The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed a $70,000 fee for international students seeking to work in the country, in the latest move by the Trump administration to tighten rules around foreign students and immigration.
Under the proposed rule, schools would be required to pay the fee for every international student participating in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, which allows eligible foreign students to work in jobs related to their fields of study while in school or after graduation.
International students are generally eligible to work for one year after completing their studies through OPT, while graduates in certain science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields can receive an additional two years.
The proposed fee would be $70,000 for each student’s initial OPT application and $30,000 for each renewal, per report from AP News.
The policy could affect Nigerian students and other international students who rely on OPT to gain work experience in the United States after completing their studies.
American universities rely heavily on international students, including those from Nigeria and other countries, for tuition revenue.
Technology companies and other businesses also recruit international graduates for technical and specialised positions.
Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association representing international education, said OPT allows international students to gain practical experience while helping employers fill labour shortages, particularly in STEM fields.
“Driving away the talents, perspectives, and aspirations of international students will only hurt American innovation, economic growth, workforce development, and global leadership,” Aw said in a written statement.
However, DHS said the proposed fee is intended to address what it considers fraud and abuse within the programme.
The department described OPT as a “pipeline for cheap foreign labor.”
The public will have 60 days to submit comments on the proposal before DHS can decide whether to finalise and implement the rule.
The proposal could also face legal challenges from higher education organisations and business groups, potentially delaying its implementation.
Trump administration tightens rules for international students
The proposed OPT fee is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to tighten immigration rules and increase scrutiny of
international students in the United States.
Last year, the administration terminated the legal status of thousands of international students, with some subsequently detained or deported.
The administration also finalised a rule this summer that sought to limit international students’ stay in the US to four years unless they received approval from the federal government to remain longer.
Higher education leaders criticised the measure, arguing that it would create additional burdens for universities and noting that some degree programmes are designed to last longer than four years.
A federal court blocked the rule from taking effect in September.
Doug Rand, a former senior adviser at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services during the Biden administration, predicted that the proposed OPT fee would face legal challenges.
He compared it with a $100,000 fee imposed on H-1B work visas, which are widely used by technology companies and universities to recruit skilled workers.
Rand argued that high fees were not the solution.
“When we educate international students at our universities, and they want to work and apply their talents here after graduating, of course we should embrace them — not use an exorbitant fee as a pretext to send them packing,” Rand said in an email.
