The Department of Homeland Security has proposed charging $70,000 for each F-1 student who is recommended for Optional Practical Training, and $30,000 for each later OPT recommendation for the same student. The proposed rule, "Optional Practical Training Fees," was announced on October 7 and published in the Federal Register on October 8, 2026 (91 FR 64566). It is not in effect. Comments are open until November 9, 2026.

DHS says the fee is meant "to combat fraud," and that it chose an amount "comparable to the fee for H-1B visas."

Key Points

  • What: A proposed rule that would create a new OPT fee of $70,000 for a student's first OPT and $30,000 for any subsequent OPT.
  • Who pays: The school. The rule says DHS "intends for schools to pay the applicable fees," but schools may pass the cost on to students or employers.
  • When it is paid: Before the school's designated school official (DSO) enters the OPT recommendation in SEVIS. No payment, no recommendation.
  • Status: Proposed only. Nothing changes for current OPT applicants today.
  • Comment deadline: November 9, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern, on regulations.gov under docket ICEB-2026-0100.
  • If finalized: DHS proposes that the rule take effect 60 days after the final version is published.

What the Fee Would Cover

The $70,000 fee would apply the first time a school recommends a student for any type of OPT, pre-completion or post-completion. It is per student and is not tied to a specific employer.

The $30,000 fee would apply to later OPT recommendations for a student who already triggered the initial fee, such as a 24-month STEM OPT extension.

The rule covers OPT only. DHS states that it "does not address CPT," so Curricular Practical Training is outside its scope.

Refunds

A school could ask for a refund of the initial fee if the student never receives an OPT employment authorization document (EAD). Once the EAD is issued, the fee is not refundable. For the subsequent fee, the DSO would first have to remove the recommendation in SEVIS. SEVP would decide refund requests case by case, and its decisions could not be appealed.

Why DHS Says It Is Doing This

DHS frames the fee as an anti-fraud measure. The proposal cites an investigation that found more than 10,000 F-1 students on OPT tied to "highly suspect employers," including companies operating from empty buildings. DHS also says the higher initial fee reflects that students may not have been vetted since their original F-1 application, and that the amounts are on par with the cost of one or two years of U.S. education.

For scale, the proposal counts 194,554 F-1 students with pre- or post-completion OPT employment in 2024, up from 160,627 in 2023, plus 165,524 students on STEM OPT. About 6,186 schools were SEVP-certified as of June 2026.

What Is Still Unclear

  • Pass-through: The rule lets schools decide whether to absorb the fee or charge it to students or employers.Schools may end up with different policies.
  • Students already on OPT: The proposal does not clearly say how it would treat students whose OPT was recommended before a final rule takes effect. Read the final rule when it comes out.

What to Do Now

If you are an F-1 student planning OPT or a STEM extension, nothing changes yet. Your school's international office is the place to ask whether it plans to pay, pass on, or decline the fee if the rule is finalized, and how that affects your timing. Anyone, including students, schools and employers, can comment on the proposal at regulations.gov, docket ICEB-2026-0100, until November 9, 2026.