H.R. 2315 — Fairness for High-Skilled Americans Act of 2025

This section eliminates the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program by prohibiting employment authorization for F-1 nonimmigrant students (i.e., foreign academic students under INA §101(a)(15)(F)(i)) who are no longer engaged in full-time study, absent an express Act of Congress authorizing such a program. (OPT, administered by DHS, currently authorizes eligible F-1 students to work temporarily in a job related to their field of study—up to 12 months post-completion or 36 months for STEM fields—without counting against numerical visa limits. Thus, F-1 students employed under OPT would become unauthorized aliens subject to employer hiring prohibitions and sanctions under 8 U.S.C. 1324a.)