[REVISION HISTORY]

US restrictions on international student work authorizations

Updated 1 time since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-08-28 23:22 UTC → 2026-08-29 03:38 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The U.S. administration has increased scrutiny of Curricular Practical Training (CPT), a work authorization for F-1 international students. Following a federal memorandum, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) emphasized that CPT must be an ‘integral part of an established curriculum’ to comply with regulatory requirements. In response to the guidance and warnings that universities could lose certification for non-compliance, several major institutions have adjusted their policies. The University of Southern California (USC) announced it will only authorize CPT when training is a specific degree requirement. Other institutions, including UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and UCLA, have paused or suspended certain CPT applications, particularly those used for elective course credit, while continuing to process requests that fulfill mandatory degree or research requirements. UC San Diego has paused the submission and processing of all F-1 CPT requests. New guidelines from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have further tightened these restrictions. CPT is now limited to instances where a formal agreement exists between the university and the employer, and where the internship is a mandatory requirement for all students in a specific major. The Trump administration stated these measures aim to prevent the ‘perceived abuse of lenient systems’ and protect jobs for American graduates. Beyond CPT, recent policy shifts include limiting the stay of F and J visa holders to a maximum of four years and considering high fees for the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. Institutions such as the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have joined UCLA and UC Berkeley in suspending or warning students about limited internship approvals.

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