Trump administration proposes $70,000 fee for int'l students to work in US

The Department of Homeland Security proposed in Washington on Wednesday a $70,000 fee for schools for each international student’s initial application to the Optional Practical Training program. Schools would pay $30,000 for each renewal. The proposal targets alleged fraud and abuse but could affect colleges, technology companies and other employers that rely on international students. The public has 60 days to comment, and legal challenges could delay implementation.

International students are generally eligible for one year of post-graduation OPT employment, while certain STEM graduates may receive two additional years.

The OPT program permits international students to work in jobs related to their majors during or after their studies.

DHS described the visa program as a pipeline for cheap foreign labor and said the proposed fee responds to fraud and abuse.

NAFSA CEO Fanta Aw said restricting international students would harm American innovation, economic growth, workforce development and global leadership.

A federal court prevented a separate rule limiting international students’ stays in the United States to four years from taking effect in September.

Published Oct 8, 2026 12:38 am KST

President Donald Trump speaks during an event at Tradepoint Atlantic in Sparrows Point, Marylan on Tuesday. UPI-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday proposed a $70,000 fee for international students seeking to work in the United States, the latest effort from the Trump administration to crack down on foreign enrollment.

A proposed rule would require schools to pay the fee for every student who participates in the optional practice training program, known as OPT, which allows students to work in jobs related to their major during or after their time in school. Students are generally eligible for one year of work post-graduation, though certain science, technology, engineering and math majors are eligible for an additional two years.

Schools would be required to pay the $70,000 for each new student's initial application to the program, and a $30,000 fee for each renewal.

The change would represent a blow to American colleges and universities that heavily recruit students from overseas as a source of tuition revenue, as well as tech companies and other industries that hire many international students for technical roles.

The OPT program allows international students to gain hands-on experience and fill labor shortages in high-demand STEM fields, said Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association that represents international education.

“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.

In a statement, DHS described the fee as a response to fraud and abuse of the visa program, which it called a “pipeline for cheap foreign labor.”

The public has 60 days to comment on the proposal before DHS can finalize it and put it into effect. The proposal also could face legal challenges from higher education groups or business associations that could delay it.

President Donald Trump's administration has been putting pressure on international students in many ways as part of its wider efforts to crack down on immigration and reshape higher education.

Last year, the Republican administration began suddenly terminating the legal status of thousands of international students, detaining and deporting many of them.

This summer, the administration finalized a rule that sought to prevent international students from staying in the U.S. for more than four years without approval from the federal government. The move drew swift backlash from higher education leaders who said it would increase the burden on schools and noted that many programs are longer than four years by design. A federal court prevented the rule from taking effect in September.

美国国土安全部周三在华盛顿提议，对每位首次申请“可选实践培训”（OPT）项目的国际学生，学校需缴纳7万美元的费用。每次续期，学校需支付3万美元。该提议旨在打击涉嫌欺诈和滥用行为，但可能会影响依赖国际学生的高校、科技公司和其他雇主。公众有60天的时间发表意见，法律挑战可能会导致该提议的实施延期。

国际学生一般有资格获得一年的毕业后OPT工作机会，而某些STEM专业的毕业生可能获得额外两年的OPT工作机会。

OPT计划允许国际学生在学习期间或毕业后从事与其专业相关的工作。

美国国土安全部将该签证计划描述为廉价外国劳动力的输送渠道，并表示拟议的费用是为了应对欺诈和滥用行为。

NAFSA首席执行官范塔·奥表示，限制国际学生将损害美国的创新、经济增长、劳动力发展和全球领导地位。

联邦法院阻止了一项将国际学生在美国停留时间限制为四年的单独规定于9月生效。

发布于2026年10月8日凌晨12:38（韩国标准时间）

周二，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在马里兰州斯帕罗斯角的贸易点大西洋公司出席活动并发表讲话。（UPI-Yonhap）

华盛顿——美国国土安全部周三提议对希望在美国工作的国际学生收取 7 万美元的费用，这是特朗普政府打击外国学生入学的最新举措。

一项拟议规则将要求学校为每位参加可选实习培训项目（OPT）的学生支付费用。OPT允许学生在校期间或毕业后从事与其专业相关的工作。学生通常有资格在毕业后工作一年，但某些科学、技术、工程和数学专业的学生有资格额外工作两年。

学校需要为每位新生首次申请该项目支付 7 万美元，每次续期需支付 3 万美元。

这一变化将对大量招收海外学生以获取学费收入的美国高校，以及雇用大量国际学生担任技术岗位的科技公司和其他行业造成打击。

NAFSA（一个代表国际教育的协会）首席执行官 Fanta Aw 表示，OPT 项目可以让国际学生获得实践经验，并填补高需求 STEM 领域的劳动力短缺。

“驱逐国际学生的才能、视野和抱负只会损害美国的创新、经济增长、劳动力发展和全球领导地位，”Aw在一份书面声明中表示。

美国国土安全部在一份声明中表示，收取这笔费用是为了应对签证计划中的欺诈和滥用行为，并称该计划是“廉价外国劳动力的输送管道”。

在国土安全部最终确定并实施该提案之前，公众有60天的时间发表意见。该提案还可能面临高等教育团体或商业协会的法律挑战，从而导致提案延期。

作为打击移民和重塑高等教育的更广泛努力的一部分，唐纳德·特朗普总统的政府一直在以各种方式向国际学生施压。

去年，共和党政府突然开始终止数千名国际学生的合法身份，拘留并驱逐了其中许多人。

今年夏天，美国政府最终敲定了一项规定，旨在阻止国际学生未经联邦政府批准在美国停留超过四年。此举迅速遭到高等教育界人士的强烈反对，他们认为这将加重学校的负担，并指出许多课程的设计时长都超过四年。联邦法院于9月阻止了该规定生效。