- USCIS is conducting unannounced site visits at homes and remote work locations for OPT graduates.
- DHS is reviewing the program to protect U.S. labor markets under America First policies.
- Over 294,000 international students participate in OPT, with Indian nationals making up nearly half.
(UNITED STATES) — The Trump administration has stepped up oversight of the Optional Practical Training program with unannounced surprise site checks on foreign graduates, widening inspections beyond employer offices and into residences, university housing and remote job locations listed in federal student records.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has used its Fraud Detection and National Security unit, or FDNS, to carry out the checks as the administration shifts from passive monitoring to active enforcement of a program that lets international students work in jobs tied to their studies after graduation.
The legal authority for the visits rests under 8 C.F.R. 214.2(f)(10), which USCIS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement use to verify that training plans under Form I-983 match a student’s academic field and the terms reported to the government.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem tied the push to a wider review of the program in a letter dated January 9, 2026 to Senator Eric Schmitt. “Consistent with President Trump’s direction and the administration’s America First immigration policy, DHS is re-evaluating whether the current regulatory framework—including the scope and duration of practical training—appropriately serves U.S. labor market, tax, and national security interests and remains aligned with congressional intent.”
Noem also said in January 2026 that the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, known as SEVP, is “taking action to mitigate vulnerabilities” and that the department plans to use rulemaking to, “.amend existing practical training regulations to protect U.S. workers from being displaced by foreign nationals, address fraud and national security concerns, and enhance the Student and Exchange Visitor Program’s capacity to oversee the program.”
The program sits inside regulation, not a statute passed directly by Congress. DHS has said that structure gives the executive branch room to change, narrow or remove parts of OPT, including the 24-month STEM extension, without new legislation.
Federal records show the scale of the program. In the 2024/25 academic year, there were over 294,000 total participants in OPT.
Indian nationals make up approximately 49% of all STEM OPT participants. As of early 2026, about 352,644 Indian students were in the United States, with an estimated 100,000 currently in practical training or STEM extensions.
That population has drawn close attention as the Trump administration tightens oversight of OPT students. The administration has also signaled a coming rule in the Spring Unified Agenda under RIN 1653-AA97 that would tighten eligibility and increase reporting requirements for OPT and STEM OPT.
Inspection practices have expanded since late 2025. Site visits once centered on employer offices, but FDNS officers are now conducting unannounced visits at student residences, university housing and remote work locations when those addresses appear in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, or SEVIS, as the primary worksite.
Students have reported visits in which officers sought immediate access to signed Form I-983 training plans, recent pay stubs, employment verification letters and proof that day-to-day duties relate directly to the degree program that supported the work authorization.
Those checks have landed alongside a rise in Requests for Evidence and Notices of Intent to Revoke tied to OPT status. Immigration attorneys have pointed to reporting mismatches, including failures to update a change in supervisor or work address within 10 days, as a common trigger.
Another layer arrived in March 2026, when new vetting procedures introduced more frequent social media reviews and criminal background checks for applicants seeking OPT extensions. That added screening has widened the government’s review beyond worksite compliance and into personal background checks tied to continued employment authorization.
The effect reaches well beyond a narrow enforcement unit. Many OPT students work in science, technology, engineering and math fields, where the STEM extension can keep them in the United States for an additional two years after the initial post-graduation work period, making any change to reporting rules or inspection standards carry direct weight for employers and universities as well as students.
Employers that host students on STEM extensions already sign training plans and accept compliance obligations under Form I-983. With inspectors now appearing at offsite locations tied to remote jobs, the practical boundary of a worksite has widened, and records in SEVIS have taken on greater importance.
Universities also sit inside that chain because designated school officials update student records and certify parts of the OPT process. A late address change, an outdated supervisor name or an incomplete worksite entry can now carry more risk when inspections are unannounced and document requests are immediate.
Indian students are likely to feel the pressure most sharply because of their share of the STEM OPT population. With roughly 100,000 Indian nationals estimated to be in practical training or STEM extensions, even a modest increase in reviews, RFEs or revocation notices touches a large group.
The administration’s language has left little doubt about direction. Noem’s letter framed the review around labor market, tax and national security interests, while SEVP’s stated aim to “mitigate vulnerabilities” points to a system the department views as open to abuse unless rules and inspections become tougher.
Federal agencies have identified public channels where students and schools can track official updates, including the [USCIS Newsroom](https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom), the [DHS STEM OPT Hub](https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/stem-opt-hub) and the [USCIS Policy Manual](https://www.uscis.gov/policy-manual). The policy manual includes updates dated January 30, 2026 on photo and biometrics policies for employment authorization documents, another sign that oversight of work authorization has become more exacting across the system.
The immediate result is a program under tighter watch than it was a year ago. OPT students who once dealt mainly with paperwork and periodic reporting now face a compliance regime in which a home address, a remote desk and a signed training plan can all become the subject of a federal knock on the door.
