fee on H‑1B visas and is still under discussion at the Department of Homeland Security.
Roughly 419,000 foreign graduates were working on OPT in 2024, with Indian students making up a large share of that group.
Tech and finance firms that recruit from U.S. universities have opposed high fees on H‑1B visas and may be concerned about a similar OPT fee.
The fee would make post‑graduation work in the U.S. prohibitively expensive, potentially reducing U.S. attractiveness for international students and affecting university revenues.
- Who
- Donald Trump administration, Department of Homeland Security, tech firms, Indian students
- What
- Considering a $100,000 fee on Optional Practical Training visas for international students
- When
- Under discussion in 2024‑2025, following a court‑blocked H‑1B fee
- Where
- United States
- Why
- To restrict legal immigration and protect the integrity of the immigration system
- Proposed fee
- $100,000
- Program
- Optional Practical Training (OPT)
- Current OPT participants
- 419,000 (2024)
- Legal status
- H‑1B fee blocked by court
- Stakeholders
- Tech firms, Indian students, universities
Sources
Trump Plans USD 100,000 Fee for Foreign Students Seeking US Work
Trump plans to impose $1 lakh fee on intl. students seeking US jobs
Trump Plans $100,000 Fee for Opt Jobs
Trump mulls hefty price tag of $100,000 on foreign students wanting to work in US after graduation: Report
Trump to charge foreign students $100,000 for a shot at a US job? Why Indian students should be worried
$100,000 Fee To Work In US? Trump's Plan Threatens Indian Students' H-1B Dreams
US mulls $100,000 fee for international student work visas
Trump’s $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee: Will it crush the American dream for Indian students? Here's what experts say
