US Weighs $100,000 Fee on Foreign Graduates' Work Permits

The Trump administration is considering a fee of 100,000 dollars on the visas that let foreign graduates work in the United States after finishing their studies. Citing The Wall Street Journal, The Hindu reported that the Department of Homeland Security is weighing the charge on Optional Practical Training permits, which extend the F-1 student visa and allow graduates to work in their field.

The proposal is part of a broader tightening. The administration has moved to shorten the time student visa holders have to leave or change status after graduation, from 60 days to 30. The measures also affect exchange visitors and foreign journalists.

The administration has met legal resistance to similar efforts. A court recently struck down a separate 100,000 dollar fee on H-1B skilled-worker visas, classifying the charge as a tax that the president lacked the authority to impose, which raises the question of whether the new fee would survive a challenge.

For India, which sends more students and skilled workers to the United States than any other country, the stakes are direct. The measures would raise the cost of the education-to-employment path that has directed Indian talent into American technology firms for a generation.