Understanding Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Visa Holders

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary employment authorization that allows F-1 international students to gain practical work experience in their field of study.

1. What Is OPT?

• The main goal is to give students a chance to get real work experience that is connected to what they are studying. This work experience is supposed to be related to the F-1 students major area of study. The idea is to help F-1 students learn things that they can actually use in their careers.

• Status: You remain in F-1 status while on OPT. Your school's International Student Office continues to have oversight of your SEVIS record.

• Duration: Standard OPT is for a maximum of 12 months for each higher education level (e.g., 12 months for a Bachelor's, another 12 months for a Master's).

• Unemployment: You are allowed a limited period of unemployment while on OPT (90 days for standard OPT, 150 days for STEM OPT).

Understanding Optional Practical Training (OPT): A guide for F-1 visa holders detailing work opportunities related to their field of study, with options for pre-completion and post-completion training. In the background, students collaborate and study in a campus setting.

2. Types of OPT

• There are two main types of OPT, and you get a total of 12 months of authorization per education level (e.g., 12 months for a Bachelor's, 12 months for a Master's).

• Pre-Completion OPT: This is something that happens before you finish your program of study at the university. You do this before you complete the program of study.

• You can get a part-time job when school is in session. This part-time job will be for twenty hours or less per week. The school is, in session. You can work at this part-time job during that time.

• You can work full-time (more than 20 hours per week) during official school breaks (like summer).

• When you use Pre-Completion OPT that time is taken away, from your total of 12 months. Let us say you use Pre-Completion OPT for 4 months time. In this case you will have 8 months of Post-Completion OPT remaining. You have to remember that Pre-Completion OPT and Post-Completion OPT are both part of your 12-month total.

• Post-Completion OPT: This is the most common type, used after you graduate or complete your program

• This authorization is typically for full-time employment.

• You must work at least 20 hours per week to be considered "employed."

3. Eligibility

• To qualify for Optional Practical Training you must:

• Hold valid F-1 student status.

• Have completed one full academic year of study in the U.S.

• The work you do has to be connected to the subject you are studying for your degree. It is very important that your job is directly related to your field. This means that the work you do should be, about the things you are learning in your major field.

• Have not used 12 months or more of full-time Curricular Practical Training (CPT).

4. Application Process

The application is a two-part process:

• Request from your School: You first request an OPT recommendation from your DSO. They will verify your eligibility and issue you a new Form I-20 with the OPT recommendation printed on it.

• When you get your I-20 you need to send some paperwork to the USCIS. You have to fill out the Form I-765, which's the application, for a work permit. To do this you will need to send in your I-20 pay a fee include some passport photos and add some other important papers. You must file the Form I-765 with the USCIS.

• If approved, USCIS will mail you the EAD card. You cannot legally begin working until you have the EAD card in your hand and the start date printed on the card has arrived.

5. When to Apply

• Timing is really important. You can apply for Post-Completion OPT. This is something you should do at the time. When you are thinking about Post-Completion OPT you need to remember that timing is critical. So you should apply for Post-Completion OPT when the time is right.

• The earliest you can do something is ninety days before your program actually ends.

• Latest: 60 days after your program end date.

• You need to make sure that the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, which is also known as USCIS gets your application within thirty days of the day your Designated School Official or DSO for short puts the Optional Practical Training recommendation into the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, which is called SEVIS. The USCIS needs to receive your application, for the Optional Practical Training within this time frame.

• The ideal time to apply is early in the 90-day window before you graduate.

6. STEM OPT Extension

Students who earn a degree in a designated Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) field may be eligible for a 24-month extension of their Post-Completion OPT. This gives them a total of 36 months (12 + 24) of work authorization.

So what do we need for the STEM extension? Here are the main things:

• * The STEM extension needs to have some things.

• The key requirements, for the STEM extension include:

• You must be on valid Post-Completion OPT.

• Your degree must be on the official

• Your employer has to be part of the E-Verify program. The E-Verify program is something that your employer must be enrolled in. This is a requirement, for the E-Verify program and your employer.

• You and your employer must complete and sign Form I-983 (Training Plan), which outlines your learning objectives and how the job relates to your STEM degree.

7. STEM OPT Extension

If you are studying something like science or technology which is called a STEM major you can apply to stay and work for a 24 months. This is after you have already worked for 12 months with your OPT. You have to be eligible for this time, which is called a 24-month extension and it is only, for people who are studying STEM majors.

Requirements:

• The company you work for has to be signed up for E-Verify. Your employer really needs to be registered with E-Verify.

• You must file Form I-765 for extension before your current OPT expires.

• The job has to be something that is related to the STEM field that you are studying. This means that the work you do should be connected to science or technology or engineering or math which is what STEM stands for. The job must be related to your STEM field.

  📅 Total possible work time: up to 36 months (12 + 24).

8. Important Rules

⚠️ Remember:

• You cannot start working until you get your Employment Authorization Document card. This is the rule so you have to wait for your Employment Authorization Document card to arrive before you can begin your job. You need your Employment Authorization Document card in your hands first.

• You are allowed up to 90 days of unemployment during Post-Completion OPT.

• Report your employer information to your DSO within 10 days of any change.

• The work that you do has to be connected to what you're learning in school. Your job should be, about the things that you are studying. The work and your field of study must be directly related to each other.

• You can change employers, but must update your DSO each time.

9. After OPT

60-Day Grace Period: After your OPT EAD expires you have sixty days to do a things. You can use this time to figure out what to do with your OPT EAD.

* You have sixty days to leave the United States

* You have sixty days to apply for a visa

* You have sixty days to do something with your OPT EAD.

• This sixty-day grace period is really important for people, with an OPT EAD. The sixty-day grace period starts after your OPT EAD expires.

• Prepare to depart the U.S.

• Transfer your SEVIS record to a new school (e.g., for a higher degree).

Change your status to a different visa (e.g., H-1B, F-2, etc.).

Change of Status: If you are a beneficiary of a successful H-1B petition, you may be eligible for a "Cap-Gap" extension that protects your status and work authorization until the H-1B starts on October 1.

Tips

• Talk to your DSO. Then talk to them again. Your DSO is your most important resource. Do not rely on advice from friends; rules change. Attend your school's OPT workshop and meet with your DSO one-on-one.

• Apply Early. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services processing times are really long. We never know when they will finish. So it is best to send in your I-765 form soon as you can which is ninety days before you graduate. This way you will get your Employment Authorization Document card on time to start your job.

• You should file your I-765 form early because the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services processing times, for I-765 forms are long and unpredictable. Filing your I-765 form ninety days before graduation is the way to get your Employment Authorization Document card in time for your jobs start date.

• Double-check Form I-765. A tiny mistake on this form (like a wrong address or an unchecked box) can lead to a rejection and long delays. Have your DSO or a trusted advisor review it.

• You should keep detailed records. Save copies of every document you send to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services all of your I-20 forms your Employment Authorization Document card and every job offer letter you get. You will need these documents for any visa applications or green card applications, for the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

• Don't Lose Your EAD Card. Treat it like your passport.

• Understand the Unemployment Clock. The 90-day unemployment rule is strict. Make sure you report your employment to your DSO as soon as you start a job to stop the clock.

Good Luck