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US student work authorization; the subject's STEM master's made him eligible for three years of it after graduating in 2023.
Homeland Security proposed making US schools pay $70,000 for each international student entering the OPT work program, plus $30,000 per renewal. Colleges would be paying for one of their main recruiting draws, and Fortune reported that new foreign enrollment fell 17% last fall.
Reality
The proposed per-petition fee runs 21 to 52 times what cap-subject petitions used to cost, and its exemptions steer hiring toward whoever is already in the US. Comment is the last stop before finalisation.
Reality
Luciana Pereyra had 31 days of notice and 60 days of grace, and most of the useful ones fell while the universities she was applying to were shut. Her employer set the termination date; federal law set the rest.
Reality
DHS has priced the visa at $103,265 a head, $3,265 above the fee a judge voided in June, and hinted at $100,000 for OPT. Hiring plans get reopened mid-cycle.
Reality
A program manager cleared the H-1B lottery in March and called it a weight off his mind. He still will not buy a house or start a family, and he is still pricing Canada.
Reality