Why Ending OPT is Worse for Indian Students than Rising H-1B Fee for US Tech Workers?
For many years, the USA has been the ideal study abroad destination for Indian students who are aiming to get a high-quality education and promising career opportunities. The majority of Indian students follow a common pathway, which is to study in USA on an F1 visa, gain some work experience through Optional Practical Training (OPT), and then transition to the H1B visa. However, recent changes in US policies stated by the Donald Trump administration impacted the plans of many international students. The US government introduced a hike in H1B visa fees on September 19, 2025. Earlier, the H1B visa fee used to range between USD 2,000 and USD 5,000 and now it has been increased to $100,000 per applicant. However, after the hike in H1B visas, the real concern is whether, in case OPT training is removed from the USA, it will impact Indians even more. Read this article to understand the impact of the OPT program on Indian students, how its removal will affect them and more related details.
This Story also Contains
- What Are OPT and the New H1B Fee?
- Why is OPT Important for Indian Students?
- Impact of H1B Fees Hike on Indian Students
- Conclusion
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What Are OPT and the New H1B Fee?
OPT (Optional Practical Training): This is a popular program in USA linked to the F1 student visa that gives US graduates the chance to work in their field of study for a limited time of around 12 months. If the students are STEM graduates, then they will be eligible for the OPT extension of an additional 24 months. This program has been an important step for Indian students looking to enter the US job market and eventually get the H1B visa for long-term work.
H1B Visa Fees: The H1B visa is a temporary work visa for international skilled workers. US companies sponsor skilled workers through the H1B visa. There has been a recent increase in H1B visa fees of $100,000 for new H-1B visa applications, starting from applications submitted after September 21, 2025. The administration has made it clear that this new fee will not affect visa renewals or those who already hold an H1B. Unfortunately, smaller companies and startups, which often work on tight budgets, will be impacted by this decision.
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Why is OPT Important for Indian Students?
A report from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed that in 2024, 194,554 students were on OPT. Among them, 95,384 students were on STEM-OPT. Indian students were around 48% of all STEM-OPT participants which means that almost 45,800 Indian students were working as engineers, coders, analysts, and scientists in USA. In 2024, Amazon hired 5,379 OPT students, making it a popular company amongst international students. Following are some of the reasons why ending OPT is worse for Indian students rather than raising H1B visa fees.
Initial step for international students: Many Indian students arrive in the USA with the intention of working in USA after graduation. OPT serves as the first step towards entering the job market and allows them to showcase their skills and build connections. After OPT, the majority of students plan to get an H1B. If OPT is removed, then this pathway towards H1B is also removed.
Gateway for entry-level jobs: The biggest challenge for Indian students in USA is the high competition for entry- and mid-level positions. If OPT is removed, it would reduce the skilled international workers in entry-level jobs, which would majorly impact Indian students.
OPT as a bridge between H1B: For many Indian students, OPT acts as a buffer year to secure an H1B sponsor. Without OPT, students will not get the time to gain experience or enter the job market in USA.
Contributes to ROI: To study in USA, many Indian families invest heavily in tuition, living expenses, loans etc. After graduation, the expectation of achieving a good job opportunity in USA will be affected if OPT is removed. With limited to no opportunity to gain back the invested money, it will negatively impact the return on their investment. While the H1B fee increase is a challenge in itself, removing OPT will be a bigger concern for Indian students.
Impact of H1B Fees Hike on Indian Students
H1B visa fee hike will also have an impact on Indian students. This is because, in 2024, 71% of H1B approvals were given to Indians. These included a mix of both Indian skilled workers coming from India and Indian students who graduated in USA. The H1B visa fee hike impact on Indian students is as follows:
Higher hiring costs: The USD 100,000 H1B fee will make companies selective and sponsor only very highly skilled workers, rather than entry-level workers as for each applicant, the H1B visa will be USD 100,000.
Fewer job offers: Startups and mid-sized companies might not hire international students, which limits the job opportunities for Indian students in USA.
High competition: Even if companies hire people on H1B, the competition for the position will be higher than before. This also results in limited opportunities for Indian students.
Uncertain career path: Indian students could find it tough to transition from OPT to H-1B, which might mean they will have no option other than to come back to India.
Conclusion
Indian students heavily depend on OPT as their pathway from education to employment. This H1B fee hike affects the US companies as much as international workers, but eliminating OPT would remove any opportunity for international students in USA, affecting their career and financial investments. For many Indian graduates, the H1B visa is an option only after completing OPT. Eliminating OPT will eliminate their chances of securing long-term employment in the USA. Hence, ending OPT will be worse for Indian students as compared to the H1B visa fee hike.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Can I apply for an OPT from India?
A:
To apply for an OPT, the candidate must have a valid F1 visa status and must have completed their master's degree. An F1 visa is a student visa for USA. Hence, it is not possible to apply for an OPT from India.
Q: Does OPT lead to a green card?
A:
Yes, eventually OPT can lead to a green card, but for that, a student must get a work permit in USA after completing their OPT. A common pathway for international students to get their green card is to apply for an H1B visa. However with the recent fee hike, this will limit their chances of getting an H1B visa.
Q: How long is OPT for international students?
A:
OPT is a 12 months training program in US for international students in the same field of their studies. However for those coming from a STEM background, the OPT can be extended for an additional 24 months.
Q: Can I go to India during OPT?
A:
It is not recommended to travel during your OPT training; however, it is legally permitted to do so. This is because entry into USA can be denied. However, if you still plan to travel to India on OPT, make sure to get an approved Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) and a valid travel signature on your Form I-20 from your Designated School Official (DSO).
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Hi there
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YES, you can MS in UA after completing Bsc in Statistics. . All you have to do is score good marks in your PG and prepare for GRE. You should also decide upon the country and the university in which you are going to study.
Furthermore, the requirements to pursue MS in USA are as follows :
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I hope that this will help.
Dear aspirant hope you are doing well..
To study at foreign universities/abroad in U. S , the admission process will require the candidate to give one language exam and one standardized exam. However, depending on the country, course, college, or university you are applying for you may be exempted from standardized exams. The language test will showcase your English proficiency skills. These exams are required for pursuing almost all courses abroad. Different countries have different language exams such as
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- There are plenty of universities abroad where you can apply to do master-level course, MSc in statistics, MSc in Operation Research, and Applied Mathematics, MSc in Mathematical Modeling, etc are some of the Master level Course in Mathematics that are available abroad. Students who have completed their graduation or bachelor's degree in Mathematics can apply for these courses. Foreign universities like Uppsala University, Dublin City University, Oxford Brookes University, University of York, University of Liverpool, etc offer all the above-mentioned courses in mathematics.
Top university of The USA for master degree courses
- John Carroll University
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You can get the detailed information about the process how to apply for MS in USA. read the given article. Link is given below
https://studyabroad.careers360.com/articles/how-apply-for-ms-in-usa/amp
Hope it's helpful for you..
Thank you
There are many ways to choose your university such as fees, the ranking of the university, which state it is located and scholarships. My suggestion is to choose your research focus and write academic papers. In the US, PhD in Commerce admission into the university depends on what you want to study (your area of research) and your already completed research papers. You can begin your research by searching online for US universities offering PhD in Business Administration. One example is University of California Los Angeles (https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/degrees/phd-program/admissions#app-req) .
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Hope this will help.
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