Proposed $70,000 OPT and $30,000 STEM OPT Fees

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On October 8, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would impose substantial new fees on the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program for F-1 students.

The proposal is currently in the notice-and-comment period. Comments are due by November 7, 2026 (30 days after publication of the NPRM). After the comment period closes, DHS must review the comments and decide whether to issue a final rule, a process with no specified deadline that could take months or longer. If DHS ultimately publishes a final rule, the proposed OPT fees would not take effect until 60 days after publication of that final rule, meaning there is currently no known implementation date.

DHS proposes that SEVP-certified schools pay:

$70,000 for a student's first OPT recommendation
$30,000 for each subsequent OPT recommendation, including STEM OPT extensions and later OPT periods

A student who uses pre-completion OPT and then post-completion OPT could result in $100,000 total USCIS filing fees being demanded up front. Further, the proposal would require schools to pay the fee before a DSO could even recommend OPT in SEVIS. USCIS would not approve OPT employment authorization unless and until the required fee was paid.

Importantly, the fee is tied to the school's recommendation, not to a specific employer. As such, schools could request refunds only if:

The student has not received the Employment Authorization Document (EAD), and
The OPT recommendation has been withdrawn in SEVIS.

Once an EAD is issued, refunds generally would not be available.

If this rule is finalized, the fee would apply to OPT recommendations dated on or after the effective date. However, it is widely expected that lawsuits will be filed in federal court to challenge this rule, should it ever go into effect.