OPT Information
What is OPT?
OPT is for F-1 students who want to work in the United States. It is a temporary employment that provides students the opportunity to gain knowledge in their field of study.
Students are eligible for 12 months of OPT within each degree completed and work needs to relate to the degree/field of study.
Students on OPT are eligible for UWGB international student insurance; though they must apply and enroll directly through the insurance company, not through the OIE.
When to apply
Students can apply 90 days before the end of the program or semester (I-20s will have exact program end dates). The latest applications can be received by USCIS is 60 days after program end date.
OPT Start date
Students' OPT start date begins within 60 days of program end date and ends 12 months after this date. Students' OPT start date is determined based on their employment start date.
If students' employment start date is later than the 60 days after program ends, their OPT start date will still be the 60th day after program end.
If students do not start work on their OPT start date, they have up to 90 days within the 12-months of the card that they can be “unemployed” and still keep their status.
Application Process
How to apply online:
- Create or login to USCIS account
- Students can complete an application once they make an acccount
- Color scanned copies of documents needed to apply online:
- New I-20 with OPT endorsement ***
- Most recent I-94
- 2x2 photo
- Copy of old I-20(s)
- Copy of passport ID page
- Copy of F-1 visa
- Copy of previous Employment Authorization Document (EAD)
- Review and submit
- Pay ($410) application fee
Submitting Application
We recommend to submit the application online, as students can save as they go and don’t have to worry about the application getting lost in the mail, or application not making it on time.
Deadlines:
USCIS needs to have students' I-20s within 30-days of issuance, so the application needs to be mailed and received within those 30-days.
If they file outside of the 30-days then their application can be denied.
Processing Time
Average time is 90 days of application. Apply as early as possible to allow 90 days to process. Processing time can be longer than the 90 days or earlier.
Students will receive confirmation that USCIS received their application.
USCIS can request more information from the student; students should contact their OIE advisor to help send required information to USCIS.
Employment Options
Employment must be a minimum of 20 hours per week, paid or unpaid, to maintain legal F-1 OPT status. Students should be able to provide evidence, acquired from their employer, to verify that they worked at least 20 hours per week.
Limitation on Unemployment for Post-Completion OPT.
Once students' OPT period starts, they may not use more than 90 days of unemployment within provided dates. If students need to use unemployment they will need to update their OPT and report their employment to the OIE in order to stop the unemployment.
There are multiple types of employment options open to students on OPT. It's important that students keep a record of their employment history (to present as evidence of maintaining lawful status if they apply for future immigration benefits).
While we will support students during this time it is their responsibility to report the required information related to their OPT. If students have any questions, they should reach out to their advisor.
Life after OPT:
Students can change their visa status.
Students can apply to a different University or add another degree on.
Students can return home.
Students may receive a H1-B from employer.
Pre-OPT:
Contact OIE advisor with any questions.
STEM-OPT:
Contact OIE advisor.
Students get extra time for STEM-OPT.
Studnets must start STEM-OPT application 3 months before original OTP ends.