STEM OPT in 2025: A year of scrutiny, survival, and shrinking certainty
OPT in 2025 faced intense scrutiny as fraud crackdowns, AI audits, and site visits reshaped post-graduation work. Over 240,000 students depended on the program while arrests, permit revocations, and sham employers swept thousands into investigations. Political attacks and tax proposals amplified uncertainty, despite strong economic benefits. Universities tightened guidance as approvals grew harder. OPT survived, but with narrower pathways, higher risk, and diminished certainty for international graduates in an increasingly polarized immigration debate nationwide overall.
OPT in 2025 faced intense scrutiny as fraud crackdowns, AI audits, and site visits reshaped post-graduation work. Over 240,000 students depended on the program while arrests, permit revocations, and sham employers swept thousands into investigations. Political attacks and tax proposals amplified uncertainty, despite strong economic benefits. Universities tightened guidance as approvals grew harder. OPT survived, but with narrower pathways, higher risk, and diminished certainty for international graduates in an increasingly polarized immigration debate nationwide overall.
