DHS Proposes $70,000 Fee on Schools for Each International Student Work Recommendation

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 7 proposed requiring universities to pay $70,000 each time they recommend an international student for work authorization, a move critics say is designed to gut a program that has long served as a bridge between foreign graduates and U.S. employers.

The proposal, published in the Federal Register on Oct. 8, targets Optional Practical Training, or OPT, the work-authorization pathway that allows F-1 visa holders to work in jobs directly tied to their field of study. Under current rules, students pay a filing fee of $520 on paper or $470 online. Under the proposed rule, schools would absorb the first hit.

According to the Associated Press, DHS proposed the $70,000 fee as the latest step in the Trump administration's broader effort to limit foreign enrollment. A $30,000 fee would apply to each subsequent OPT recommendation for the same student, including STEM extensions that can add up to 24 months of work authorization.

The fee would be billed to Student and Exchange Visitor Program-certified schools, not directly to students or employers. But according to analysis published by Boundless, schools could pass the cost to students or employers, or spread it across the student body. The proposal does not restrict how institutions finance the obligation.

DHS said in its filing that the fees are meant to reduce fraud and abuse, tighten oversight, and protect American workers. "Optional Practical Training was never meant to be a back door into the American workforce, a subsidy for cheap labor, or a prize for those who game the system," a DHS spokesperson said, as reported by American Bazaar Online.

Critics are not persuaded. Steven Brown, a Houston-based immigration lawyer, told the AP that the proposal amounts to an attempt to kill OPT without formally ending it. Doug Rand, director of the Talent Mobility Fund, an advocacy group for foreign STEM recruitment, said on LinkedIn that DHS lacks legal authority to impose the fee, according to Time magazine.

The proposal is a notice of proposed rulemaking and carries no immediate legal force. According to Federal Register documents cited by Immigrant News, the public comment period closes Nov. 9, 2026. DHS must review those comments and publish a final rule before any fee could take effect.

Legal challenges are widely expected. According to Time, educational organizations filed suit on Oct. 5 against a parallel administration effort to restrict Curricular Practical Training, a related program. A separate $100,000 H-1B visa fee has also been blocked in federal court, according to the same report.

The American Council on Education noted that OPT has served as a major draw for international students choosing U.S. universities over competitors abroad, and said the proposed fee structure could put the program out of reach for many institutions.

The University of California system said it is assessing the proposal's impact. "The University of California is assessing the impact of this proposal and remains committed to supporting international students," a UC Office of the President spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Bruin.

OPT currently enrolls hundreds of thousands of students annually. A final rule, if the proposal survives litigation, would take effect only after DHS sets an implementation date.

Sources cited:
- Associated Press via PBS NewsHour (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-administration-proposes-a-70000-fee-for-international-students-to-work-in-the-u-s)
- Boundless (https://www.boundless.com/blog/dhs-proposed-opt-fees)
- American Bazaar Online (https://americanbazaaronline.com/2026/10/07/dhs-proposes-massive-new-fee-for-f-1-international-students-489551/)
- Time (https://time.com/article/2026/10/08/international-student-training-opt-fee-work-trump-administration/)
- American Council on Education (https://www.acenet.edu/News-Room/Pages/DHS-Proposes-New-OPT-Fee.aspx)
- Daily Bruin (https://dailybruin.com/2026/10/13/dhs-looks-to-charge-70k-fee-for-international-student-work-authorization)
- Immigrant News (Federal Register citation) (https://news.missimmigrantusa.com/2026/10/08/dhs-opt-fee-70000-30000-international-students-2026/)