The latest news indicates that the Trump administration has included a draft plan to "terminate or limit OPT" in the latest regulatory agenda of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is expected to be officially launched between the end of 2025 and the first half of 2026.
This means that the "buffer zone"—OPT—that international students rely on to work legally in the U.S. after graduation is no longer just a rumor, but has been written into the government's official work agenda.
What is OPT?
OPT (Optional Practical Training) is a critical transitional phase for holders of the U.S. F-1 student visa to engage in legal internships and employment after graduation.
• Regular OPT: Allows graduates to work for 12 months in a field related to their major, providing a crucial buffer for workplace transition;
• STEM OPT: An exclusive benefit for STEM fields, allowing an additional 24-month extension on top of regular OPT, providing two more years to pursue H-1B visa opportunities.
For most international students, OPT is not a "discretionary internship opportunity," but rather the final line from "studying abroad" to "staying in the U.S."
Two Possible Directions for the New Regulations:
Regardless of which direction, it is a heavy blow to international students
According to the DHS regulatory agenda and USCIS statements, OPT may face the following two directions:
Direction One: Direct cancellation of OPT / STEM OPT
If this step is taken, F-1 students will no longer automatically enjoy any work authorization after graduation; unless they obtain H-1B, O-1, or are already green card holders in advance, they will only be able to leave after the grace period.
For the vast majority who hope to "work on OPT first, then look for opportunities," it becomes: graduation = end of status. This is a severe blow to students studying in the U.S. who plan to stay through employment.
Direction Two: Retain OPT, but with "tightened restrictions"
If OPT is retained but with significantly increased thresholds and costs, such as more stringent restrictions on positions; limitations on third-party employment; additional employer responsibilities and costs; shortened duration/tighter STEM extensions; upgraded review models, etc.
The essence of this path is: from a regulatory perspective, it is "not canceled," but the difficulty for international students and employers to utilize it significantly increases, transforming OPT from a "regular tool" into a "high-threshold option," making the entire path narrower and more difficult.
OPT is not an isolated event
Policies are being "tightened in succession"
OPT is just one link in a chain; in fact, several alarms have already been sounded in recent months:
• Fixed-term rules for F-1 students compressing time on campus
• Increased application fees for H-1B
• H-1B lottery will be weighted by salary levels, shifting from luck to salary competition
• Coupled with the possibility of OPT being restricted or even canceled
This puts pressure on the route that many families originally relied on: F-1 → OPT → H-1B → EB-2/EB-3 to green card, being squeezed from multiple directions simultaneously.
The entire path is transforming from a normal "broad road" into an increasingly shaky tightrope.
Why is EB-5 becoming the preferred choice for more and more families?
More and more families are beginning to realize a reality:
What is truly uncontrollable is temporary status;
What can truly be locked in advance is permanent status.
In this trend, a pathway to status that does not rely on lotteries, does not depend on employers, and does not sway with policy winds—EB-5 investment immigration—is becoming the priority choice for more families planning for U.S. status.
Under the new EB-5 law, rural EB-5 projects are exempt from waiting periods and have priority approval advantages; the "dual submission" policy allows applicants to submit I-526E and I-485 simultaneously in the U.S., obtaining a Combo Card in about three months, quickly achieving legal residency and employment eligibility.
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