Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a period during which undergraduate and graduate students with F-1 status who have completed or have been pursuing their degrees for more than nine months are permitted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to work for at most one year on a student visa without needing to acquire a work H-1B visa towards getting a practical training to complement their field of studies.
F-1 students are permitted a total of 12 months towards practical
training, on being certified by the advisor of the usefulness of the work
towards goals of the degree, which can be distributed between Curricular
Practical Training (CPT) and OPT. M-1 students are also permitted to engage in
post-completion OPT. They are entitled to one month of training for every four
months of study, with a maximum length of six months.
On April 4, 2008, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
released an interim final rule extending the period of OPT from 12 to 29 months
for qualified F-1 non-immigrant students. The extension will be available to
students who are employed by businesses enrolled in the E-Verify program.
E-Verify are a free internet-based system operated by USCIS in partnership with
the Social Security Administration which determines a new employee's eligibility
to work. To be eligible for the 17-month OPT extension, a student must have
received a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics degree.
Optional practical training is the most common approach to working in
the U.S. for international students. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Service (USCIS) – formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Service
or INS allows F-1 students to obtain permission to work for one year.
Pre- and Post-Completion
Optional Practical Training:
Optional practical training
is available both during and after the completion of your academic program.
These are called pre-completion and post-completion optional practical
training, respectively. However, keep in mind that the total amount of practical
training permitted is 12 months. For example, if you are authorized for three
months of pre-completion optional practical training during the holidays, you
will only be eligible for nine more months of post-completion optional
practical training after you have completed your degree. Also, any time spent
in curricular practical training reduces the amount of time you may work in
optional practical training.
Pre-completion optional practical training may be any of following:
A part-time or
full-time job during an annual vacation.
A part-time or
full-time job after completion of all coursework, but while working on your
thesis, dissertation, or project.
During the academic
year, while pursuing a full course load, only part-time jobs are
allowable.
Post-completion
optional practical training:
Work as a full-time
employee
Work for as many
companies as you want
Work as an independent
contractor
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