US May Charge Foreign Grads $100K to Stay in the US

Foreign grads in the US who'd like to stay here and work might have to pay a steep fee for the privilege. The Wall Street Journal reports that the administration is considering a $100,000 charge tied to Optional Practical Training, the program that lets foreign graduates of US universities work here for up to three years. The measure would pursue the same goal as a new $100,000 H-1B visa fee that has been blocked in the courts. If the new fee goes through, it's unclear whether students, schools, or companies would shoulder the cost.

Either way, the fee would be a hit to universities, for whom foreign students are a major source of revenue, as well as Silicon Valley and Wall Street firms, who tend to hire international students to fill technical roles, per the Journal. A DHS spokesperson emphasized that the proposal is not yet approved, though the newspaper notes that a six-figure fee is becoming a favorite tool of immigration officials looking to "block foreigners of limited financial means from coming to the US." The story is a Journal exclusive.