Osito: October 31, 2026

Welcome to the Osito podcast. Today is Saturday, October 31, 2026. We have government updates, news, and Osito's data.

First, government updates.

On October 8, 2026, the Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule to charge F-1 students $70,000 for initial OPT and $30,000 for the second year of practical training. This is a proposal, not a final rule, and it would affect F-1 students seeking OPT. Public comments are open from October 8, 2026 until November 9, 2026, and information collection comments are due December 7, 2026. The Federal Register notice gives submission instructions.

D-H-S finalized a rule that ends automatic EAD extensions for people in certain employment authorization categories who timely file a renewal. It responds to comments on the October 30, 2025 interim final rule and reaffirms and finalizes it. It affects people filing timely renewals in those categories. The Federal Register notice has the categories.

USCIS, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, proposes to remove 8 C-F-R 214.1(c)(5), which generally gives deference to a prior approval on the same facts when deciding an extension request for a person's employment or stay. The change would align regulations with the statute, which places the burden of proof on the petitioner, applicant or beneficiary. It affects petitioners, applicants and beneficiaries filing those extension requests. The Federal Register notice has comment instructions.

F-1 and M-one students must keep a full course of study each term to maintain status. A reduced course load needs DSO authorization before dropping below full time; academic advisor approval is not enough. Listed grounds include illness or medical condition, up to twelve months for F-1 students with medical documentation and up to five months for M-one students, certain academic difficulties for F-1 students with a minimum six credit load, a final term, Special Student Relief for F-1 students, and part-time commuter status within seventy-five miles of the U.S. border. Without DSO approval, the record may be terminated in SEVIS and the student would have to leave or apply for reinstatement. After approval, the DSO updates SEVIS with the reason and dates, and the student must return to full time when that period ends.

SEVP, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program, recommends Keep Text Only paste when copying from Microsoft Word or similar applications into SEVIS. Random characters have appeared in open text fields in SEVIS student and school records when formatted text was pasted, and appear wherever SEVIS displays or prints the field. This affects SEVIS users, including DSOs entering records. Questions go to the SEVP Response Center at 703-603-3400 or 1-800-892-4829 or [email protected], Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time, except federal holidays.

D-H-S and USCIS invite comment on a proposed revision of an approved information collection for the Application for Travel Documents, Parole Documents, and Arrival/Departure Records. The Paperwork Reduction Act notice seeks comments on the collection, respondent categories and estimated burden. It affects people who complete that application and public commenters. No comment deadline is given; the Federal Register notice has dates and instructions.

Next, the news.

Vice President JD Vance said nine universities are under investigation for allegedly abusing the J-1 visa program, Inside Higher Ed reported. The Labor Department is leading the investigation, subpoenas were served, and Vance named Arizona State, Brown, Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Caltech, MIT, U.C. Davis and Pittsburgh. This affects J-1 visa holders at those universities and the schools. No individual steps are given.

Times of India N-R-I reports that U.S. immigration authorities could increasingly use A-I to find inconsistencies in immigration filings, including between an employee's reported address and H-1B worksite information. Examples include an address change on Form A-R-eleven that does not match an amended H-1B petition and a new LCA for a changed worksite. This affects H-1B visa holders and employers. A discrepancy alone does not establish fraud. Employers should review how they record moves and worksite changes, and employees should promptly report changes and submit required address notifications.

Forbes reports that an October 14 D-H-S proposed rule would rescind deference to prior H-1B approvals. D-H-S claims denial rates did not statistically differ when the policy was in effect. A National Foundation for American Policy analysis found continuing employment H-1B denial rates rose from 5% in fiscal year 2017 to 12% in fiscal years 2018 and 2019, then fell to 2% in fiscal year 2021 after USCIS rescinded the memo. USCIS data show H-1B Requests for Evidence rose from 21.4% in fiscal year 2017 to 38% in fiscal year 2018 and 40.2% in fiscal year 2019. Attorneys and economists criticized D-H-S for not explaining gaps and said the rule could harm employers and visa holders. The article lists other Trump administration proposals affecting H-1B workers, international students, J-1 visa holders, OPT and STEM OPT.

The PIE News reports that IDP Education's Emerging Futures research found only 24% of prospective international students chose Australia as first choice, and Australia's appeal fell by almost one quarter over six months. Australia remained most considered, but UK and US consideration rose eight percentage points between March and August 2026. Australia's policy rating fell from 6.6 to 6.3, the only destination decline. Simon Emmett said constant rule changes weigh on decisions and Australia is losing ground in the global race for talent. The survey covered 4,834 students in 106 countries between August 18 and September 16, 2026.

