The administration is proposing a $100,000 fee for the Optional Practical Training program.
Posted by Bulwark Takes, Checked
- Sources
- 4 contradict3 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
Bulwark TakesAug 29, 2026
The administration did propose OPT fees in an October 8, 2026 rule, but the proposal is $70,000 for initial OPT and $30,000 for subsequent OPT, not a single $100,000 fee. The $100,000 figure appears only as a combined total for a STEM OPT path in some coverage (Science, Forbes).
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What we found
Contradicts. The proposed fee is $70,000 for initial OPT and $30,000 for subsequent OPT, per the Federal Register, DHS, Reuters and AP, so a single $100,000 fee is not what is proposed.[1][2][3][4]
Supports. DHS published a proposed rule on October 8, 2026 creating new fees for F-1 students engaging in Optional Practical Training, confirmed by the Federal Register notice and DHS's own announcements.[3][4][5]
Supports. Science and Forbes describe $100,000 as the combined total for OPT plus STEM OPT ($70,000 plus $30,000), so the $100,000 figure holds under a cumulative measure of the proposal.[7][8]
Context. Under the proposal, the fees would be paid by schools for each student, and the rule has a comment period ending November 9, 2026. Non-OPT details such as the rule's finalization are still pending.[5][6]
Context. The WSJ reported in July that the government was contemplating such a fee, so the proposal was not public when the August 29 post was made.[7]
Sources
8 sources: 2 fact-checkers, 4 primary, 1 tier 1, 1 tier 2
- 1Trump administration plans to charge international students $70,000 for work authorizationreuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 2DHS proposes a $70,000 fee for international students to work ...apnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: contradicts
- 3Optional Practical Training Feesfederalregister.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 4DHS Proposes Fees for Foreign Student Work Program to ...dhs.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts, supports
- 5DHS Publishes Proposed Rule Establishing Fees for Optional ...studyinthestates.dhs.gov · primary source · cited for: supports, context
- 6DHS Proposes New Fees for Optional Practical Training (OPT)oiss.yale.edu · primary source · cited for: context
- 7Trump administration proposes $100,000 fee for work authorization for international studentsscience.org · tier 1 · cited for: supports, context
- 8DHS Immigration Rule Proposes $100,000 In Practical Training Feesforbes.com · tier 2 · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
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