The Trump administration is planning to impose new fees targeting H-1B and F-1 optional practical training (OPT) programmes.
If the proposed regulations are implemented, they could raise the expenses of working in the US for foreign nationals, for students who are transitioning from universities to workplaces and for employers sponsoring H-1 workers, according to Fragomen , a corporate immigration services firm. “A proposed OPT fee rule was sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on August 20 and is now under review. A proposed rule to impose a fee on certain H-1B petitions was received by OMB and cleared review on the same day, August 19,” the note said. Fragomen noted that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) might propose a $100,000 fee on OPT applications, and the proposed H1-B fee could be tied to the ongoing lawsuit over the administration’s previously blocked $100,000 H-1B petition fee. More than 5.2 million people of Indian origin live in the US, according to recent estimates based on US Census data.
