100,000 F-1 Visa Students Work in Michigan, Fuel STEM Fields Through Optional Practical Training

(MICHIGAN) — International student graduates filled more than 97,000 jobs in Michigan between 2013 and 2022 through Optional Practical Training, a work authorization pathway tied largely to F-1 student visas and concentrated heavily in STEM fields.

That total, described as nearly 100,000 jobs, points to the scale of Michigan employers’ reliance on graduates who stayed on after completing degrees at schools including the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Northern Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, and University of Michigan-Flint.

The figures also show how Optional Practical Training, or OPT, has become part of the state’s hiring pipeline, particularly for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics graduates who can remain on post-completion work authorization longer than other students.

Post-completion OPT gives international students 12 months of work authorization after finishing a degree. For graduates in STEM fields, that period can stretch by another 24 months, bringing total work authorization to 36 months.

That longer window matters in Michigan because the jobs filled through the program were concentrated in STEM fields, where employers can keep graduates on staff for a longer period before any possible move to H-1B status. The arrangement gives employers more time to evaluate workers while graduates continue building U.S. work experience.

Federal F-1 student visa rules shape how that system works. To qualify for the 24-month STEM extension, a graduate must hold a job directly related to the field of study, follow a formal training plan, and work for an employer that participates in E-Verify.

Michigan’s use of the program has grown sharply over time. From 2004-2016, the state recorded 330% growth in international students entering the workforce annually through OPT.

By 2016, nearly 9,000 international student graduates were entering Michigan’s workforce each year through the program. That annual level was more than double H-1B hires.

Those numbers help explain why the program now sits at the center of debates over student visas, work authorization and labor supply, even though the Michigan figures show a steady role rather than a sudden shift. No 2026 updates alter those totals.

The figures align with federal F-1 regulations that have remained unchanged since the 2016 STEM OPT expansion. That means the rules governing the 12-month standard period and the extra 24 months for STEM graduates remain the framework behind the Michigan job counts.

Universities have played a large role in feeding that pipeline. The University of Michigan, Michigan State University, Northern Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, and University of Michigan-Flint were identified among the institutions whose graduates moved into Michigan jobs through OPT after completing their studies.

Graduate programs in technical disciplines form an especially large part of that picture. International students account for over 70% in electrical engineering, computer/information sciences, and industrial/manufacturing engineering graduate programs, according to the research cited in the figures.

That concentration matters because OPT is tied to a student’s field of study. A graduate cannot simply take any job and qualify for the STEM extension; the position must connect directly to the degree.

Employer participation also comes with conditions. The STEM extension requires a formal training plan and E-Verify participation, while that requirement comes at no cost to employers and is handled by the student’s university.

The rules differ depending on where and when a student works. On-campus employment is limited to 20 hours/week during terms, though students can work full-time on breaks.

Off-campus employment follows a separate approval structure. Students need U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services approval through CPT before graduation when work is integral to studies, or through OPT after or during a qualifying period of study.

That framework places limits on student employment even as it opens a route into the labor market after graduation. It also draws a line between campus jobs and career-track work that connects directly to a student’s degree program.

The Michigan totals from 2013-2022 suggest employers continued to use the program across many years rather than in a brief surge. More than 97,000 jobs over that period reflect sustained demand, especially for graduates in STEM fields.

In practice, the extended period for STEM graduates can make those workers more attractive to employers deciding whether to hire a recent graduate on F-1 student visas. A 36-month authorization period gives companies a longer stretch to assess performance and staffing needs before any possible H-1B transition.

That comparison with H-1B hiring stands out in Michigan’s earlier trend data. By 2016, OPT hires in the state had climbed to nearly 9,000 per year, more than double H-1B hires, suggesting that for many employers the student-to-work route had become more common than hiring directly through the better-known specialty visa program.

The data also point to a close relationship between universities and employers in Michigan’s labor market. Students arrive through academic programs, complete degrees, and then move into jobs under a structure that allows post-graduation employment if it matches their studies.

For technical employers, that connection is strongest in STEM fields. Graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics can stay in authorized employment for three years under the 12-month post-completion OPT period plus the 24-month extension.

For non-STEM graduates, the path is shorter. They receive the standard 12 months of post-completion OPT, without the extra two-year extension available to STEM graduates.

The conditions attached to the STEM extension are meant to keep the employment tied to education and training. Job relevance, the formal training plan, and employer use of E-Verify all sit at the center of that structure.

Michigan’s numbers also reflect interest among international students themselves in staying in the United States after graduation. About 80% seek U.S. employment post-graduation, according to the research cited in the figures.

That helps explain why graduate enrollment patterns matter for workforce planning. When international students dominate enrollment in fields such as electrical engineering, computer/information sciences, and industrial/manufacturing engineering, the number of graduates eligible for Optional Practical Training can directly shape hiring pools in those sectors.

At the same time, the rules include a labor protection measure. No U.S. worker displacement is permitted.

That prohibition sits alongside the broader employment restrictions that define the program. Students cannot move freely between unrelated jobs under the STEM extension, and off-campus work still depends on immigration authorization.

The state-level numbers do not stand apart from federal policy so much as reflect it. Michigan’s nearly 100,000 jobs filled by international student graduates from 2013 to 2022 came through a framework that has been in place since the 2016 STEM OPT expansion and remained unchanged in 2026.

Seen over a longer stretch, the state’s 330% growth from 2004-2016 shows how rapidly the role of international graduates expanded before settling into the more recent decade’s large totals. What began as a growing entry point into the workforce became a durable part of hiring, especially in technical fields.

Schools across the state helped supply that workforce, from large public research universities to regional campuses. Employers, in turn, used the program to hire degree holders whose training matched open positions, particularly where technical knowledge was in demand.

Optional Practical Training often enters immigration debates through national policy fights, but the Michigan numbers make its labor market role concrete. More than 97,000 jobs were filled in one state over one decade, largely by graduates on F-1 student visas and heavily concentrated in STEM fields.

Those totals leave a clear picture of how the program operates in Michigan: students study at Michigan institutions, move into jobs tied to their degrees, and, if they are in STEM fields and meet the rules, stay authorized to work for up to 36 months. In a state where annual OPT hires once rose to nearly 9,000 and exceeded H-1B hires by more than two to one, that route has become a lasting bridge from classroom to workplace.