• •Bloomberg Law reports the Trump transition team is evaluating a proposal to charge international students a $100,000 fee to remain in the U.S. for work after graduation.
• •The proposed levy targets the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which currently allows foreign graduates to gain work experience without an additional federal surcharge.
• •The feasibility and implementation strategy remain unclear, as does whether this fee would serve as a singular barrier to entry or a substitute for existing H-1B lottery requirements.
• •Economists note that over 600,000 international students participated in OPT in recent years, making the scale of this potential policy shift significant for the tech and research labor markets.

The Trump transition team is reportedly exploring a $100,000 fee for foreign students seeking to work in the U.S. after graduation. This proposal represents a sharp departure from current immigration policies, which prioritize merit-based or lottery-driven access rather than upfront financial hurdles. While the proposal aims to discourage certain visa paths, it faces logistical uncertainty regarding its impact on the competitiveness of domestic universities and high-skilled labor pipelines. Whether this fee becomes federal policy depends on how the administration balances economic protectionism with the demand for specialized talent in STEM sectors.