Challenges Mount For International Students As Trump's USCIS Nominee Eyes OPT Ban
Last Updated:
President Trump's USCIS nominee, Joseph Edlow, plans to eliminate the OPT programme, worrying international students.
Amid ongoing uncertainties surrounding their academic future, international students in the United States face a fresh challenge, with President Donald Trump's nominee for the top role at US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Joseph Edlow, indicating that he intends to eliminate the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme if selected for the job.
Edlow made the statement during a recent confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, reigniting concerns among international students already navigating a complex immigration landscape, as reported by Financial Express.
In recent weeks, reportedly, many students currently on OPT have received alarming letters from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), threatening termination of their SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) records and possible deportation.
One such letter, accessed by The Times of India, warned students about the absence of employer details in their SEVIS records, noting that this could count as unemployment — a violation of OPT rules. The letter gave recipients 15 days to update their records or face immigration proceedings.
What Is OPT And Why Does It Matter?
The Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme is a key pathway for international students in the U.S. to gain hands-on work experience after completing their degrees. Under this programme, eligible students are allowed to work for up to 12 months in their field of study. Those with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can apply for a 24-month extension, known as STEM OPT.
Students must report employment information in the SEVIS system to remain compliant. As per current regulations, OPT participants are allowed a maximum of 90 days of unemployment within the standard 12-month period. For those on STEM OPT, an additional 60 days is permitted.
A move to end OPT will deeply impact the Indian students in the US, who form one of the largest international student populations in the country. According to the Open Doors 2024 report, there were 331,602 Indian students in the US during the 2023–2024 academic year. Of these, 97,556 were participating in the OPT programme — a staggering 41% increase from the previous year.
If the OPT programme is indeed dismantled, it could severely limit post-study work opportunities for Indian students and disrupt the educational and career plans of thousands. The proposed changes could also make the US a less attractive destination for higher education.
First Published:
May 28, 2025, 10:52 IST
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Shashi Tharoor disappointed over Colombia's stand on Operation Sindoor, says, 'here to dispel misunderstanding'
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has expressed disappointment over Colombia's recent statement on the Indian military strikes under Operation Sindoor. The Indian airstrikes targeted known terrorist camps, but Colombia's government later extended condolences for the loss of lives in Pakistan. Speaking to reporters in Bogotá, Tharoor said, 'We are here looking for understanding... We have the impression that perhaps the situation was not fully understood when that one statement was made.' 'Understanding is extremely important for us,' he continued. 'We are a country which has really been a force for constructive progress in the world.' Tharoor underlined that India's response was a matter of self-defence and not aggression. 'We certainly hope that other governments will tell those who give safe haven and protection to terrorists to stop doing so. That would be very helpful indeed, as well in the Security Council or outside it,' he added. During his address, Tharoor urged Colombia to reconsider how it views the conflict. 'We will say to our friends in Colombia, there can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them,' he said. 'There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend. We are only exercising our right of self-defence.' He emphasised the purpose of the visit was to clear up any confusion. 'If there is any misunderstanding here on this core, we are here to dispel any such misunderstanding,' Tharoor said. 'We're very happy to talk to Colombia in some detail about the circumstances.' Tharoor also pointed out that India has evidence linking the Pahalgam attack to Pakistan-based terror groups. 'We have, as I said, very concrete proof. In fact, when this terrorist attack occurred, it was immediately claimed by an organisation called The Resistance Front, which is a unit of the Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Muridke, Pakistan,' the Thiruvananthapuram MP said. Drawing a comparison between the two countries, he concluded, 'Just as Colombia has endured many terror attacks, so have we in India. We have endured a very large number of attacks for almost four decades.' The Indian delegation is expected to meet Colombian officials to discuss the issue further and present its side of the story. Tharoor is currently in Bogotá as part of an Indian foreign outreach delegation following Operation Sindoor, launched in response to a deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that killed 26 people.
