- DHS proposes a $70,000 first charge for an OPT recommendation, paid by the student’s SEVP-certified school.
- A later recommendation could add $30,000 more, bringing charges to $100,000 for some OPT sequences.
- The proposal is not in effect; any start date would fall 60 days after publication of a final rule.
The Department of Homeland Security has proposed charging schools $70,000 for a student’s first OPT recommendation and $30,000 for a later one. A student who uses both pre-completion and post-completion work authorization could therefore generate $100,000 in charges.
The first payment would go to the student’s SEVP-certified school, rather than directly to the student. The department says schools could shift the expense to students, employers or other sources.
No OPT fee is payable under this proposal now. It remains a proposal, not a charge in effect.
Free toolOPT Timeline Calculator OnlineThe proposed DHS rule ties the payments to recommendations from a designated school official, or DSO. A new recommendation would trigger the later charge, even if the student stayed with the same employer.
A second recommendation triggers another charge
The first DSO recommendation, whether for pre-completion or post-completion OPT, would bring the $70,000 charge. A later recommendation would add $30,000. The proposal’s trigger is another recommendation, not a switch between employers.
That structure can make using OPT before graduation costly in institutional terms. If a student first receives a pre-completion recommendation and then seeks post-completion OPT after graduating, the school would owe the initial $70,000 and then another $30,000.
Ordinary OPT generally allows up to 12 months of work authorization. Time spent on pre-completion OPT reduces how much post-completion time remains. A student who saves the full period for after graduation would generate the first charge alone; using both stages could generate the full $100,000.
Pre-completion and STEM use can bring the total to $100,000
| Student’s OPT sequence | First recommendation | Later recommendation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-completion OPT only | $70,000 | None | $70,000 |
| Pre-completion, then post-completion OPT | $70,000 | $30,000 | $100,000 |
| 12 months of post-completion OPT, then STEM extension | $70,000 | $30,000 | $100,000 |
The later charge also applies to subsequent OPT recommendations, including a 24-month STEM OPT extension. A graduate who first uses post-completion OPT and later seeks that extension could therefore produce the same total as a student moving from pre-completion to post-completion OPT.
The proposed start date would follow a final rule
DHS proposes applying the charges to recommendations dated on or after the measure’s effective date. The department would set that date 60 days after publication of a final rule.
Students already working under OPT, those with approval already in hand, and those whose DSO recommendation predates the effective date would generally fall outside the transition charge. The timing of a later request could still matter.
A student already using OPT who seeks a new STEM extension after the effective date could trigger the initial $70,000 charge if the school had not already paid it for that student. The later $30,000 charge would apply to subsequent recommendations under the proposed schedule.
