Education

If you’re an international student on an F-1 visa right now, your newsfeed has probably been flooded with alarming headlines about OPT elimination, H-1B freezes, and sweeping immigration overhauls. The anxiety is real — but so is the misinformation.
On April 22, 2026, the “End H-1B Visa Abuse Act” was introduced in Congress, proposing a 3-year H-1B freeze, the complete elimination of OPT, and a mandatory $200,000 salary floor. Sounds terrifying. But here’s what most headlines won’t tell you: it hasn’t passed. It isn’t law. And legal experts say it faces enormous hurdles before it ever could be.
What has changed in 2026 — a weighted H-1B lottery, extended cap-gap protections, and rising filing fees — is real, enacted, and worth understanding. So is the bipartisan Keep Innovators in America Act, which could permanently protect OPT by codifying it into federal law.
This guide cuts through the noise. No panic, no speculation — just a clear, fact-based breakdown of what’s proposed, what’s already in effect, and the smartest steps you can take right now to protect your status and your future in the U.S.