Trump administration proposes $70,000 fee for international students to work in US

In latest effort from the Trump administration to crack down on foreign enrollment, the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed a $70,000 fee for every foreign student seeking to participate in the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme aimed at allowing students to work in jobs related to their filed of study.

DHS' new proposal will also require schools to pay $30,000 per student for every subsequent OPT recommendation.

Students are generally eligible for one year of work post-graduation, but those pursuing science, technology, engineering, math or any other majors are given additional two years.

This comes as a major blow to American colleges and universities that seek foreign enrolments for higher tuition revenue. Tech companies and industries that hire international students for technical roles will also face problems if the proposed rules come into effect.

The DHS argues that measure is an effort to check fraud and abuse in the OPT programme, strengthen the immigration system and protect US workers.

The proposal, which gives public a 60 day window to comment, is likely to face legal challenges from higher education groups or business associations.

The Trump administration is trying to adopt measures to crack down on immigration and reshape higher education.

Judge blocks Trump new international student restrictions rule

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security’s rule of limiting how long international students can stay in the country was blocked by a federal judge. The US District Judge F Dennis Saylor in Boston postponed the rule as part of a lawsuit by a coalition of unions and higher education advocacy groups challenging the policy which was going to come into effect.

The agency had cited national security and the need to prevent fraud ​in the visa program as reasons for adopting the policy which was rejected by Saylor, who said the policy was based on "exceptionally weak" rationales.

According to the current policy, F visas for international students and J visas that allows visitors on cultural exchange programs to work in the U.S. would be capped at four years, while I visas for journalists, which currently can last years, would be up ​to 240 days.