Comment Period on the Proposed OPT Fee Rule Closes Today, November 9, in Washington: $70,000 for an Initial School Recommendation and $30,000 for Each Later One
WASHINGTON, District of Columbia — The public comment period for the Department of Homeland Security's proposed "Optional Practical Training Fees" rule closes today, November 9. The rule as published in the Federal Register on October 8, 2026 (91 FR 64566, Docket No. ICEB-2026-0100) states that comments must be received on or before November 9, 2026, and that online comments must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on the last day of the comment period. Comments on the rule's information-collection provisions have a separate deadline of December 7, 2026, and must include the OMB control number.
The proposal, issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would charge, for each F-1 nonimmigrant student who engages in OPT through a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified institution, $70,000 for initial OPT and $30,000 for any subsequent OPT. DHS states in the rule summary that the fees are proposed to combat fraud, strengthen the integrity of the immigration system and protect U.S. workers. The proposal covers pre-completion and post-completion OPT and STEM OPT extensions, and does not cover Curricular Practical Training (CPT).
Procedurally, the measure remains a proposal and is not in effect. DHS will review the comments received and may revise the rule before any final rule is published; under the proposal's terms, a final rule would take effect 60 days after its publication. Comments may be submitted only through the federal eRulemaking Portal, regulations.gov, identified by Docket No. ICEB-2026-0100; comments sent to DHS by email or letter will not be considered and will not receive a response. Regulations.gov records showed 4,844 comments in the docket as of November 2. On November 6, the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the American Immigration Council announced a joint comment on the proposal, and the University of California, Berkeley's student government previously passed a resolution urging the campus to submit a comment opposing the fees. Today's deadline closes the comment record only; no fee takes effect today.
来源链接：《联邦公报》拟议规则原文（govinfo.gov，FR Doc. 2026-20660）： https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-10-08/html/2026-20660.htm ；国土安全部发布（dhs.gov）： https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/10/07/dhs-proposes-fees-foreign-student-work-program-protect-american-jobs
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Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security (Federal Register NPRM
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 美国国土安全部总部大楼。（GSM 固定图库／美国国土安全部）| Headquarters of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. (GSM asset library / DHS)
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