Students' backdoor to US jobs? Senators target OPT amid bill to freeze H-1B

A group of U.S. senators has introduced legislation that would freeze the H-1B visa program and impose new restrictions on Optional Practical Training, or OPT, a program that allows foreign students to work in the United States after graduation.

The bill, which targets both the H-1B visa and the OPT program, aims to limit what critics describe as a backdoor for foreign students to enter the U.S. job market. OPT permits international students on F-1 visas to work for up to three years in their field of study.

Supporters of the legislation argue that the programs undercut American workers and need reform. The proposed freeze on H-1B visas would last until the Department of Labor certifies that the program is not harming U.S. wages and working conditions.

The bill faces an uncertain path in Congress, but it reflects growing scrutiny of temporary work programs that have become a key pathway for foreign talent, particularly from India, to work in the United States.