Reported by Ariajegbe Sylvia Esezobor
The Trump administration has proposed a $70,000 fee for international students seeking to work in the United States after graduation, in the latest and most aggressive move yet to restrict foreign enrolment and employment in American universities and companies. The Department of Homeland Security announced the proposal on Wednesday, saying schools would be required to pay the fee for every student participating in the Optional Practical Training programme, which allows international students to work in jobs related to their major during or after their studies. Schools would also pay a $30,000 fee for each renewal. The proposal, first reported by the Associated Press and Reuters, represents a staggering increase from the approximately $500 that students currently pay to participate in the programme.
The OPT programme has long served as a critical bridge for international students seeking to transition from education into employment in the United States. Students on F-1 visas are generally eligible for one year of post-graduation work authorisation, while those in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields can qualify for an additional two years. The programme has been particularly important for students from Nigeria, India and China, many of whom rely on OPT to gain practical work experience before applying for H-1B skilled worker visas or pursuing permanent residency. Under the proposed rule, universities would pay $70,000 for each student's initial OPT application and $30,000 for any subsequent work training, though the Fragomen law firm notes that universities would be permitted to recoup the costs from the student or employer.
The Department of Homeland Security framed the fee as an anti-fraud measure, describing the OPT programme as a "pipeline for cheap foreign labour" and saying the new rules were meant "to combat fraud, strengthen the integrity of the immigration system, and protect US workers." The agency said that without the fees, it might consider terminating the OPT programme altogether. "DHS is now setting a fee to ensure employers, students, and institutions are engaging in appropriate activities consistent with admission as an F-1 nonimmigrant," the agency said in its notice. The proposal follows a pattern of escalating restrictions on international students under the current administration, including the termination of legal status for thousands of students last year, a rule limiting students to four years in the US without federal approval, and a $100,000 fee on H-1B petitions that is currently blocked by a court order.
The reaction from the higher education sector was swift and alarmed. Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, the association representing international education, said the OPT programme enables students to gain hands-on experience while helping address labour shortages in high-demand STEM fields. "Driving away the talents, perspectives, and aspirations of international students will only hurt American innovation, economic growth, workforce development, and global leadership," Aw said in a written statement. Doug Rand, director of the Talent Mobility Fund, predicted legal challenges. "This proposed rule isn't going to fare well in the courts, just as the $100,000 H-1B fee and other restrictionist policies have been struck down," he wrote on LinkedIn.
For Nigerian students, who are among the largest cohorts of African students in the United States, the proposal has triggered immediate anxiety. Nigeria already had 21,311 active international students in the US as of August 2026, down by 800 from the previous year, and applications from Nigeria through the Common App declined by 17 per cent for the 2026–27 academic year. The proposed fee, if implemented, would add an impossible financial burden for most Nigerian graduates, many of whom rely on OPT to earn a salary, repay student loans, support their families and build a career in the United States. For students from a country where the national minimum wage is N70,000 per month, $70,000 represents a sum beyond the reach of all but the wealthiest families. The proposal also threatens to compound the challenges facing Nigerian professionals who have already been affected by previous restrictions, including the suspension of student visas and the broader crackdown on immigration.
The legal and procedural path ahead remains uncertain. The public has 30 to 60 days to comment on the proposal before DHS can finalize it, depending on the publication source, and the rule would take effect 60 days after finalisation to allow schools, students and employers time to prepare. Higher education groups and business associations are expected to mount legal challenges, and the history of similar proposals suggests that the courts may intervene. The $100,000 H-1B fee was struck down by a federal judge before the White House appealed, and the four-year limit on student stays was prevented from taking effect by a federal court in September. Whether the OPT fee survives judicial scrutiny will depend on whether the administration can demonstrate that the fee is justified by its stated anti-fraud objectives and consistent with the legal framework governing the OPT programme.
For American universities, the proposal represents a potential financial and reputational disaster. International students contribute billions of dollars to the US economy through tuition, living expenses and consumer spending, and they fill critical labour shortages in technology, engineering, healthcare and research. The Common App reported a 10 per cent decline in international applicants for the 2026–27 academic year, the steepest fall in its data, and an analysis by the Louisiana Illuminator projected that international student enrolment could drop to 1.05 million from nearly 1.18 million in 2024–25. If the OPT fee is implemented, that decline will accelerate, with consequences not only for universities but for the American companies and research institutions that depend on international talent.
For Nigerian students and their families, the proposal is another blow in a year of mounting obstacles. Many have already liquidated assets, taken loans and sacrificed savings to fund their American education. The promise of post-study work experience, which made the financial sacrifice worthwhile, is now under threat. The next generation of Nigerian graduates may find that the American dream, already difficult to attain, has become impossible to afford. The coming months will determine whether the courts, Congress or public pressure can stop the proposal, or whether the Trump administration succeeds in closing one of the last remaining pathways for international students to build lives in the United States.
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