In a major escalation of its immigration enforcement push, the Trump administration proposed a new regulation on Wednesday requiring international students to pay a $70,000 fee to participate in temporary post-graduate employment programs in the United States.
​The proposed rule, published online by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, aims to overhaul the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. Under the current system, international graduates on F-1 student visas can work in the U.S. for one to three years for a filing fee of roughly $500.
​Under the draft proposal released by DHS in Washington, initial applications under the OPT program would carry a steep $70,000 fee, while renewing or extending eligibility would require an additional $30,000.
​In an official public notice issued on Wednesday, DHS defended the massive price increase, characterizing the fee as an essential measure to crack down on abuse within the foreign student visa system.
​The Department described the current OPT structure as a “pipeline for cheap foreign labour” that undercuts American workers and creates avenues for visa fraud.
​”The public has 60 days to comment on the proposal before DHS can finalize it and put it into effect,” DHS stated in its announcement.
​The notice represents the administration’s latest effort to curb foreign enrollment and restrict non-immigrant work pathways, following earlier federal administrative steps this summer that aimed to cap student visas at a maximum four-year duration.
​The proposal triggered immediate criticism from university administrators, education advocates, and business associations across the country.
​Fanta Aw, Chief Executive Officer of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, warned that the policy would severely damage the competitiveness of U.S. higher education and exacerbate key labor shortages.
​”The OPT program allows international students to gain hands-on experience and fill labor shortages in high-demand STEM fields,” Aw said in a statement following the DHS announcement.
​Higher education advocates noted that forcing graduates to pay tens of thousands of dollars to gain entry-level work experience would effectively price out the vast majority of foreign students, shifting talent toward competing nations like Canada, the UK, and Australia.
​The 60-day public comment period opens immediately. Legal experts predict the proposed rule will face swift federal lawsuit challenges from universities and business groups once finalised, pointing to a similar court ruling in September that temporarily enjoined separate federal limits on foreign student stays.
​If approved following the public comment period, the rule could go into effect early next year.
