Rumored $70,000 OPT Fee and $30,000 STEM OPT Fee Remain Unconfirmed and Not in Effect

DHS has not published a proposed rule confirming a $70,000 charge for OPT or a $30,000 charge for STEM OPT. As of October 7, 2026, those figures are unconfirmed, and no new charge is in effect.

The agency’s regulatory record shows a proposal moving through review, not a published policy. The figures circulating for the OPT fee and STEM OPT fee are not confirmed in a public rule.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement submitted an “Optional Practical Training Fees” proposal, identified as RIN 1653-AB01, to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs on August 20, 2026. OIRA finished its review on September 11, 2026.

That review is an internal step. It did not set a fee or make one payable. The public record does not show the proposal’s charges or payment terms.

A public rule must come before any new charge

DHS would need to publish a proposed rule in the Federal Register before the public could review its terms and submit comments. That process would give students, employers and other members of the public a chance to respond.

The published proposal would need to spell out the amount for each charge and identify who would pay: students, employers or both. It would also need to explain whether a fee covered initial OPT applications, STEM extensions, or people who already hold employment authorization.

Exemptions and hardship provisions, a proposed start date and the deadline for comments are also among the details a public rule would need to set out. None appears in the unpublished review record.

Figures as high as $100,000 have circulated in recent reporting, but that amount also has not appeared in an officially published DHS proposal. The $70,000 and $30,000 figures remain unconfirmed as well.

Students still use the existing Form I-765 schedule

International students continue to apply for employment authorization using Form I-765 and the current filing fees. Online filing costs $470, while paper filing costs $520.

Optional premium processing, where available, costs $1,780 following the adjustment that took effect March 1, 2026. Those are the current charges, not the proposed amounts circulating in the headline.

Post-completion OPT generally allows up to 12 months of employment authorization. Eligible graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields may qualify for a further 24-month STEM OPT extension, making up to 36 months total.

A proposed rule would not impose fees by itself

Publication would begin the notice-and-comment process, not automatically activate a new payment. DHS would generally need to review public comments and issue a final rule before imposing a charge.

Students filing now should continue to follow current Form I-765 procedures and pay the existing fees. An OPT or STEM OPT application does not trigger a $70,000 or $30,000 payment under any publicly confirmed rule.

Any published proposal would clarify whether the department intended to charge applicants for initial OPT, STEM extensions, or both, and when any new fee could take effect. Until then, the reviewed proposal remains short of a public rule and a final agency decision.