Tough days ahead for international students: Will OPT and visa duration be curtailed?

Two major concerns loom for international students, particularly the large contingent of Indian students: first, that a Trump administration might once again attempt to curtail the two-year extension of practical training available to STEM students. Second, there is the possibility of a shortened visa tenure, which would add both administrative challenges and financial burdens.


On the other hand, Trump mentioned in a June podcast that students graduating from US colleges should receive green cards to remain in the country. However, his campaign later clarified that this would apply only to "thoroughly vetted" graduates who would not undercut American wages or displace American workers. In this context, his remark is seen by many as a mere talking point.

Source: Open Source Reports

Currently, the OPT (Optional Practical Training) program offers the only post-graduation work opportunity for international students in the US, allowing them to gain work experience for one year after graduation. STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) students can extend this period by an additional two years, making it three years in total. This program was recently upheld by the US Supreme Court in October 2023.

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According to the Open Doors Report for 2022-23, there were 270,000 Indian students in the US , with nearly 69,000 participating in OPT programs. The extended period of OPT is viewed by some, especially Trump’s hardline supporters, as harmful to American interests, potentially taking jobs away from US citizens. The idea of cutting back the OPT program first emerged in the Trump administration’s 2020 spring agenda, though soon after, several House Republicans advocated for stability in the program. The question remains: what comes next?

“Dismantling the OPT pathway would disrupt individual careers and also erode the innovation pipeline that fuels American technological leadership,” says Ashwin Sharma, an immigration attorney.

While any policy change could be legally challenged, immigration attorney Cyrus Mehta notes that a Trump administration could still introduce difficult hurdles and delays to obtaining OPT.

Currently, international students may stay in the US as long as they are engaged in studies, under an "admission for duration of status" policy, with no fixed expiration. In 2020, the Trump administration proposed to limit student visa durations to four years—and in some cases, just two years—to curb overstays.

When this was proposed, Rajiv S. Khanna, an Arlington-based immigration attorney, commented, “For Indian and other international students, the proposed fixed tenure creates a problem. A four-year cap is definitely shorter than a PhD or even a bachelor’s degree course, as students may opt for an extra semester. For students already here, applying for extensions would increase expenses and, more importantly, add an additional element of uncertainty.”

The question remains whether this proposal will be reintroduced.