DHS proposes $70,000 for initial OPT; the fee is not in force
DHS proposes that schools pay $70,000 for an initial OPT recommendation and $30,000 for later recommendations after that fee is paid; comments close November 9, but current procedures remain unchanged.
A proposed rule published October 8 would place a large new cost on U.S. schools recommending F-1 students for Optional Practical Training.
The initial fee would be $70,000 per student; a later recommendation would cost $30,000 once the initial fee had been paid. The school would pay the government. A change of employer alone would not trigger another fee. [1]
The distinction between a proposal and a current requirement is essential. The University of Utah’s international-student office tells students to continue existing OPT and STEM OPT application procedures and timelines. Its policy advisory independently confirms the proposed amounts and that no current fee change has occurred. The proposal’s transition language also means a later STEM request is not automatically a $30,000 case if no initial fee was paid. [1][2]
The ordinary rule-comment deadline is November 9 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The separate information-collection comment window closes December 7. Universities, employers and students can respond with concrete evidence about costs and participation using docket ICEB-2026-0100. The proposed 60-day transition would begin after publication of a final rule; no final-rule date is established. [1][3]
Sources & details 3 sources
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Paste the brief into your voice app to discuss this reporting.Revised 9 October 2026. Copy edited 9 October to remove commentary about graphic design; reported claims, qualifications and source dates preserved.
Reporting sources
- Federal Register · October 8 proposed rule, document 2026-20660
Full published original reopened after the barrier. Sections V.A/V.C and proposed 8 CFR 214.13(i) distinguish first payment, subsequent payment and transition. Ordinary comments November 9 at 23:59 ET; information-collection comments December 7. The submitted lead’s 2026-21845 URL was wrong and is excluded.
- University of Utah · October 8 policy advisory
Associate Director of Immigration and Policy Alex Curtis’s original student advisory confirms no current procedural or fee change. This is an affected institution’s legal-policy interpretation, not an independent economic-impact study.
- American Immigration Lawyers Association · October 8
Specialist legal association’s published notice corroborates document 91 FR 64566, proposed fees and November 9 deadline. Its short summary does not resolve all transition cases.
Images & figures
A proposal above an open path. AI-generated editorial illustration of a policy under discussion; the passage remains open. Not an enacted fee, official document or real institution.
Euangelion · AI-generated editorial illustration · Source · Usage terms
Compare the initial and conditional later school fees on one dollar scale.
Euangelion · original explanatory graphic · Source · Usage terms · Download figure