Proposed $70,000 OPT fee: what F-1 job seekers should do now

By Professional Vault · · 8 min read

DHS has proposed fees of up to $100,000 per student for OPT and STEM OPT. Nothing changes today, but the window may tighten. Here is what the rule says, who it hits, and how to use the months you have.

Proposed $70,000 OPT fee: what F-1 job seekers should do now

Last updated October 9, 2026.

On October 7, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security proposed charging schools $70,000 before they can recommend an F-1 student for Optional Practical Training, and $30,000 for each OPT recommendation after that. If you are on OPT now, or graduating in 2027 and counting on it, that headline is alarming. The rule is a proposal, not law, and it changes nothing about your status today.

What it does change is the planning horizon. Here is what the proposal actually says, who it would affect, and the job-search moves worth making while the current rules still apply.

What DHS actually proposed

The proposal is a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled "Optional Practical Training Fees," docket ICEB-2026-0100, published in the Federal Register on October 8, 2026 (Federal Register public inspection copy, 2026). The core of it:

  • $70,000 for initial OPT. An SEVP-certified school would pay this before its Designated School Official (DSO) could recommend a student for any type of OPT in SEVIS (DHS, 2026).
  • $30,000 for each subsequent OPT recommendation. Several universities read this as covering STEM OPT extensions; Vanderbilt's international office describes it as a "$30,000 fee for subsequent recommendations, including STEM OPT extensions" (Vanderbilt ISSS, 2026). Combined, that is up to $100,000 per student for a full OPT plus STEM OPT cycle.
  • Schools pay, but may pass it on. The fee lands on the school, not the student or employer. DHS acknowledges schools could shift the cost to F-1 students, all students, or employers (Ogletree, 2026).
  • Proof of payment before you file. The DSO would give the student fee payment information with the Form I-20 recommending OPT, before the student files Form I-765 with USCIS.

Scale matters for understanding why this is a big deal. DHS's own figures in the proposal count 165,524 F-1 students participating in STEM OPT in 2024, plus 194,554 in pre- and post-completion OPT (Federal Register, 2026).

Who it would hit, and when

The single most important fact: this is not in effect. Current OPT and STEM OPT processes and fees stay the same "unless and until a final rule takes effect" (Vanderbilt ISSS, 2026).

If DHS finalizes it, the proposed timeline is:

  1. Comment period. Public comments run from October 8 through November 9, 2026 (DHS, 2026).
  2. Final rule. DHS reviews comments and may revise the rule. There is no set date for a final rule, and it may change from the proposal.
  3. 60-day delay. DHS proposes that a final rule take effect 60 days after it is published (Federal Register, 2026).

The proposal is written to apply prospectively. Schools would not pay the fee for a student who is currently on approved OPT, has been approved for OPT, or has received a DSO recommendation for OPT before the effective date. The fee would apply to DSO recommendations dated on or after that date.

There is one detail to watch: the proposal says that if a student submits a subsequent OPT request on or after the effective date, the fee provisions apply. For someone on regular OPT today who plans a STEM OPT extension next year, that means the timing of your extension request could matter. How the final text treats students whose first OPT predated the rule is worth checking with your DSO once the final rule is out.

A final rule could also be challenged in court, as the $100,000 H-1B fee was in 2025, so even a final rule may not take effect on schedule.

The job-search clock you already have

The fee is a future risk. The unemployment clock is a present one, and it is the constraint most F-1 job seekers actually run into.

  • 90 days on post-completion OPT. That is the maximum unemployment allowed during your initial OPT period (Study in the States).
  • 150 days total with STEM OPT. The STEM extension adds 60 days, and the 150 includes any days you already used on regular OPT. It is cumulative, not a fresh allowance.
  • STEM OPT has employer rules. Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, you must work at least 20 hours per week per employer, and you need a Form I-983 training plan (Study in the States).
  • File the extension early. USCIS accepts STEM OPT extension applications up to 90 days before your current OPT authorization expires (USCIS).

A proposal that could make future OPT more expensive does not touch these numbers. It does make the case for getting into a qualifying role sooner rather than later, and for choosing employers where the next step, usually H-1B, is realistic.

What to do in the next 90 days

Here is the workflow that makes the most of the time you have.

  1. Build a sponsor-first target list. Before you apply anywhere, check whether the employer has filed H-1B petitions recently. Public government data makes this a ten-minute job per company; we walk through it in how to check if a company sponsors H-1B.
  2. Check E-Verify before you say yes. If you are STEM eligible, an offer from an employer that is not enrolled in E-Verify cannot carry you into a STEM extension. Ask the recruiter directly, early.
  3. Answer the sponsorship question honestly and consistently. Application forms almost always ask whether you will require sponsorship. A wrong answer can cost you an offer later; we cover the exact wording in how to answer "Do you require sponsorship?".
  4. Increase volume without lowering quality. Most F-1 job seekers lose time to retyping the same details into Workday and Greenhouse forms, not to writing. Cut that time first (see how to finish a Workday application in 3 minutes), then spend the saved hours tailoring for the roles that matter.
  5. Run a focused sprint if your clock is short. If you are past 45 unemployment days, a single structured week of applications beats a month of drifting. The plan is in the one-week job sprint.
  6. Comment on the rule if you have something to say. Comments go through regulations.gov under docket ICEB-2026-0100 until November 9, 2026. Concrete, personal facts (your field, your employer's use of OPT, what the fee would mean for your school) carry more weight than general objections.

This is not legal advice. Your DSO is the person who can tell you how any of this applies to your own record, and an immigration attorney is the right call for anything involving travel or a pending petition.

Where ProfVault fits

ProfVault helps with the volume half of this plan. The Chrome extension auto-fills applications on more than 100 applicant tracking systems for free, with no limit on the number of applications, and keeps your work-authorization answers consistent across every form. It writes AI answers to open questions on 10 applications a month for free.

New accounts start with a 7-day Pro trial that includes 5 AI credits, enough to tailor resumes to the roles at the top of your sponsor list. If you are planning an intense week of applying, the Job Sprint plan is $9.99 for the week; Pro is $24 a month. You can create a free account here.

A proposed fee does not move your deadline. Your unemployment counter does, so spend the next 90 days on it.

FAQ

Is the $70,000 OPT fee in effect now?

No. It is a proposed rule published on October 8, 2026. Current OPT and STEM OPT fees and processes are unchanged unless and until a final rule takes effect.

Do students have to pay the fee themselves?

The proposal places the fee on the SEVP-certified school. DHS acknowledges schools could pass some or all of the cost to students or employers, so how it reaches students would depend on each school.

I am on OPT right now. Am I affected?

Under the proposal, schools would not pay the fee for students currently on approved OPT or recommended for OPT before the effective date. A later OPT request made on or after the effective date, such as a STEM extension, could fall under the new fee provisions, so ask your DSO once a final rule is published.

When could a final rule take effect?

DHS proposes an effective date 60 days after a final rule is published. There is no announced date for a final rule, and the content may change after the comment period.

How do I comment on the proposal?

Go to regulations.gov, search for docket ICEB-2026-0100, and submit a comment before November 9, 2026. Comments are public, so leave out personal details you would not want published.

Does this change the 90-day and 150-day unemployment limits?

No. The proposal is about fees. The unemployment limits, E-Verify requirement and Form I-983 rules for STEM OPT are unchanged.

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