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President Donald Trump’s second term in the White House has included a number of efforts to boost the opportunities for American workers: Like returning manufacturing to the U.S., tariffs on foreign products dumped on America, and a crackdown on foreigners taking Americans’ jobs.
One of those plans was a $100,000 fee on corporations who want to bring in foreigners to take jobs otherwise available for Americans, under the H-1B visa program.
That’s temporarily on hold on the order of a judge, but now the Department of Homeland Security has come up with a plan to “reduce the flow of cheap labor into the United States and make it easier for American citizens to compete in the job market.”
It would be with a new $70,000 fee for F-1 nonimmigrant students who want to participate in the Optional Practical Training program, which is a “temporary employment authorization connected to a student’s field of study.”
This is a great win. I have been fighting our fraudulent OPT program for years. Not only is OPT a cheap foreign-labor program for big companies, it’s a way for foreigners to scam our government and overstay their visas. This is just the beginning.
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) September 28, 2026
“The proposed rule would establish a $70,000 fee per F-1 nonimmigrant student for initial OPT and a $30,000 fee per F-1 nonimmigrant student for any subsequent OPT. DHS is proposing the fees to combat fraud and abuse, strengthen the integrity of the immigration system, and protect U.S. workers,” the federal agency explained.
In a statement, an official said, “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. 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.”
The present rules allow eligible F-1 nonimmigrant students to engage in OPT if the OPT is directly related to the student’s major area of study.
Required are that nonimmigrant students be recommended by their designated school official and apply for employment authorization with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Various extension options are available after a 12-month assignment.
“DHS believes the proposed fees would encourage schools to exercise greater oversight and selectivity when recommending F-1 nonimmigrant students for OPT, helping reduce fraud and strengthen program integrity,” the federal announcement confirmed.
It’s in alignment with Trump’s other “directives” working to protect American workers, DHS said.
The specifics are that the USCIS would not grant authorization for the work until the fees are paid.
Public comment on the plan is being accepted through Nov. 9.
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[ H/T WorldNetDaily ]
