Trump Administration Considers $100,000 Fee for Foreign Students to Work in the US After Graduation

• The Trump administration is weighing a $100,000 charge on the Optional Practical Training programme
• Around 419,000 foreign graduates were enrolled under the OPT programme in 2024, with Silicon Valley and Wall Street firms among the biggest employers
• Officials at the US Department of Homeland Security have not yet decided who would bear the cost

The Trump administration is weighing a proposal to impose a $100,000 fee on international students who wish to work in the US after completing degrees at American universities, according to people familiar with the discussions.

The measure would target the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, a federal scheme that permits international graduates to remain in the US on their student visas and take up employment for a period of up to three years, depending on their field of study.

Approximately 419,000 foreign graduates were participating in the OPT programme in 2024, according to the most recently available figures.

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If adopted, the Wall Street Journal reported that the fee would represent a significant escalation in President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to curtail legal immigration across multiple categories.

The consequences would extend well beyond individual students, with American universities facing potential damage to a major revenue stream built on international tuition fees.

Technology companies and financial institutions that routinely recruit internationally educated graduates for specialised roles would also be affected.

Discussions are continuing at the Department of Homeland Security, and it remains uncertain whether the White House will endorse the proposal.

Among the unresolved questions is who would ultimately be required to pay the fee. Officials are reportedly considering whether the obligation should fall on the international students themselves, the universities they attend, or the employers seeking to hire them.

DHS Cautions Against Treating Proposal as Final

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security said no policy should be treated as settled until it has been formally announced, signalling that the proposal remains in its early stages and subject to change.

The potential fee forms part of a broader pattern of immigration restrictions pursued by the Trump administration since returning to office.

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Previous measures have targeted various legal pathways into the United States, and this proposal, if formalised, would add post-graduation employment to the list of areas facing new barriers.

Germany announces deportation of 31 people

In a related development, YEN.com.gh reported that Germany has deported 31 Afghan men to Kabul on a charter flight.

The announcement came from Germany's Federal Ministry of the Interior, which said the 31 men had been identified as convicted criminals or individuals deemed to pose a security threat to the country.

Source: YEN.com.gh