US Bill Threatens to end OPT Work Visa; Indian Students Worried

The US has passed the OPT bill 2025, aiming at ending the OPT program. OPT full form is Optional Practical Training. Also known as the OPT cancellation bill, the “Fairness of High-Skilled Americans Act of 2025 HR 2315”, was passed in the US House of Representatives on March 25, 2025. This bill threatened to end the OPT work visa which worries Indian students the most.

This Story also Contains

1. What is OPT and Why is it Important?
2. Which Students will be Most Affected by Bill Hr 2315?
3. OPT Work Visa Termination Worries Indian Students
4. Concerns Raised by Universities and Industry on Eliminating OPT
5. Will the US Lose its Importance due to the Proposed OPT Cancellation Bill?
6. What Should Indian Students Do?

The OPT bill in US congress review aims to abolish the post-completion of the OPT program, so that American graduates get more opportunities and foreign workers are not hired. However, the bill clearly states that the students who are on their student visa for US will be allowed to work while they are enrolled in schools. It mainly targets the extension after student visa that allows students to stay and work in the US up to three years post graduation for specifically those students enrolled in STEM courses abroad.

In case the OPT removal bill is successfully passed, then the future of 300,000 Indian students who are there to study in US will be jeopardized. In this article, we will explore the OPT bill 2025 and the implications of this bill on international students' work post-graduation.

What is OPT and Why is it Important?

International students on F-1 student visa in the US are permitted to temporarily work in the country with OPT work visas post their studies. The Optional Practical Training is:

• 12 months (1 year) long for most of the degree programs.

• 24-month STEM extension, that permits students in fields like Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics to work in the US up to 36 months.

The Optional Practical Training bridges the gap between education and employment, offering students the opportunity to gain hands-on experience after their course gets completed. This enhances their chances of getting an H-1B visa in the US. It is most useful and significant for Indian students, a majority of whom are enrolled in STEM fields.

Read more about:

• How to convert US student visa to H-1B visa?

• Top 5 key updates for new H1-B visa reforms in US 2025

• New US visa rules 2025

Which Students will be Most Affected by Bill Hr 2315?

Education leaders think that terminating the OPT programs can adversely impact the higher education sector in the US. This is because, due to this OPT bill 2025, international graduates may be forced to leave the country right after they graduate unless they get the H-1B visa.

Around 75% of Indian students in the U.S. are enrolled in STEM programs. As per the Open Doors 2024 report, Indian students will be most affected by this bill as a majority of the international students enrolled on OPT are Indians. However, with the passed OPT bill, the number of Indian students in the US fell nearly by 28 percent year-on-year in March 2025.

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• What are different US nonimmigrant visas?

• USA F-1 visa interview questions and answers

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OPT Work Visa Termination Worries Indian Students

Since Trump’s administration, there has been a lot of uncertainty regarding the visa policies for international students. Some students think that there is less than a 1% chance for this OPT bill 2025 getting passed as most of the top 10 universities in USA earn through the master’s and OPT programs. On the other hand, many Indian students are also reconsidering their plans of going to the US, as they think OPT programs offer valuable work experience to students.

Concerns Raised by Universities and Industry on Eliminating OPT

Several top universities in US such as MIT, Stanford, and Harvard are concerned about the OPT bill 2025. They are worried about the global competitiveness of the US education, diversity, and innovation which are the results of the OPT programs.

Furthermore, a majority of the employees working in the leading tech companies in the US like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are from the skilled work visa category. They feel that this decision of removing OPT will impact the country and result in shortage of talented individuals within the STEM industries.

Will the US Lose its Importance due to the Proposed OPT Cancellation Bill?

As soon as the OPT removal bill was passed, the student preferences have started shifting towards other study abroad destinations. More than 20% of the Indian students are inquiring about countries like Canada, the UK, Australia, etc. The inclination of international students has been more towards those countries that offer stable post-study work rights, like up to 3 years of post-study work visa in Canada, 2-3 years of post-study work visa in UK, and up to 2-6 years of work after study in Australia.

What Should Indian Students Do?

Here are some of the things that an Indian student must do in the current situation:

• Stay updated with the latest developments happening in immigration policies of US and other study abroad destinations.

• Explore alternative visa options such as H-1B cap-exempt, O-1 for extraordinary ability, etc.

• Keep options open for studying in other countries like Canada, UK, Germany, and Australia.

The proposal to terminate OPT is a wake-up call for international students, especially Indians. While the bill has not yet become the law as of now, the uncertainties it has created for students is real. OPT has always been a cornerstone of the US international education policy, bridging the gap between education and employment opportunities for countless students. Its removal could reshape not only migration trends but also the future of higher education in the US.

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