Seeking job in US? Trump weighs $100,000 work permit fee from foreign graduates

The Trump administration is considering imposing a $100,000 fee on international students seeking to work in the United States after graduating from American universities, according to people familiar with the matter, in a move that could significantly reduce the appeal of studying in the country.The proposed fee would apply to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, which allows international graduates to work in the US on their student visas for up to three years, depending on their field of study.

Around 419,000 foreign graduates were working under the OPT programme in 2024, the latest available data show.If approved, the measure would mark another step in President Donald Trump's broader push to tighten legal immigration. It could also deal a blow to US universities, which rely heavily on international students for tuition revenue, and to technology and financial firms that recruit graduates from American universities for skilled roles.The proposal is still under discussion at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and it remains unclear whether the White House will approve it.

Officials have also not decided whether the fee would be paid by international students themselves or by universities or employers hiring them.A DHS spokesperson said no policy should be considered final until it is formally announced."No policies should be considered final until formally announced. At DHS we are always having conversations about how to use all tools in our arsenal to protect the integrity of our legal immigration system," the spokesperson said.The proposed charge is expected to be linked to a new requirement announced earlier this month requiring international students to apply for an extension of their visas to access OPT.

Previously, student visas remained valid through the duration of a student's academic programme and the associated work-authorisation period.The administration is also preparing a broader overhaul of the OPT programme, with revised regulations expected as early as this fall.The proposal follows the administration's earlier attempt to impose a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas for foreign professionals.

That fee, announced last year, was blocked by a federal appeals court in Boston last week.While the H-1B levy was eventually narrowed to apply only to foreign professionals seeking to enter the US after facing opposition from major technology companies, a fee on OPT would more directly affect firms that recruit international graduates from American universities before transitioning them to H-1B visas.The $100,000 fee has emerged as a recurring feature of the administration's immigration agenda.

Officials are also considering requiring green card applicants outside the US to post a refundable $100,000 bond that would be returned only after they become US citizens.The OPT programme has long been a key incentive for international students choosing to study in the United States. Supporters argue it enables graduates to gain professional experience before returning home or pursuing longer-term employment, while critics contend it allows employers to hire foreign graduates without sufficient safeguards to ensure wages remain comparable to those offered to American workers.During Trump's first term, senior immigration officials, including Stephen Miller, pushed to eliminate the STEM OPT programme, which provides eligible science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates with up to three years of work authorisation.

The proposal was ultimately shelved after opposition from business-oriented members of the administration, including Jared Kushner.Get the latest Business News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.