Syncra Blog
Practical advice on job search, resumes, interviews and OPT, written for international students and early-career engineers in the US.
On October 8, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security proposed new fees that schools would pay to recommend F-1 students for Optional Practical Training. The headline number is $70,000 for an initial OPT recommendation and $30,000 for each later one, including the STEM OPT extension.
No. The $100,000 H-1B fee is not being collected as of November 2026. Courts have blocked it, and a second judge struck down the September 2026 version that tried to extend it. But there is a separate, newer proposal for a $103,265 fee, and that one would matter far more to international students.
The H-1B lottery is no longer purely random. Since February 27, 2026, USCIS uses a weighted selection that gives more chances to jobs paid at higher wage levels. FY2027 was the first season under this system, and the next registration, for FY2028, is expected around March 2027.
On post-completion OPT you can be unemployed for up to 90 days total. If you get the 24-month STEM OPT extension, you get 60 more days, for 150 total across your whole OPT period. The 150 is an aggregate limit, not a fresh start: days you used on regular OPT count toward it.
A STEM OPT job is only valid if the employer is enrolled in E-Verify, signs a Form I-983 training plan with you, employs you directly at 20 or more hours a week, and actually trains and supervises you. If any one of those is missing, the job may not support your STEM extension.
Regular post-completion OPT is flexible: contract work, temp agency jobs and even self-employment can qualify if the work is related to your degree. STEM OPT is strict: you need a W-2 job with an E-Verify employer that directly trains and supervises you. C2C and 1099 arrangements generally do not wo
If you need a new visa stamp to return to the US, plan for delays. Since December 2025, expanded social media vetting has caused consulates in India to reschedule many H-1B, H-4 and student visa interviews, some by several months. A two-week trip can turn into a long stay abroad if your appointment
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