En esta noticia
The Department of Homeland Security proposed a rule Wednesday that would require U.S. schools to pay $70,000 for each F-1 student they recommend for initial optional practical training, or OPT. The program lets international students work in jobs related to their major.
The rule is not final. DHS said the fees would curb fraud and abuse found by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, or SEVP, which certifies schools to enroll international students. The agency cited questionable worksites and pay-to-stay schemes as examples.
International education groups criticized the plan. Fanta Aw, CEO of NAFSA, an association of international educators, said in a statement that discouraging foreign students would hurt the U.S. economy.
Who would pay the $70,000 OPT fee under the DHS proposed rule?
The school would pay, not the student or the employer. Payment would be due before the school’s designated school official, the staff member who manages international student records, recommends the student for OPT.
The school would also have to pay before the student applies for work authorization with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS would not grant work authorization if the fee is unpaid.
The fee would not be tied to a specific employer, and the money would go to the U.S. Treasury. The DHS announcement does not say whether schools could pass the cost on to students.
Which F-1 students and types of OPT would the $70,000 fee cover?
The fee would apply to any type of OPT, whether a student uses it during their studies or after finishing their program. Schools would pay $70,000 for a student’s initial OPT and $30,000 for any subsequent OPT.
Students can get up to 12 months of OPT at each degree level. Graduates in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, may qualify for a 24-month extension.
The announcement does not say which of these periods would count as subsequent OPT. It also does not say how the fees would affect students already on OPT.
When could the $70,000 OPT fee take effect, and how can you comment?
DHS has not set a date. The agency is taking public comments from Thursday through Nov. 9 and may revise the rule before finalizing it.
A separate 60-day comment period applies to the rule’s paperwork requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act. Instructions for commenting are in the notice published in the Federal Register, the government’s official journal of rules.
SEVP said it would post updates through its SEVIS Broadcast Messages, which go to schools, and the Study in the States website.