69,000 Indian students at risk as US weighs tighter rules on OPT work permits; Details here

Indian students and professionals in the US are increasingly anxious about potential restrictions on the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, a critical pathway for gaining work experience and transitioning to H-1B visas. Recent political debates have labeled the program as unfair to American workers, leaving thousands of Indian students uncertain about their employment prospects.

The Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Curricular Practical Training (CPT) programs have long been essential for international students on F-1 visas. In the 2022-2023 academic year, around 69,000 Indian students participated in OPT. However, under former President Donald Trump’s policies, the future of these programs is at risk.

What are OPT and CPT?

OPT allows students to work in the US before or after graduation, offering 12 months of work authorization, with a 24-month extension for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) students. This brings the total duration to 36 months for eligible fields.

CPT is designed for work experience required by a student’s curriculum. It must be tied to coursework, offering part-time or full-time work, but students completing more than 12 months of full-time CPT become ineligible for OPT.

Both programs require approval from university Designated School Officials (DSOs) and, for OPT, authorization from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Why are these programs under scrutiny?

At a January 22, 2025, US House Judiciary Committee hearing, Jessica M. Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, criticized OPT and CPT. She described them as unauthorized by Congress and plagued by diploma mills issuing fake work authorizations. "They should be eliminated or much more closely regulated," she said. Vaughan noted that these programs have created the largest guest worker population in the US, with 540,000 former students working without proper oversight.

In 2022, WashTech, a workers’ alliance, filed a lawsuit claiming OPT helps employers bypass the H-1B visa cap, harming US workers.

Fraud and security risks have further fueled the scrutiny. In 2016, the US government created the fake University of Northern New Jersey to expose fraudulent CPT users. Jon Feere, former chief of staff at US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), outlined several concerns.

No cap under OPT

The numbers are striking. In FY 2023, 539,382 foreign students worked under OPT, STEM OPT, and CPT. Unlike the H-1B visa, which has an annual cap, these programs have no limit on participants—276,452 students were on OPT, 122,101 on STEM OPT, and 140,829 on CPT.

Proposed changes could tighten these programs significantly. Vaughan suggested stricter regulations for schools that issue visa paperwork and proposed revoking certifications for schools with high overstay rates. Feere recommended limiting OPT to fields where practical training is necessary for all students, not just international ones, ensuring it serves an educational purpose rather than becoming a cheap labour source.

Universities have pushed back, arguing that OPT is essential for attracting international students who contribute billions to the US economy. Institutions like the University of California, Berkeley, offer extensive support for OPT, calling it a vital tool for gaining real-world experience. Leading tech companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon regularly hire through OPT for roles in software engineering, data science, and product management, valuing the diverse skills that international students bring.