The Optional Practical Training (OPT) program, which allows international students on F-1 visas to work in the US post-graduation, has become a flashpoint in immigration debates. A recent article in The Times of India titled "OPT and the Uneasy Truth Behind India’s US Education Boom: How America is Cutting Off Its Own Talent Feed" explores how OPT drives India's growing enrollment in US higher education while facing mounting criticism for allegedly undermining American workers.
Published amid 2025 policy shifts, the piece argues that OPT serves as a vital "bridge" for students, particularly Indians, to recoup high education costs, gain experience, and transition to H-1B visas. However, US politicians view it as an unregulated loophole ripe for abuse.
The article highlights OPT's role in India's "education boom." Indian student numbers in the US reached 363,019 in 2024-25, up from 268,923 in 2022-23, with OPT participation surging 47.3% to 143,740 users.
This growth offsets a 9.5% drop in graduate enrollments, making OPT the key driver. For Indian families, it's a sequenced pathway: admission, internship, graduation, and work authorization—often extending up to three years for STEM fields. The program sustains US universities by filling research and entry-level roles, contributing to a total of 294,253 OPT users overall in 2024-25, a rise of over 50,000 from the prior year.
Yet, the article warns that reforms could collapse this "post-study corridor," turning graduations into "forced departures" and eroding the US's appeal.
Critics, including US lawmakers, decry OPT as a "guest-worker scheme" without congressional backing, violating the Immigration and Nationality Act's focus on study over employment.
Figures like Jessica Vaughan of the Center for Immigration Studies label it the "largest unregulated guest-worker scheme," citing over 540,000 work authorizations in FY2023 and links to "diploma mills" and illegal jobs.
Senator Charles Grassley urged ending it in a September 2025 letter, calling it a "direct violation" that undercuts young Americans.
Proposed changes include the American Tech Workforce Act to terminate post-degree work and the Dignity Act to impose payroll taxes, removing OPT's tax exemptions.
Senator Eric Schmitt, a vocal opponent, features prominently. In a November 2025 letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, he called OPT "one of the most abused" programs, a "cheap-labor pipeline" that subsidizes foreign workers via tax breaks, undermines Americans, and fosters "visa mills."
Responding to the Times article on X (formerly Twitter), Schmitt accused it of targeting him again for his stance.
In a January 14, 2026, thread, he reiterated: "OPT: • Subsidizes foreign labor • Undermines young Americans • Creates Visa Mills." He noted its executive origins allow for executive termination, referencing his call to Noem and Edlow to "overhaul or end this terribly broken program."
Schmitt emphasized "America First means AMERICANS first," citing a nearly 30% OPT increase over five years and urging action.
He interpreted the article as admitting F-1 students prioritize jobs over education, evidencing abuse.
This clash underscores broader tensions: OPT bolsters US innovation by attracting global talent but risks alienating domestic workers amid "America First" policies. For India, disruptions could shrink enrollment pipelines, while the US might lose a "talent feed" in STEM. As debates intensify, OPT's future hangs on executive and legislative moves, potentially reshaping international education dynamics.