Economic Times
24 minutes ago
- Economic Times
'This kind of outrage could not go unpunished', Shashi Tharoor emphasises on 'new normal' in Colombia
ANI Shashi Tharoor emphasises on 'new normal' in Colombia Reiterating India's firm stance against terrorism, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Thursday (local time) said that the country decided that the Pahalgam terror attack could not go unpunished and launched strikes against terrorist infrastructure under Operation Sindoor. Addressing the media at Bogota, Tharoor said, "India suffered a grievous terrorist attack on the 22nd of April... When this happened, of course, the world rose up to condemn the terrorist attack, but that was as far as it went. There was no action taken, not even by the country where these people had emerged from, Pakistan. Nobody was arrested, and there was no attempt at any prosecution. India decided that this kind of outrage could not go unpunished. On May 7, India chose to strike against known terror bases and launch pads."Tharoor also showed the picture of PakistArmy officials attending the funerals of terrorists after India's strike on their terror bases. Tharoor said Pakistan provides terrorists a safe haven to continue their training."There (in Pakistan) was a well-publicised funeral of one of the terrorists on the sanctions list. That funeral was attended by uniformed senior military and police personnel from Pakistan. That is the extent of complicity that we are seeing between the terrorists who perpetrate crimes of this nature and those who finance, guide, train, arm, and equip them and do provide them safe haven to continue their training and their other awful deeds," he said. Tharoor expressed disappointment with the Colombian government for expressing condolences over the loss of lives in Pakistan, rather than sympathising with the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack. "We were a little disappointed in the reaction of the Colombian government, which apparently expressed heartfelt condolences on the loss of lives in Pakistan after the Indian strikes, rather than sympathising with the victims of terrorism," he Congress MP, who is leading a multiparty delegation to Colombia, stated that India is only exercising our right of self-defence. "We will say to our friends in Colombia, there can be no equivalence between those who dispatch terrorists and those who resist them. There can be no equivalence between those who attack and those who defend. We are only exercising our right of self-defence, and if there is any misunderstanding here on this core, we are here to dispel any such misunderstanding. We're very happy to talk to Colombia about the circumstances in detail. We have, as I said, very concrete proof. In fact, when this terrorist attack occurred, it was immediately claimed by an organisation called The Resistance Front, which is a unit of the Lashkar-e-Taiba base in Muridke, Pakistan," Tharoor said. Shashi Tharoor-led delegation includes Shambhavi Chaudhary (Lok Janshakti Party), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), G M Harish Balayagi (Telugu Desam Party), Shashank Mani Tripathi, Tejaswi Surya, Bhubaneswar Kalita (all from BJP), Mallikarjun Devda (Shiv Sena), former Indian Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora.
Time of India
24 minutes ago
- Time of India
End of the Musk-Trump era: From Silicon Valley disruptor to DOGE head, how Musk's legacy shaped Trump 2.0
When Elon Musk arrived in Washington to join the Trump administration, he brought the energy of a Silicon Valley disruptor armed with a chain saw and the confidence of someone who had never failed to shake up an industry. From Cabinet meetings in a 'tech support' shirt and MAGA hat to lounging in the Lincoln Bedroom after a tub of caramel ice cream, Musk stormed into the federal government with bold ideas, sweeping power, and a $250 million campaign donation. Now, just months later, Musk is out — leaving behind what the Associated Press calls 'upheaval and unmet expectations,' as the self-styled savior of government efficiency exits with little to show and much damage left behind. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Musk's departure as a senior adviser, announced earlier this week, comes amid his decision to halt political donations and criticize the cornerstone of Trump's legislative agenda. His exit caps a whirlwind tenure marked by controversial firings, hollow cost-cutting claims, and a series of legal and bureaucratic setbacks. As Trump said Thursday on Truth Social, Musk's 'last day' is here, but he 'will, always, be with us, helping all the way.' A powerful entry, an underwhelming legacy Musk's tenure began with extraordinary access and influence. President Trump called him 'a smart guy' who 'really cares for our country.' Democrats, meanwhile, derisively dubbed him the 'co-president.' Musk's campaign-era promise of a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) became reality, backed by his enormous financial support and proximity to the Oval Office. Live Events He populated DOGE with software engineers and data experts who were embedded inside sensitive federal systems, alarming career civil servants. Some resigned rather than comply with Musk's directives. A plan requiring every federal worker to email five accomplishments each week under