Canada's 2026 international student cap targets 408,000 study permits, according to ICEF Monitor. That includes 253,000 extensions and an expected 155,000 new arrivals, or commencements. Arrivals data so far suggests the total could come in considerably below target. This affects people looking at Canada's 2026 permit numbers.

New IDP Emerging Futures research reminds us that policies aimed at only select problems or institutions often have much broader consequences, according to ICEF Monitor. Policies announced too frequently, or with too little consultation or forewarning, can hobble recruitment efforts of even high quality ethical institutions. The research concerns international students choosing where to study.

A federal court ruling lifted a ban on immigrant visa processing, but many families remain stuck abroad while cases are delayed, NPR reports. The Trump administration had banned processing for citizens of seventy-five countries, affecting more than 280,000 applicants. Attorneys say the government is slow-walking visas despite the order, and the State Department says it paused processing for a training program and extra screening. The article describes Dustin Hoffman, a U.S. veteran whose wife and children wait in Argentina, and Dr. Fernando Lizcano, a Colombian researcher awaiting an EB-one-A visa in Colombia. It notes emotional and financial strain on separated families.

The UK government's updated impact assessment says the £925 per international student levy will cost providers 1,010 million pounds over three years, more than the 900 million pounds predicted last year. It expects the levy to raise 1,340 million pounds, less than 1,390 million projected in 2025, and 11,500 fewer international students in the first seven years, versus 16,500 earlier. Higher ranked universities may pass on more costs. The government also announced an extension of the Graduate Route up to two years for graduates of high compliance universities with strong labor market outcomes, with details unclear.

The Department of Defense said 30 universities fully mitigated partnerships with foreign entities of concern after ordered audits. The audits led to more than 80 termination related actions involving entities on the Section twelve eighty-six list and some others. Seven universities were praised for quickly ending problematic relationships. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called the terminated programs propaganda cells and sleeper organizations tied to Confucius Institutes. A Washington Post analysis of 17 university letters found many had already planned to end programs or ties did not involve sensitive technology, and six planned to keep some ties. This affects universities and their foreign partnerships.

According to ICEF Monitor, an analysis predicts only moderate university fee increases for international students in Australia for 2027. Unstable policies can disrupt prospective students and challenge university teams setting tuition fees. In Australia, the government's sudden July 2026 decision raised the non-refundable study visa application fee to over A-U two thousand dollars, and high visa refusals for some countries add pressure.

According to ICEF Monitor, C-A-P-S-I, the Canadian Association of Public Schools International, reports that 31,875 international K through 12 students attended 125 Canadian public schools that are C-A-P-S-I members in the 2025 to 2026 academic year. This is a four percent decline from the previous year. The decrease can mostly be attributed to fewer Chinese students enrolling in Canadian public schools.

Finally, Osito's data.

USCIS processing times published October 19, 2026 show no change from September 17, 2026 in 489 rows, 0 rows added and 7 rows removed. The I-765 OPT, c three, time is unchanged at five to six and a half months. This affects F-1 students on OPT planning dates around I-765 processing. Check the Osito OPT processing time page and the official USCIS page for your own dates.

Osito now holds LCA filings for fiscal year 2026 Q2, January 1 to March 31, 2026: 300,254 H-1B positions from 18,351 employers, 2,922 E-3 positions from 1,594 employers and 1,577 H-1B1 positions from 546 employers. 36,338 employers changed versus fiscal year 2026 Q1 or fiscal year 2025 Q2. These are filing counts by employers, not a decision on any person's case. Osito H-1B employer pages are available for comparison.

ICE top employer counts for data year 2024 are also in Osito: 78,205 OPT students, 52,029 STEM OPT students and 30,509 CPT students across 294 employers. 438 employers changed versus 2019. These are counts at the employers listed for that year, not a statement about where you can work. The Osito employers page is available for comparison.

ICE F-1 school counts for data year 2024 are available: 1,286,167 students across 450 schools. 452 schools changed versus 2023. These are student counts at the schools listed for that year, not a measure of any single program. The Osito F-1 schools page is available for comparison.

The SEVP certified school list as of January 14, 2026 is in Osito, with 14,035 campuses. No earlier version is stored, so campuses entering and leaving cannot be reported; those numbers are unknown, not zero. This matters to anyone checking whether a school is SEVP certified. Use the official certified school list itself before relying on an enrollment decision.

Osito published the first edition of its OPT employment report on July 16, 2026, covering ICE data year 2024: 78,845 OPT students and 52,140 STEM OPT students at listed employers, and 30,509 CPT students, for 110,042 combined. These are counts at listed employers only, not a count of all OPT students. The report is on the Osito OPT employment report page.

Your school DSO is the person to ask about your own situation. Osito.co has links to every source.