US OPT fee: comments on $70,000 student work-permit charge close November 9
By Kabir SethiEducation Correspondent, Peepals Yuva
Representative image: robtowne0 / Pixabay
Comments on a US proposal to charge $70,000 for an international student's first OPT work permit and $30,000 for extensions close on 9 November 2026.
What Happened
Public comments on a United States proposal to charge universities $70,000 for each international student's first Optional Practical Training (OPT) work permit close on Monday, 9 November 2026. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the proposed rule in the Federal Register on Thursday, 8 October 2026. It would also add a $30,000 fee for each later OPT approval, including the extension for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates. Universities could pass the cost on to students or employers. The rule is only a proposal and has not taken effect.
Key Facts
- Proposal: "Optional Practical Training Fees", a proposed rule by DHS, published on 8 October 2026 (docket ICEB-2026-0100).
- Fees: $70,000 for a student's first OPT recommendation and $30,000 for each later one, including a STEM OPT extension.
- Who pays: the school that recommends the student, which the proposal allows to pass the cost to the student or the employer.
- Comment deadline: Monday, 9 November 2026; comments under the Paperwork Reduction Act are due by Monday, 7 December 2026.
- Existing OPT: fees would not apply to OPT employment already approved and in progress when a final rule takes effect.
- Response: more than 2,000 comments were filed in the first week; NAFSA, the association of international educators, and UC Berkeley's international office said they would oppose it, and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities called it "deeply flawed".
- DHS's stated reasons: to deter fraud, protect American workers and stop employers using OPT to get around H-1B visa rules; it also warned it may have to end OPT altogether without the fees.
Why It Matters
OPT lets students on an F-1 student visa work in the United States in their field of study after, and sometimes during, their degree. For many international students, including students from India, it is the main reason to choose an American master's degree: it offers a chance to earn in dollars, gain work experience and, for some, move to an H-1B work visa later. A fee of this size would change that calculation sharply.
The proposal places the bill on universities, but it explicitly allows them to recover it from students or employers. If universities pass it on, a student who takes both a first OPT and a STEM extension could face $100,000 in fees on top of tuition. If employers have to pay, some may stop hiring OPT graduates. Either way, the experts and universities who have responded say fewer international students would use the programme.
DHS has asked for views on the fee levels, possible exemptions, students who move to a higher degree, and the effect on small colleges. Commentators have also questioned whether DHS can lawfully set a fee of this size that is not linked to the cost of processing, which suggests a final rule could face court challenges.
What students should do next: students already on approved OPT are not covered by the proposal. Those planning to apply in 2027 should follow their university's international office, which will track whether DHS issues a final rule, and can read the proposal and file a comment on the Federal Register docket before 9 November.
Peepals calculation: A student who takes a first OPT and then a STEM extension would carry total fees of $100,000 under the proposal ($70,000 + $30,000). The later fee is about 43% of the first ($30,000 / $70,000 ≈ 0.43). The main comment window runs 32 days from publication on 8 October to 9 November, and the Paperwork Reduction Act window runs a further 28 days, to 7 December. Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Stage | Proposed fee |
|---|---|
| First OPT recommendation | $70,000 |
| Each later OPT, including STEM extension | $30,000 |
| First OPT plus STEM extension | $100,000 |
Impact
Short-term: Nothing changes for students today. OPT applications continue under current rules until DHS publishes a final rule, which it can do only after reviewing the comments.
Long-term: If adopted, the fees could push Indian and other international students to choose countries with cheaper post-study work routes, and could reduce US universities' international enrolment.
Who is affected: Indian students on F-1 visas and those planning to study in the US, American universities and colleges, US employers who hire international graduates, and education consultants advising families.
What to watch next: the comment window closes on 9 November 2026, the paperwork comment window on 7 December, and DHS must then decide whether to publish a final rule.
Key Takeaway
The US has proposed a $70,000 fee on each international student's first OPT work permit and $30,000 on extensions, and public comments close on 9 November 2026.
Questions and Answers
What is the proposed $70,000 OPT fee?
It is a fee proposed by the US Department of Homeland Security on 8 October 2026. Universities would pay $70,000 when they recommend a student for a first Optional Practical Training permit and $30,000 for each later one, and could pass the cost to the student or employer.
Is the OPT fee already in force?
No. It is a proposed rule. It will apply only if DHS publishes a final rule after reviewing public comments, and it would not cover OPT employment already approved and in progress.
When is the last date to comment on the OPT fee rule?
Comments are due by Monday, 9 November 2026, on the Federal Register docket ICEB-2026-0100. Comments on the paperwork burden are due by 7 December 2026.
Why does the US want to charge an OPT fee?
DHS says the fees would deter fraud, protect American workers and stop employers using OPT to avoid H-1B rules. Universities and NAFSA have said they will oppose the proposal.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Kabir Sethi, Education CorrespondentCovers Education and more for Peepals Yuva. All stories by Kabir Sethi
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Kabir Sethi is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
