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Since the new administration came into power in January 2025, there has been a constant flurry of changes in immigration laws, affecting millions of documented and undocumented immigrants across the country. Now, students who have been planning to work in the United States in Optional Practical Training (OPT) status have been caught up in the storm. The nominee for USCIS director recently revealed his proposal to create a program that would eliminate OPT from progressing beyond the period that an F-1 student visa holder is attending school.
What Does This Mean?
OPT allows international students to gain work experience in their field after completing their studies. Typically, students can qualify for OPT once they officially graduate. Ending OPT for F-1 students would stop them from being able to obtain temporary employment authorization after graduating. This would affect international students who normally qualify for 12-month OPT status following their studies; as well as graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) who qualify to receive an additional two-year STEM OPT extension.
What Kind of an Impact Would an End To Opt Cause?
Over 400,000 students were approved for F-1 visas in fiscal year 2024, and there are estimated to be over 1.3 million students currently in the U.S. in F-1 and M-1 status. For F-1 students who plan to seek OPT status following their graduation, an end to the program would not only severely impact their economic and career goals in multiple ways, but it would also create a rippling effect for schools and the economy.
Loss of Potential Income for Students
If OPT is eliminated, students who planned to work in this status would have to return to their home country immediately after they graduate. This could cause financial strain for students who planned to apply for OPT, and make it difficult for them to repay any school loans.
Loss of Career Opportunities for Students
Many international students paid significantly higher tuitions to enroll in U.S. colleges with the hope of gaining valuable work experience after completing their studies. Now, those who counted on working with various U.S. employers will miss out on the opportunity to acquire initial experience in their field and recover some of their educational costs.
Decline in Enrollment
Students would not be the only ones affected if OPT is terminated by the Trump administration. Since many international students seek out American universities for the opportunity to gain income and work experience in the U.S. after graduating, these universities would experience a sharp decline in enrollment. This decline would in turn have a major impact on the schools’ finances, since international students are usually required to pay full tuition. STEM programs would also be at risk, as a reduction in international students would result in less demand for these programs.
Economic Impact
Since international students contribute billions of dollars to the U.S. economy on an annual basis, the cancellation of OPT for graduates could result in a significant loss to the U.S. economy.
These are just some of the impacts that the ending of OPT for international graduates could have on students and the educational institutions who rely on their enrollment, as well as on the U.S. in general. It would also affect the diverse make-up of universities, and cause students undue stress, knowing they would not be able to benefit from the opportunities that optional practical training has offered international graduates. Overall, it would make the U.S. a much less attractive option for students seeking to enroll in colleges outside their home countries.
If you are an international student who plans to work in F-1 OPT status after graduating, or if you have questions regarding another immigration legal matter, contact U.S. Immigration Law Counsel for a strategy session to discuss your case.
