Application Steps:

1. Read the OPT information and contact your faculty to determine your eligibility to participate in an off-campus employment related to your field of study.
2. You are required to complete all academic coursework by the start date of your OPT employment.
3. Fill out the "OPT Request" section and send it to the faculty for their recommendation.
4. You do not need to have a job offer letter when you apply for OPT. 
5. For more information, please visit SEVP website:
   
   SEVP - F-1 OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING (OPT)

What is Optional Practical Training (OPT) ?

Optional Practical Training (OPT) allows more flexibility than CPT. You can take the training either during or after your course of study. Most students choose to wait until after they have completed their program of study before they engage in OPT. Students do not need to have a job offer before they apply for OPT.

OPT Options

While you are in your degree program or nearing the end of your degree program, there are 2 OPT options for you to consider:

1. Pre-completion OPT

   • Performed during the annual summer vacation and at other times when             school is not in session
   • Performed while school is in session, provided that the training does not            exceed 20 hours per week
   • Performed after completion of all course requirements for the degree,                excluding thesis (for certain graduate students)
   • Note: You may wish to wait until you have a job offer before applying for pre-    completion OPT because your limited amount of OPT will begin to be counted      from the start date specified on your Employment Authorization Document   (EAD), whether you have a job or not

2.  Post-completion OPT

   • Performed after completing your program of study
   • Or performed after completing all coursework with only thesis remaining (for certain graduate students)
   
   

12-Month Training Period

OPT is limited to a 12-month training period for each degree level. You become eligible for another 12-month period when you begin a new degree program at a higher educational level.

Your 12 months of OPT can use a combination of the Pre-completion and Post-completion options. Examples:

• If you use 3 months of full-time Pre-completion OPT (at separate times or all at once), you will have 9 months left of Post-completion OPT.
  
  
• If you use 4 part-time months of Pre-completion OPT (at separate times or all at once), you will have 10 months left of Post-completion OPT. Part-time Pre-completion OPT counts as half the rate of full-time OPT.

Requirements Specific to OPT

• The total OPT cannot exceed 12 months. 
• Each period of authorized Pre-completion OPT will be deducted from the total 12 months of your authorization. Part-time Pre-completion OPT counts as half the rate of full-time Pre-completion OPT. 
• You must complete practical training within a 14-month period following the completion of your program of study.
• Your approval for OPT comes from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the form of an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). You must have the EAD before you can begin working on OPT, and you can only work within the dates specified on the EAD.

OPT Eligibility

To be eligible for OPT, international students must meet certain requirements:

• You must have been in F-1 status for a minimum of one academic years.
• You become eligible for an additional 12 months of practical training when you change to a new degree program at a higher educational leve
• Students only become eligible for Post-completion OPT once they have finished all substantive coursework.
• Must meet minimum GPA of 2.0 for undergraduate and 3.0 for graduate students and be making academic progress toward your degree plan.

OPT When to Apply

The current average USCIS processing time is 3-4 months; however, processing could take longer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Having a job offer is not required when applying for OPT; most students apply for OPT before looking for and/or finding a job. 

When to File your Application with USCIS

• No more than 90 days before the date of completion of your program 
• -AND- No more than 60 days after the completion of your program 
                          

Types of OPT Employment 

Employment must be in a job or internship that is directly related to your major field of study on page 1 of your I-20.  If the relationship between a job and your field of study is later questioned by USCIS or another U.S. agency, the burden of proof will be on you to explain the relationship.

Types of employment allowed during Post-completion OPT include:

• Paid employment: You may work part-time or full-time.
  
  
• Multiple employers: You may work for more than one employer at a time and also change employers during OPT.
  
  
• Short-term, multiple employers: Students in a performing arts major and certain other majors may work for multiple short-term employers.              Keep a list of all employment with the dates, employer name, address, the job you did, how it related to your field of study, and hours or average number of hours doing the job. This list is important in case you need to provide documentation of your OPT employment or to prove eligibility for future U.S. immigration benefits. Employment must average a minimum of 20 hours per week over the period of one month in order to not count towards your unemployment.
  
  
• Contract employment (1099 employment): This is where you perform a service based on a contractual relationship. Keep records showing the duration of the contract periods and the name and address of the contracting company.
  
  
• Self-employment: You may start a business and be self-employed if you obtain and keep records of all required business licenses. Your business must be directly related to your field of study.
  
  
• Employment through an agency: You may work for an employment agency.
  
  
• Paid internship: You may do a part-time or full-time internship.
  
  
• Unpaid employment/internships/volunteer work:  You may work as a volunteer or unpaid intern as long as it does not violate U.S. labor laws. At the end of your unpaid internship or volunteer work, ask the company for a letter that includes your name, the dates of your work, the job you did, and hours or average number of hours per week. This letter is important in case you need to provide documentation of your OPT employment or to prove eligibility for future U.S. immigration benefits. Normally, work must average a minimum of 20 hours per week over the period of one month in order to not count towards your unemployment.
  
  

Unemployment 90-Day Rule, Hours, and Approved Vacation

For students with authorized Pre-completion OPT, you are limited to a maximum of 20 hours per week of OPT employment when school is in session. You may work more than 20 hours per week during official school breaks and over the Summer.  

For students with authorized Post-completion OPT, it is the OPT employment that maintains your legal F-1 immigration status. It is important for you to remember the following: 

• Students cannot have more than 90 days of unemployment beginning on the OPT start date on your Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The unemployment count is cumulative.
• If a student works less than 20 hours per week, it will count as unemployment. 
• Students who exceed 90 days of unemployment will be in violation of their F-1 immigration status and must depart the U.S. immediately to avoid accruing unlawful presence, which could negatively affect any future U.S. visa or other U.S. benefit application. There is no 60-day grace period. 
• Approved vacation and time off by your employer does not count as "unemployment" if you are still considered an employee of the company. 
• There is no limit to the number of hours a student may work per week.
  To apply for OPT you must,

To apply for OPT you must,

1. Submit a written request to the DSO to recommend you for the OPT. The DSO will make the recommendation by endorsing your Form I‑20, Certification of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status, and making the appropriate notation in the SEVIS.
2. Properly file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization with USCIS, accompanied by the required fee and the supporting documentation as described in the form instructions.
3. You may begin your pre- or post-completion OPT only after your Form I-765 is approved and you receive your Employment Authorization Document (EAD).
4. You must apply after but within 30 days after your recommendation is entered into SEVIS.

 

Your Immigration Reporting Responsibilities while on OPT (for Post-Completion OPT only)

Students are required to report all changes in employment and personal information within 10 days of the change to maintain their F1 immigration record in SEVIS.

 

Section 1: Employment/Internship Information

Section 2: OPT Statement of Understanding

I certify the OPT dates and hours above are correct. I understand that any changes to the above OPT request will require a new form and OPT authorization must be given by the DSO on an updated I-20 before I can begin working.