DHS Proposes a Fee for F-1 OPT: Does It Affect Flight Students on an M-1 Visa?

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), through Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), published a proposed rule (NPRM) on October 8, 2026, introducing new fees for Optional Practical Training (OPT). This article speaks directly to international students, with a focus on Latin America, who are training or planning to train as a pilot in Miami, Florida — through Alpha Aviation Group’s hands-on flight training in the Miami metropolitan area — on an M-1 visa.

Before going further, an important clarification: this is an immigration and legal matter, and Alpha Aviation Group does not provide legal or immigration advice of any kind. Any decision about your visa, your status, or your paperwork requires specialized human review — from an immigration attorney or your school’s Designated School Official (DSO) — before you act. This article is general information based on official sources, not individual guidance, and does not replace that review.

What exactly does DHS propose with this new fee?

DHS, through ICE, proposes charging $70,000 for initial OPT and $30,000 for any subsequent OPT for nonimmigrant F-1 students who participate in the program through a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP)-certified school. According to the document itself, the proposal aims to combat fraud and strengthen the integrity of the immigration system.

This is a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking: a proposal open for public comment, not a rule in effect yet. The docket number is ICEB-2026-0100, and the full text is available in the official notice published in the Federal Register. The comment period for the rule as a whole closes on November 9, 2026, and the comment period on the information-collection request (under the Paperwork Reduction Act) closes on December 7, 2026. Comments are submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal (regulations.gov) under that docket number.

Does the OPT fee proposal apply to M-1 students?

No. According to the text of the NPRM, the proposal applies exclusively to F-1 students participating in OPT; it does not mention the M-1 category or vocational practical training (PT) — the hands-on training track associated with that visa — anywhere in the document.

This isn’t a coincidence: F-1 and M-1 have been distinct immigration categories from the start. 8 CFR §214.2 regulates academic students, under paragraph (f), separately from vocational students, under paragraph (m). You can review that distinction directly in the current regulation text at eCFR — 8 CFR §214.2.

Students training as pilots with Alpha Aviation Group under FAA Part 61 typically do so on an M-1 visa, since flight training is considered vocational, non-academic study. According to Study in the States, DHS’s official portal for international students, only under certain circumstances can F and M students work or access practical training, and the rules differ by category; see studyinthestates.dhs.gov/students.

How does F-1’s OPT differ from M-1’s practical training?

The difference is structural, not just a matter of naming. The F-1 visa has two hands-on training mechanisms: Curricular Practical Training (CPT), available during the program, and Optional Practical Training (OPT), typically available after completing it. The M-1 visa, by contrast, has only one type of employment authorization: practical training (PT), and it is only available after the student finishes the program of study — never during it.

According to the USCIS Policy Manual, PT is the only type of employment authorization available to M-1 students, and it lets them obtain on-the-job training not available in their home country; it can only be authorized after the student completes the program. You can review this distinction in the relevant page of the USCIS Policy Manual.

The duration of PT for M-1 students is also capped by regulation: students receive one month of employment authorization for every four months of full-time study completed, up to a maximum of six months total. This confirms that M-1’s PT operates under its own rules, separate from the F-1 OPT that this fee proposal targets.

What should M-1 flight students in Miami keep an eye on?

They should closely track any future changes to SEVP rules, Form I-20 requirements for vocational students, or practical training itself, even though this particular proposal doesn’t cover them today. The immigration regulatory landscape can evolve during and after the comment period.

The M-1 Form I-20 is the Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status for vocational students, distinct from the academic I-20 used for F-1, as confirmed by the U.S. Department of State on its student visa page.

While the comment period is open, M-1 students interested in training as a pilot in Miami can continue planning their path under the current FAA Part 61 rules, since this OPT fee proposal does not change their existing paperwork. Alpha Aviation Group delivers hands-on flight training under that regulation, based primarily out of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE), within the Miami metropolitan area, with a satellite base at North Perry Airport (KHWO), and bilingual support in English and Spanish for international students.

To understand how a Part 61 pilot training program is structured for students arriving on an M-1 visa, see our guide on FAA Part 61 training in Miami for Latin American students. And if you’re also planning your budget while your immigration process moves forward, it’s worth reviewing FAA pilot training cost in Miami by level.

If you’re also following other international student visa topics, read our article on F-1 Visa Social Media Screening in 2026: What International Students Need to Know.

This topic will likely keep moving while the public comment period remains open. Once more, for clarity: this is an immigration and legal matter, and the final word on how it affects you must always go through specialized human review — your DSO or an immigration attorney — because Alpha Aviation Group does not provide legal or immigration advice, legal services, or immigration counsel of any kind. If you’re considering starting your pilot training in Miami and have questions about how your immigration situation fits with the licensing path, contact admissions to talk through your case; from there, we can point you toward confirming the details with an immigration specialist.