ICE Identifies 10,000 Foreign Students Misusing OPT Program

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials announced Tuesday that they have identified approximately 10,000 foreign students, including a number of Indian nationals, for allegedly misusing the Optional Practical Training program through employment with highly suspect companies.

Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons detailed the findings during a press conference in Washington, describing the OPT component of student visas as "a magnet for fraud." The program permits foreign students to work in the United States for up to 12 months, or 24 months in certain fields like STEM, following their studies. It also serves as a bridge to employer-sponsored H-1B visas. Lyons noted that federal investigators uncovered widespread irregularities during site visits to alleged worksites across states including Virginia, Texas, Georgia, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Florida.

Investigators reported discovering empty buildings with locked doors, residential addresses listed as workplaces for hundreds of students where no employees were present, and multiple companies claiming operations from the same unleased facilities. Some employers had records of tax liens, civil...