美国国土安全部（DHS）周三提出一项新规定：对于每名被推荐来美国工作的国际学生，美国大学将需支付7万美元的费用，这一费用是作为“选择性实践培训”（OPT）计划的一部分。目前，该计划允许数千名美国大学的外国毕业生在美国工作12个月；对于攻读科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）专业的毕业生，这一期限还可再延长24个月。
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday made a proposal to charge American universities a $70,000 fee for every international student they nominate to work in the US, as part of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. The OPT program presently allows thousands of foreign graduates of US universities to work in America for a period of 12 months, which can be extended by a further 24 months for graduates of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs.
根据新规定，如果学生希望继续享受OPT计划（包括上述24个月的延长期限），其所在大学还需额外支付3万美元的费用。国土安全部为这一规定辩护，称此举旨在打击签证欺诈行为，并保护美国本土工人免受外国竞争的冲击。唐纳德·特朗普政府表示，如果该规定未能实施，他们可能会彻底取消OPT计划。
According to the proposed rule, a further $30,000 fee would be levied on universities for any student seeking a subsequent OPT period, which includes the 24-month STEM extension. The DHS has defended the proposed rule, which will be opened for public comment for a period of 30 days, citing the need to combat visa fraud and protect American workers from foreign competition. The Donald Trump administration has argued that it may shut down the OPT program altogether if the fee is not imposed.
尽管相关法律诉讼仍在进行中，特朗普政府仍将H-1B签证的收费标准从10万美元提高至15万美元，并将该收费标准再延长一年。这一新规定将严重影响外国学生（包括目前在美国的35万多名印度学生）毕业后在美国工作的能力，因为他们的大学可能会将这些费用转嫁给学生或他们的雇主。
Trump extends $100,000 H-1B fee for another year despite ongoing legal battle The proposed fee would significantly impact the ability of foreign students - including over 350,000 Indian students presently in the US - to work in the US after graduation as their universities could pass the fees onto the students or their proposed employers.
该 OPT（Optional Practical Training）计划为数千名印度毕业生提供了在美国工作的机会，并帮助他们最终通过 H-1B 等就业类签证移民美国。
拟议的规则指出：“DHS 承认，这些学校可能会将这笔费用转嫁给 F-1 非移民学生、所有学生或雇主。”同时，规则也指出由于学校在筛选符合条件的学生时需要更加谨慎，因此该计划的申请人数可能会减少。
The OPT program served as a pathway for thousands of Indian graduates to work in and eventually immigrate to America through H-1Bs and other employment based visas."DHS acknowledges that the schools may pass the financial obligation of this proposed fee onto F-1 nonimmigrant students, all students, or employers," the proposed rule reads, while also acknowledging that the OPT fee would likely lead to a "smaller pool" of applicants to the program as schools would have to be more selective in deciding which students were qualified to participate in the OPT program.
解释：美国法院暂停了新签证规则的生效，这对印度学生和记者产生了影响。
DHS 还征求了公众意见，提出了另一种方案：即大学需要为学生每个新的学位阶段（例如本科毕业后和硕士毕业后）再次支付全部 7 万美元的费用，以便学生能够继续使用 OPT 计划。
Explained: US court pauses new visa rules — how it affects Indian students, journalistsDHS has also sought public comment on an alternative under which universities would pay the full $70,000 again for a student's first OPT period at each new degree level, for example, once after a bachelor's degree and again after a master's.
特朗普政府针对外国学生和记者的新签证规则在生效前被美国法官阻止了其实施。
根据 DHS 的数据，2024 年共有 165,524 名学生正在使用 OPT 计划提供的 24 个月 STEM（科学、技术、工程和数学）领域实习延期服务。
Trump admin's new visa rules for foreign students, journalists blocked by US judge just ahead of taking effectAccording to figures cited by DHS, 165,524 students were using the OPT program's 24-month STEM extension in 2024.
该规则指出，这一数字几乎是美国政府每年发放的85,000个H-1B签证数量的两倍。美国国土安全部（DHS）认为：“目前，这些实践培训项目已成为F-1非移民学生规避就业签证配额限制、从而在美国获得更长期工作机会的途径。”由于申请人数众多，该部门还指出该计划已被大量企图利用其进行不当行为的申请人所充斥。最近，DHS宣布了一项调查，发现有超过10,000名F-1非移民学生正在从事OPT（Optional Practical Training）项目，并为一些可疑雇主工作。
This figure, the proposed rule notes, is almost twice the 85,000 H-1B visas made available by the US government each fiscal year." Currently, the practical training programs have become a channel for F-1 nonimmigrant students to circumvent employment visa caps and obtain extended employment in the United States," DHS argued. Due to the sheer scale of applicants, the agency also argued that the program had been flooded with applicants seeking to exploit it for improper purposes." Most recently, DHS announced an investigation that identified more than 10,000 F-1 nonimmigrant students who were engaged in OPT and were working for highly suspect employers," the proposed rule notes.'
对于印度就《俄罗斯制裁法案》发出的警告，美国方面表示“并无不满”。特朗普政府还将OPT项目与备受争议的H-1B签证项目联系在一起；H-1B签证一直是特朗普政府打击的目标之一。该部门表示，拟议中的OPT签证费用将与特朗普政府此前规定的H-1B签证申请费用（10万美元）相当，不过美国法院在今年早些时候已经否决了这一规定。
No hard feelings': US downplays India's warning over Russia Sanctions ActThe Trump administration also linked the OPT program to the politically controversial H-1B program, which has been a major target for the administration. The agency noted that the proposed OPT fee would be comparable to the Trump administration's $100,000 visa fee on H-1B visa applications, although US courts blocked this earlier this year.
尽管特朗普政府承认这一费用可能会影响数千名外国学生在美就业的能力，但他们仍强调：F-1学生签证从来就不是为了提供在美国就业的途径。该规则指出：“保护美国工人和维护该项目的完整性，远比任何外国学生、雇主（包括州和政府机构）或教育机构的利益更为重要。”根据国土安全部的初步估计，通过这一规则，美国政府在10年内将收取1094亿美元的费用。
While acknowledging the fee's likely impact on the ability of thousands of foreign students to seek employment in the US, the Trump administration noted that F-1 student visa was never intended to provide a pathway to employment in the US." The national interest in protecting American workers and program integrity far outweighs any reliance interests of foreign students, employers (including state and government employers), or educational institutions," the proposed rule notes. The Department of Homeland Security primary estimate holds that the US government would collect $109.4 billion in fees over 10 years through this rule.
需要说明的是，这项拟议的规则尚未最终确定。公众将有30天的时间提交意见，这些意见将由DHS进行考虑。如果该规则最终获得通过，它将在正式公布后的60天内开始生效。该费用也仅适用于在规则生效后申请OPT项目的学生。
To be sure, the proposed rule has not yet been finalised. The general public will be given 30 days to submit comments which will be considered by DHS. If finalised, the rule would begin to apply 60 days after its final version is published. The fee would also apply only to students applying for the OPT program after the rule goes into effect.