The Biden administration is reportedly considering a proposal to impose a $100,000 fee on international students seeking to work in the United States after graduating from an American university. According to officials familiar with the matter, the proposed fee would apply to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows foreign graduates to work in the U.S. for one to three years on their student visas.
If implemented, the fee would mark a significant escalation in efforts to limit legal immigration, particularly targeting foreign graduates who have gained skills from American institutions and wish to remain in the country temporarily for employment. Approximately 419,000 foreign nationals were working under OPT in 2024, the most recent year for which data is available.
The potential charge aligns with earlier attempts by the administration to introduce a similar $100,000 fee on H-1B work visas for highly skilled foreign professionals. That measure, aimed at restricting foreign labor in technical and financial sectors, faced strong opposition from Silicon Valley and other industries that rely heavily on international talent. A federal appeals court recently blocked the collection of the H-1B fee, preventing its full implementation.
Industry experts note that while many foreign professionals enter the U.S. directly on H-1B visas, top technology and finance firms often prefer to recruit international students from U.S. universities and subsequently transition them from student visas to H-1B status. The proposed fee on OPT would therefore more directly impact firms that rely on this pipeline of talent.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) emphasized that no policies are final until formally announced and affirmed that the agency continually evaluates tools to safeguard the integrity of the legal immigration system.
This is part of a broader initiative by immigration officials to introduce financial barriers for foreign nationals seeking various visa categories. Alongside the OPT fee and the blocked H-1B levy, the State Department is reportedly considering requiring a $100,000 bond on green card applicants residing outside the U.S., refundable only after they achieve citizenship.
Details remain unclear regarding how the new OPT fee would be applied or who would bear the cost—whether the international students themselves, their universities, or prospective employers. It is expected to coincide with a recent administrative decision requiring international students to file for visa extensions to maintain OPT eligibility, rather than retaining automatic validity through the duration of their educational and training programs.
Advocates for international students warn that restricting or pricing out OPT would discourage foreigners from studying in the U.S. and force graduates to take their skills elsewhere, potentially undermining the nation’s global competitiveness. Opponents of the program argue that OPT enables companies to hire foreign graduates without sufficient regulatory safeguards to prevent wage undercutting of American workers.
The administration has not yet confirmed whether the proposal will move forward or how it will be structured, leaving the future of the OPT program and its impact on international student employment uncertain.