Senator Schmitt Outlines Severe Problems with OPT Program

Calls to Reform or End OPT Program

WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem expressing strong support for the agency's reported plan to overhaul the Optional Training Practical (OPT) Program. Schmitt requested a thorough review of OPT to begin the process of reforming or ending the program.

The program, which was created without congressional authorization, is a work benefit tied to the standard student visa that allows foreign nationals to work in the U.S. for up to twelve months after finishing their degree (STEM graduates are allowed an additional twenty-four-month extension). Today, the program effectively acts as a pipeline for cheap labor that serves the financial interests of large corporations and academic institutions and discriminates against American labor in favor of foreign workers.

Senator Schmitt wrote: "In light of your administration's continued commitment to America First immigration policy, I write to you in strong support of ongoing discussions surrounding reforms to the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. Recent reports have outlined your department's plans to overhaul or end OPT. This would represent a long-overdue correction to one of the most abused programs in the entire U.S. immigration system, which is also one of the few immigration programs created entirely by the executive branch, lacking congressional authorization. As you know, the OPT program is a "work benefit" tied to the F-1 visa, the standard nonimmigrant "student visa" that allows foreign nationals to attend U.S. colleges and universities. OPT allows student visa-holders to work in the U.S. for up to 12 months after finishing their degree; STEM graduates are allowed an additional 24-month extension."

Senator Schmitt continued: "Today, however, the program functions as a cheap-labor pipeline for big business-and a backdoor into the U.S. job market for foreign workers. OPT serves the financial interests of large corporations and academic institutions at the direct expense of young American workers and students. This system boxes young Americans out of the workforce, discriminates against American workers in favor of foreign labor, and suppresses wages and job opportunities for U.S. graduates. At the same time, it distorts our higher education system, incentivizes colleges to become "visa mills" and poses a serious threat to our national security and prosperity. Americans never asked for, or even authorized, this program. OPT was created (and then expanded) by unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch, without the input or approval of Congress, circumventing the caps and limits that govern employment-based visas. This unfortunate exercise of executive action, however, means OPT can likely be overhauled or ended by executive action."

Senator Schmitt continued: "Universities have a major financial incentive to do this, as foreign students tend to pay far higher tuition fees than their native-born counterparts. As a result, many would argue young Americans are being boxed out of both the workforce and the university system in their own country. Foreign students now make up 20-30% of total enrollment for many elite or public universities, and sometimes far higher in graduate programs. Last year, for example, a full 39% of Columbia University's total student body was foreign. For New York University, that number was approaching 44% - a 244% increase since 2013."

Senator Schmitt concluded: "The Trump administration has done more to combat the rampant abuse of our immigration system than any other administration in my lifetime. Considering this abuse, I formally request the Department of Homeland Security conduct a thorough review of the OPT program to begin the process of either reforming or ending OPT. Thank you for your leadership on this front and for aligning our immigration programs with the principles of America First."

Read the full letter HERE.

Background:

1. In September 2025, Senator Schmitt sent a letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Administrator Joseph Edlow raising concerns that H-1B visas are being used improperly to staff positions in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) bureaucracy.

###