A proposed US immigration rule imposing a $70,000 fee on universities for recommending international students for Optional Practical Training (OPT), followed by an additional $30,000 for subsequent recommendations, could drive away international students and undermine America’s position as a leading global education destination, the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration has warned.In public comments submitted to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the coalition, representing nearly 600 colleges and universities, has strongly opposed the proposed rule and urged the administration to withdraw it in its entirety.The proposed fees, published on Oct 8, 2026, would require educational institutions to pay $70,000 before recommending a student for initial OPT and $30,000 for each subsequent recommendation, including a STEM OPT extension. Universities could either absorb the substantial charges or seek to pass on the costs to students or employers, potentially making access to practical training dependent on students’ financial means or an employer’s willingness to pay.“If implemented, the proposed fees will put practical training out of reach for most students and campuses, effectively dismantling the OPT program as we know it, making it harder for employers to hire US-educated international graduates, and driving away new international students,” said Miriam Feldblum, president and CEO of the Presidents’ Alliance.She warned that declining international enrolment would also hurt American students. “American students will suffer the consequences when international enrollment falls and colleges have a harder time sustaining courses and programs that support domestic students,” she said.The coalition cited a survey of 734 current and former international students, which found that 69% would probably or definitely not have enrolled in a US institution had the proposed fees been in place. Among STEM students, the figure was 70%.The economic implications could be considerable. International students contributed $42.9 billion to the US economy and supported over 3.5 lakh jobs during the 2024-25 academic year.Feldblum said the coalition shared the government’s objective of preventing fraud and protecting American workers but questioned whether the proposed charges would achieve that purpose.“An institution’s ability to pay says nothing about whether a student qualifies or an employer follows the rules,” she said, warning that the proposal put America’s position as a destination for global talent at risk.The submission also highlighted the financial burden on universities. One institution with approximately 6,000 international students estimated that the fees could cost it more than $60 million annually, exceeding 1% of its operating budget.The Alliance argued that restricting OPT could disrupt university research, employer partnerships and the pipeline of skilled graduates, while pushing talent towards competing destinations such as Canada, the UK, Australia and Germany.“When talented students from around the world choose to study and build their futures elsewhere, they take their skills, ideas, and innovations with them,” Feldblum said. “The next research discovery or successful startup won’t be in the US. That’s how we lose our competitive edge.”The coalition also questioned DHS’s statutory authority to impose the charges, its justification for the amounts and the effectiveness of the proposal in preventing fraud.
