The US Department of Homeland Security has proposed charging schools a large fee every time they recommend an F-1 student for Optional Practical Training (OPT). The proposed rule went on public inspection on 7 October 2026 and was published in the Federal Register on 8 October 2026. It is a proposal only: no new OPT fee is in force, and nothing changes for students already on OPT or applying for it now.
What is proposed
- US$70,000 for a school’s first OPT recommendation for a given student after the rule takes effect — whether pre-completion OPT, post-completion OPT or a STEM extension.
- US$30,000 for each subsequent recommendation for that student, including a later STEM OPT extension.
- The SEVP-certified school pays DHS before it enters the recommendation in SEVIS. DHS acknowledges a school may pass the cost to the student, spread it across its student body, or seek it from the OPT employer.
- Receipts would go to the US Treasury, not to DHS. Curricular Practical Training (CPT) is not covered by the proposal.
- Schools could seek a refund if USCIS denies the OPT application and the student does not receive work authorisation.
- DHS says the proposal would not apply retroactively to OPT already approved and underway, though a later STEM extension recommendation could still trigger a fee.
Timeline
The comment period runs from 8 October to 9 November 2026, with comments on the associated information collection accepted until 7 December 2026. If DHS finalises the rule, it would take effect 60 days after the final rule is published — so the earliest realistic start date is 2027, and the amounts could change or the proposal could be withdrawn. DHS frames the fees as a response to fraud and “pay-to-stay” abuse and as a way to make schools supervise OPT recommendations more closely; it also cites protection of US workers.
What it means if you are applying
For the current intake, nothing. Your OPT eligibility, the 12-month post-completion period and the 24-month STEM extension are unchanged, and the existing US$520 I-765 filing fee still applies. What the proposal changes is planning risk: if fees at this level were finalised, institutions would have to decide whether to absorb them, charge students, or limit recommendations — so if post-study work in the US is central to your plan, ask prospective schools directly how they would handle an OPT recommendation fee before you commit.
This sits alongside the other US changes tracked on the ConsultancyCheck Student Visa Approval Tracker: a 35% global F-1 refusal rate in 2025, the US$185 DS-160 fee, the US$350 SEVIS fee, the US$250 visa integrity fee charged on issuance, and the fixed-admission (“duration of status”) rule that remains blocked in court.
Sources
- Federal Register public inspection document 2026-20660 — DHS proposed rule on OPT fees
- Ogletree Deakins — DHS Proposes Significant New OPT Fees for F-1 Students
- Boundless — DHS proposes $70,000 OPT fee for international students
- American Council on Education — DHS Proposes New OPT Fee as International Students Face New Restrictions
- Littler — DHS Proposes to Impose New OPT Fees on SEVP-Certified Schools