Washington: The Donald Trump administration has intensified surprise inspections of foreign students in the United States under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) programme, especially targetting those on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) OPT extension. Officials have been visiting student residences and university housing to verify training plans and F-1 visa status.

Data from the Open Doors 2023-24 report shows that 3.3 lakh Indian students are studying in the United States, with nearly 97,556 enrolled in the OPT programme. Many of them are enrolled under STEM OPT. This makes Indian students one of the largest groups affected by the crackdown.

The Fraud Detection and National Security unit (FDNS) of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (U

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