New OPT fee proposed: $70,000 for first-time F-1 students, $30,000 for extension; DHS says this was never meant to be a backdoor

New OPT fee proposed by DHS. The Department of Homeland Security announced a proposed rule that would impose a $70,000 fee for F-1 students seeking to participate in the OPT program and $30,000 for each subsequent OPT authorization including STEM OPT extensions. Schools will have to pay this fee, not the international students. The proposed rule is scheduled for publication in the Federal Register on October 8, 2026, and DHS will accept public comments for 30 days.“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,” said a DHS Spokesperson. “DHS is upskilling OPT to require foreign students to justify their worth to employers. American workers should not have to compete against a program that has been turned into a pipeline for cheap foreign labor.”What does new DHS proposal say?Existing federal regulations allow eligible F-1 nonimmigrant students to engage in OPT if the OPT is directly related to the student’s major area of study. To participate, F-1 nonimmigrant students must receive a recommendation from their designated school official (DSO) and apply for employment auth...