After the proposal seeking a three-year freeze on the H-1B visa programme, Arizona Representative Eli Crane has introduced the “End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026”, targeting student work pathways such as Optional Practical Training (OPT).
Students who study under the F-1 visa rely on the OPT programme to gain work experience. They subsequently transition to an H-1B visa and seek permanent residency.
Republican leaders have frequently criticised the programme, accusing it of acting as a backdoor for foreign students to enter the US job market and harming American workers.
“OPT is not in the laws passed by Congress. It’s a regulatory creation cooked up by Big Tech lobbyists to avoid Congress’ cap on H-1B visas,” posted Senator Eric Schmitt on X on Saturday.
Schmitt called the intitiative “unlawful”and said it violated the Congress’ requirement of F-1 visa holders entering the US “temporarily and solely for the purpose of pursuing a course of study”.
Republican politician Mark Lynch accused the programme of being the Student Back Door, calling it a “weapon being used to destroy America”.
Lynch added in an X post, “381,000 foreign students are authorised to work for one year; there is no limit or test. When they [students] convert to an H-1B visa, their spouse gets authorised too.”
Senator Jim Banks also attacked the programme, deeming it a “scam.”
He posted on X, “The programme was never authorised by Congress and expanded by Obama. OPT floods the market with tax-exempt jobs for foreign students.”
However, many X users have hit back at the Senators’ claims, with one posting “International students brought $43.8 billion into the US economy in one year and supported more than 378,000 American jobs.”
The user added, “America is one of the few countries lucky enough to have talented people who pay us to study here. Only fools treat that like a problem.”
West Virginia Congressman Riley M Moore wrote to Homeland Secretary Markwayne Mullin on April 21, urging the department to end work programmes allowing foreign students to work during or after their studies. The programmes targeted include OPT, STEM-OPT, and Curricular Practical Training (CPT), All of them are tied to F-1 student visas.
Impact on Indian students
Majority of Indian students in the US are studying on F-1 visas as per the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a data shared in the Rajya Sabha in February 2026. They rely heavily on work experience and earnings gained from the OPT programme to repay student loans before trasitioning to H-1B status. If the bill is passed by the US Congress, it could lead to financial stress, rushed visa decisions, and students turning to countries like Canada, the UK, Australia, and Germany that offer more beneficial post-study work options.
