According to Forbes, the Trump administration has placed a new immigration rule on the regulatory agenda that would end or severely restrict Optional Practical Training for international students. The rule could appear before the end of this year or in the first half of 2026 and would impact approximately 250,000 students who work on OPT and STEM OPT annually. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Director Joseph Edlow has explicitly stated he wants to “remove the ability for employment authorizations for F-1 students beyond the time that they are in school.” White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller is viewed as the driving force behind the measure, which critics say contradicts Donald Trump’s 2024 podcast statements about wanting all international students to stay and work in America with automatic green cards.
OPT Under Siege
Here’s the thing about OPT – it’s been a cornerstone of the international student experience for decades. Students get 12 months of work authorization in their field, with STEM graduates getting an additional 24 months. But now the administration seems determined to dismantle the whole system. They’re using the usual arguments about protecting American workers and national security concerns, but the evidence doesn’t really support those claims.
I mean, look at the research. Multiple studies, including one from the National Academies of Sciences, show that ending OPT would actually harm U.S. productivity and economic growth. Another NFAP study found that more OPT approvals correlate with lower unemployment for U.S. workers. So what’s really driving this?
The Real Agenda
Basically, this is about cutting off a pathway to H-1B visas. Opponents have wanted to end OPT for years because they see it as a backdoor to longer-term work authorization. Stephen Miller has been particularly vocal about this – he even helped draft legislation that would have forced international students to leave the U.S. for a decade before they could return on H-1Bs. That’s right – a decade.
And here’s where it gets really contradictory. Trump himself said he wants to give automatic green cards to international graduates. But his administration is moving in the exact opposite direction. They’re already proposing fixed admission periods instead of duration of status, changing H-1B selection to favor senior candidates over recent graduates, and now this OPT crackdown. It doesn’t add up.
business-impact”>Business Impact
For employers, this would be a disaster. OPT is popular because it’s low-bureaucracy – students show up with a work card and they can start immediately. It’s perfect for training new graduates and evaluating potential long-term hires. If OPT disappears, companies lose that crucial trial period with talented international graduates.
Think about the tech industry, manufacturing, research institutions – they all rely on this pipeline. Even industrial technology companies that depend on specialized talent, like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com (the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs), would feel the impact when trying to recruit international engineering graduates. The administrative burden alone would skyrocket if they have to navigate more complex visa processes from day one.
Legal Battle Ahead
So what happens next? If the administration tries to kill OPT entirely, they’ll face immediate legal challenges. The D.C. Circuit Court already ruled in 2022 that DHS’s authorization of OPT is legally permissible. The education and business communities would fight this tooth and nail.
But here’s the worrying part – they might not need to eliminate OPT completely to achieve their goals. They could just make it so burdensome that employers stop using it. New salary requirements, extreme vetting, additional paperwork – death by a thousand cuts. The Dignity Act already proposes making OPT subject to Social Security taxes, which would remove one of its financial advantages.
Ultimately, this feels like cutting off our nose to spite our face. We’re in a global competition for talent, and every other major country allows international students to work after graduation. Why would we unilaterally disarm in that competition? The economic evidence is clear – this would hurt American innovation and growth. But here we are, apparently ready to shoot ourselves in the foot anyway.