threat of dismissal was one of many initiatives that ultimately fizzled out. Despite Musk's assertions that 'if we don't do this, America will go bankrupt,' his sweeping language yielded limited tangible results. His initial goal of slashing $2 trillion from the federal budget steadily shrank — from $1 trillion, to $150 billion. Whether even that final figure will materialize remains unclear, as AP notes that Musk's team routinely exaggerated its impact. A culture of contempt and chaos Musk brought a confrontational attitude to Washington. From day one, federal employees were treated with suspicion or hostility. Musk believed many were either inefficient or fraudulent. His restructuring efforts led to thousands of layoffs, hundreds of which were later reversed amid lawsuits or operational crises. The Food and Drug Administration, for example, laid off 1,900 workers — but rehired scores of critical employees like scientists and support staff under legal and operational pressure. Even the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was unceremoniously shut down one day in February. Musk declared 'CFPB RIP' with a tombstone emoji. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) was gutted, its global humanitarian efforts eviscerated, and Musk's dismissive retort — 'no one has died' — was proven false. Malnutrition-related deaths in vulnerable populations have already been recorded, with experts fearing worse to come. Musk also took a swipe at lesser-known institutions like the U.S. Institute of Peace, attempting to dismantle the Congressionally created think tank before a court intervened to reinstate its leadership. Despite Musk's pledge to cut 'vaporware'-level waste from the federal budget, the biggest sources of spending — Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Pentagon — proved politically and logistically resistant to his interventions. Mass layoffs, 'existential threats' Musk described Social Security as 'a Ponzi scheme,' proposing massive savings by eliminating fraud. But his $500–700 billion savings estimate was quickly discredited. The program's inspector general confirmed only $71.8 billion in improper payments across eight years, and no credible evidence emerged to support Musk's claim that millions of deceased people were still receiving benefits. His push to restructure Social Security services — including the closure of call centers and offices — sparked political backlash and was largely walked back. Yet the agency may still lose up to 7,000 staffers. At the Pentagon, layoffs of civilian staff and consolidation plans were implemented, but Musk's broader ambitions collided with a growing defense budget. As AP reports, the 2025 Trump proposal includes $150 billion in additional military spending, with significant investments in missile defense and shipbuilding — the opposite of what Musk promised. Even as Musk talked of existential threats and government waste, his behavior in the White House often veered toward spectacle. He turned the driveway into a Tesla showroom, brought children to diplomatic meetings, and installed a giant screen in his office for video games. His comments about the experience — like joking about DOGE as an internet meme — underscored what many saw as a cavalier attitude toward public service. Trump, unbothered by concerns over Musk's inexperience or conflicts of interest related to government contracts, reportedly welcomed the chaos, even inviting Musk to sleep over at the White House. Musk's anecdotes of late-night treats and spontaneous decisions painted a portrait of an administration governed as much by whimsy as policy. An unpopular visionary Musk's popularity suffered as his promises failed to materialize. According to an Associated Press-NORC poll, just 33% of U.S. adults viewed him favorably in April, down from 41% in December. Nearly two-thirds of respondents said Musk had too much influence over the federal government. While Americans often agree that the federal bureaucracy is bloated, the reality of Musk's slash-and-burn approach left many disillusioned — especially as the true savings fell far short of historical benchmarks. For comparison, the Clinton administration's 'reinventing government' program yielded $136 billion in savings (over $240 billion today) after years of methodical, expert-led reforms. Elaine Kamarck, a key architect of Clinton's initiative, told AP that Musk's approach lacked such careful planning. 'We went about it methodically, department by department,' she said, noting the stark contrast. As Musk walks away from his advisory role, his legacy is marked more by damage than by efficiency. Federal agencies are bruised, their workforces diminished, and trust eroded. Institutional knowledge in key areas — like food safety, public health, and environmental protection — has been depleted. Even once-obscure corners of government felt the tremors of Musk's brief reign. But while the dust settles on his turbulent tenure, the broader consequences of his actions — from humanitarian setbacks abroad to regulatory breakdowns at home — may linger long after his final day. And though Trump insists that Musk 'will, always, be with us,' the reality, as AP reports, is that the tech billionaire leaves behind a government still reeling from his disruption, and far from the efficient machine he promised to deliver.
