F1 -> OPT -> H1 bridge is way more expensive now.
Universities are bound to lose a ton of money due to this. Those outside of the top 50 will likely get hammered.
Yes, it brings in more income for the government at the expense of universities.
It’s a great way to remove h1b fraud and abuse but you do burn down a bit of your garage in the process of getting rid of the rat.
This is a significant chunk of revenue for many colleges to keep their budget in shape.
Even in conservative states, lots of colleges are reliant on this stream of income. A loss of this stream is going to put a strain on them to balance their budget, or seek more help from govt.
The proclamation gives me the impression that foreign students are exempt from the fee.
If this doesn’t apply to foreign US university students then this policy actually helps those students because it will free up spots in the lottery for them or eliminate the lottery, and reduce the quota line for quota country student currently studying.
