US weighs steep $100,000 fee for international students seeking jobs after graduation, Wall Street Journal reports
The US government is planning to impose a new $100,000 fee on visas issued to students from foreign countries who plan to continue working in
The US government is planning to impose a new $100,000 fee on visas issued to students from foreign countries who plan to continue working in the US after graduating from an American university, as per a report by The Wall Street Journal. This moves comes in the wake of a US court striking down a proposal by the Trump government to levy a $100,000 fee for H1B visas. As per the report by Wall Street Journal, the Department of Homeland Security is planning to introduce the fee on Optional Practical Training (OPT), which are an extension of the F-1 visas that are issued to foreign students.
This programme allows foreigners to work for one to three years in the US on their student visas if the job is in areas directly related to their studies. Also Read | US unveils global visa policy targeting cybercriminals: What to know The latest data for the number of foreign workers in the US on OPT is 419,000 from 2024. However, the DHS has said in a statement this fee is not law yet: "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." Tech companies, which carry out their recruitments in US universities are where most of the foreign workforce ply their trade.
These companies had opposed the $100,000 fees on H1B visas. Other than the H1B and student visas, US officials at the State Department are also mulling plans to attach a USD 100,000 bond on green card applications from outside the country, which can only be redeemed after the person moves to the US and becomes a citizen. Trump administration mulling ways to cut down on number of foreign students in US universities The OPT programme is one of the main reasons for international students opting to pursue their education in the United States.
Without the OPT, most foreign students would have to leave the US once their graduate, thus taking skills they gained in America to work in foreign markets.
The BriefWire