A new bill introduced in the US Congress is raising eyebrows—and anxiety—among international students, especially those from India. The proposal aims to scrap the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, a work authorisation scheme that currently allows foreign students to stay back and work in the US after finishing their degrees.
If the bill goes through, many students might be left with no choice but to pack their bags and head home soon after graduation.
For those unfamiliar, OPT is a temporary work permit offered to international students studying in the US. It gives graduates a chance to gain hands-on work experience in their field of study, usually after completing a degree. Students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) programmes are allowed to stay and work for up to three years post-graduation under this scheme.
As of the 2023–24 academic year, more than 300,000 Indian students were enrolled in US universities, with many of them relying on OPT to bridge the gap between student life and a work visa.
If the bill becomes law, the OPT pathway might disappear entirely. That means international students would no longer have the cushion of staying back and working for a few years after graduation. The route from OPT to longer-term work visas like H-1B could be cut off, potentially forcing students to return to their home countries shortly after completing their studies.
Currently, students in non-STEM fields already face tighter restrictions—they are allowed to stay only for a year after graduating. Removing OPT altogether would bring an even sharper end to post-study employment opportunities.
Studying in the US doesn’t come cheap. On average, an international student shells out around $60,000 (about ₹51 lakh) per year on tuition and living expenses. Many take hefty education loans, banking on post-study employment to ease the financial burden. Without OPT, that plan might fall apart.
In recent years, there has already been a shift. Students are looking more seriously at other countries—like Canada, Germany, and the UK—where post-study work options are seen as more student-friendly. Tighter visa rules and changing immigration policies in the US have made these alternatives more attractive.
The bill comes against the backdrop of broader immigration debates in the US. While it’s still too early to say if it will pass, the proposal reflects a continuing shift in how the country handles immigration, especially student-related work rights.