The higher education community is urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to withdraw a proposed rule which would create a new unprecedented fee for international students seeking to complete Optional Practical Training (OPT).
Under the proposal announced last month, the new fee, which would be charged to the institution of higher education for each student, would be $70,000 for an initial year of OPT participation and $30,000 for any subsequent year of OPT (up to 3 years). Further, the fee would go to the U.S. Department of the Treasury for unspecified purposes and would not be used by DHS to address processing, fraud investigation, or enforcement.
In comments sent to DHS today, ACE and 36 other higher education organizations said that they are concerned that the new fees extend far beyond the cost of processing each OPT application, would open the door to fraudulent participation, and block the ability of international nonimmigrant students to gain real-world, practical experience in their field of study. Because many consider the OPT program to be an important part of choosing the U.S. for postsecondary education, this high of a fee could put the program out of reach for many institutions and international students and weaken a key draw for studying in the United States, the letter notes.
“Each year, OPT allows hundreds of thousands of international students on F-1 visas to gain practical training in the United States during or after their studies,” the comment letter stated. “The program has a significant economic impact by attracting international students, fostering foreign talent and innovation, and contributing to the U.S. workforce.”
As a consequence, the groups are strongly urging DHS to withdraw the proposed OPT fee rule in its entirety, noting that the higher education community has previously commented in support of increased fees and administrative costs, when those fees have been directed to improving processing, addressing fraud, and improving the program for participating students and institutions.
“Should DHS choose to proceed with regulatory changes, we urge the Department to conduct a realistic economic impact assessment, which incorporates the cumulative toll of ongoing visa declines and the loss of international student contributions to the national economy,” the groups said.