Due to stricter online screening and increased monitoring imposed on international students and immigrants, student sources in this story will remain anonymous for their own safety.

The Department of Homeland Security proposed a $70,000 fee for foreign student work programs on Oct. 7, 2026, the latest step in a series of ongoing restrictions on study abroad programs affecting U.S. colleges and universities.

The move comes as the Trump administration has pursued several policy changes affecting international students, including a proposal to limit the duration of student visas to four years, requiring students to seek additional federal authorization to extend their stay in the United States. The proposal was later blocked by a federal judge.

At Santa Clara University, the International Students and Scholars team manages over 1600 students from around the world on long-term F-1 visas or short-term exchange J-1 visas. Following the proposed restrictions, the program has struggled to manage the Department of Homeland Security’s policy regarding student immigration and work validity.

For the students under the team’s guise, the administrative actions usher in a wave of insecurity about the future. One international student remarked that as a child, they believed the U.S. was synonymous with opportunity—but now, they’re not so sure.

“Any person from anywhere in the world felt welcome to figure out a way to find themselves in America and people were willing to do a lot, to do anything, to come to America and access the opportunities that were here,” this student said. “I have two siblings here in the States. We all came here with this idea: that if you come to America, there’s opportunity.”

The student also noted an inability to take advantage of their proximity to Silicon Valley, a place with numerous opportunities to “transform any industry with technology,” as especially painful when dealing with new restrictions.

“Being unable to access the opportunities to actually be in those environments is a strong punishment,” this student said. “Its almost a cruelty. It’s like being able to see something but not being able to access it. You can’t be a part of it. It’s probably better to not have even seen it or known about it than to be exposed to it and not able to participate. And we want to learn.”

The Department of Homeland Security issued a crackdown on elective internships in August 2026, further restricting international students’ ability to seek employment in the U.S. beyond what curriculum requires for their degree.

“I’ve already heard from students that they’ve lost job offers,” said Melissa Heid, director of international scholars and students.

International students are now only permitted to accept internship programs that are mandatory for graduation, work on-campus jobs for 20 hours a week or less, or pay for pre-completion Optional Practical Training. After recent policy changes, pre-completion OPT is now the only way international students can work off campus before graduation, and not all Santa Clara University international students have the option.

Without access to off-campus positions, many international students feel held back from obtaining the work experience they came to the University to receive.

“SCU was ranked so highly for job placement and a higher salary after graduating,” a second international student said. “International students were drawn towards that point of opportunity.”

“Let’s say you do 300 applications, 400 applications, 20 interviews, three final round interviews and you get that one job after six months of grinding,” continued this student. “Then the government tells you that you are not authorized to do it. I had to tell my internship I can’t extend anymore because I’ve been limited, too.”

The DHS proposal to increase OPT fees for F-1 non-immigrant students is pending approval.

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services requires students to pay a baseline fee of $470 to file for up to 12 months initial OPT. The Department of Homeland Security’s proposal would increase this baseline by almost 15,000%.

“If the fee becomes a reality, it would put into place staged fees,” said Heid. “ From my job’s perspective, if the rule moves forward, it’s going to create a lot of challenges and we’ll have to build new processes.”

Questions arise about how these fees will be taken care of. Universities predict a struggle with taking on these fees for F-1 students, and individual students advocate that they shouldn’t be expected to cover the increased fees by themselves either.

“I want to ensure that I’m making the most out of my education and exploring the things that I want to be and the freedom to learn and grow as a person,” the second student said. “But that fee is stopping me.”

“Personally, I’m not interested in staying after graduating anymore,” the first student said.

Both students echoed frustrations of being denied opportunities, arguing that the initiatives feel targeted without real reason.

“We’ve never done anything criminal in the states,” the first student said. “We’ve simply come here to get educated and to travel.”

Further, impending rulings may override life plans and make dream careers off-limits. For international students, the looming uncertainty has direct impacts on mental well being.

“I’ve cried a lot,” said the second student. “Sometimes twice or three times a month. It’s like one after the other. I couldn’t do my internship, and it took me all year long to find that internship.”

Following the Trump Administration’s added security measures, there are new barriers to traveling abroad. Increased vetting processes and threats to visas/SEVIS status may risk the denial of re-entry to the United States. Such risks dissuade students from leaving the U.S. to go home for fear of not being permitted to return.

“The last time I saw my parents was in December,” the first student said. “There have been people who’ve done longer. I know that I’m only gonna see them after I graduate. Parents are not getting any younger. People change and grow and you have friends and family back home.”

“I don’t know if I can go home for Christmas,” the second student said. “I don’t know where I could stay for Christmas if I did stay here.”

Despite the uncertainty, both students intend to continue working hard through their time at the University. Over 4,000 international students in California’s 17th district contribute almost $200 million to the local economy and support over 1,000 jobs. Santa Clara University alone is responsible for over 60% of these jobs and almost half of the total financial contribution.

“I work three jobs on campus,” the second student said. “I feel like I contribute a lot. I do my best to build up my community, not just international students, but also Americans, too. I don’t see international students and American citizens different. We’re just people. We’re just people trying to find a job and trying to work. We work hard. If we work hard enough, we get to stay.”

While these new policies would reduce international students’ ability to engage with the community, the first student believes that the rulings will not erase their voices or resolve to make an impact.

“I want to build deep relationships with people who share my values and who share my ambitions, to make a difference in the lives of other people,” the first student said.

In response to the changing landscape, the ISS program is prioritizing assisting students pivoting to more on-campus employment and research opportunities in place of off-campus employment.

“I think that we’re willing to sit with them in the anxiety,” Heid said. “We are doing our best to show that we care. Like, this is horrible. I’m frustrated on behalf of students. And we know that even though they’re students, they have goals beyond just students, and so how can we help them reach those goals?”

ISS is taking steps to prepare for possible CPT shutdowns and enforced OPT staged fees, hoping to engage students through town hall meetings, timely updates and advising sessions as they rethink their futures.

The public commenting period for the proposed fee concluded Nov. 9, following which the Department of Homeland Security is required to review all letters submitted by advocacy groups and individuals. These concerns from the public must be fully addressed before a decision is made to either approve, edit, or cancel the fee. Then, the finalized decision will likely be reviewed by federal courts.

If the CPT ban is not lifted by January, the ISS program aims to take on pre-completion OPT advising.

“That means we have to get ourselves trained. We have to build the system for students to request it,” Heid said.