OPT in the crosshairs: Grassley presses DHS to end student work authorizations

With Indians now the largest international student cohort in the US (331,000+ in the past year), Republican Senator Chuck Grassley has called on the DHS to stop issuing work permissions to F-1 students. Posting on X, Grassley claimed these authorizations break the law, displace American workers, and expose firms to “tech and corporate espionage.” He said he has written to DHS Secretary Noem to terminate them.

The move would directly affect Optional Practical Training (OPT)—the bridge that lets graduates work in the US for 12–36 months post-degree, including STEM extensions. For thousands of Indian students, OPT is the on-ramp to US job experience and, for some, eventual employer sponsorship. Eliminating it would dramatically narrow options, even for top graduates, and could reshape university recruitment, campus finances, and hiring plans across tech and research.

Grassley’s push follows the administration’s controversial $100,000, one-time H-1B fee for new applicants, which does not apply to renewals or current holders. Combined, the proposals could curtail two of the most relied-upon routes from US study to US work, intensifying anxiety across Indian student and employer communities alike.