Optional Practical Training (OPT) is an opportunity to gain work experience to complement your academic program. F-1 students are entitled to one year of OPT for each higher degree. When it is time for you to do OPT, you must first attend one of the OPT Seminars, then you can make an appointment with UC International Services to get the necessary paperwork processed.

OPT Categories

Optional Practical Training for F-1 students falls into three categories:

1. Pre-completion OPT which can take place:
   
   1. During the student’s annual vacation and at other times when school is not in session, if the student is eligible, and intends to register for the next term or session,
   2. While school is in session provided that OPT does not exceed 20 hours a week, or
      
   3. If the student is in a master’s or doctoral degree program, full-time after completion of all course requirements for the degree (excluding thesis or the equivalent).
2. Post-completion OPT which is full-time after completion of the degree.
   
3. 17 month extension for students with degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM fields).

OPT Eligibility

To obtain Optional Practical Training under any category, you must have completed one academic year in full-time status and currently hold F-1 status.

To obtain pre-completion OPT you must apply no sooner than 120 days before beginning employment.

To obtain post-completion OPT, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) must have received your application no later than 60 days following completion of the degree and no sooner than ninety (90) days prior to the date of completion of the degree.

To obtain the 17 month STEM extension USCIS must receive your application no later than the date your current EAD card expires, but preferably 90 days prior to the date the EAD card expires.

OPT Authorization

We encourage all students to make an application no later than the graduation date. The date of completion of the degree is not necessarily the date you participate in graduation ceremonies or the end of the quarter. Graduate students may complete the requirements for a degree any day of the year. Your lawful F-1 status expires 60 days after the date you complete your degree requirements. You are expected to leave the country by that date unless you have filed a timely application for Optional Practical Training or a status change which will allow you to remain in the U.S.

After attending an Optional Practical Training Seminar, you must call 556-4278 and schedule an appointment with a UC International Services advisor. You must bring the following documents to your appointment:

1. All students applying for OPT must bring a completed Optional Practical Training Eligibility Form. For students applying for OPT for the annual vacation quarter or part-time during the academic year (first and second category above, respectively), you must bring proof that you have completed one academic year in full-time status (grade reports, registration, etc.).
2. Copies of all I-20’s you have ever been issued.
3. A copy of your unexpired passport, I-94 card (front and back) and your F-1 visa stamp.
4. A copy of your degree or transcript if applying for 29 months of OPT based on having a STEM degree.
5. Check for $380.00 made out to "The Department of Homeland Security."
6. 2 photos of yourself. The photos must meet the following format: color photos with a white background. Photos should be unmounted, printed on thin paper, glossy and unretouched. The photos should be passport style. Your head should be bare unless you are wearing a headdress as required by a religious order to which you belong. The photos should be 2 x 2 inches, with the distance from the top of the head to just below the chin measuring 1 inch to 1 3/8 inches. Lightly print your name and your I-94 card# on the back of each photo with a pencil. For your convenience, you can obtain the required photos in two locations on campus. They are:  (1) Photographic Services  Location: 3300 Edwards Center Two Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m Phone: 556-3301 Price: $7.50 for a set of two.  (2) Medical Photography  Location: Rm. G44 HPB (Health Professsions Bldg) Hours: 1:30 – 4:30 MWF by Appointment Phone: 558-6111 Price: $12.05 set of 2 prints; $7.25 for each additional set of 2. Note: They do not cut the photos down to size; you must do so.
7. Completed I-765 Form. There are several questions on the I-765 that students have problems completing including Question #3: the address should be that of UC International Services unless you are absolutely certain you will be at your home address when the EAD card arrives. 51 W. Corry St., ML 0640, Cincinnati OH 45221-0640, and Question #16, Eligibility Category is (c)(3)(A) for pre-completion OPT; (c)(3)(B) for postcompletion OPT; and (c)(3)(C) for the 17 month STEM extension. If you are unsure of any questions, leave them blank until the appointment. Don’t forget to sign (don’t let your signature touch the top or bottom black lines), date and put your telephone number on the certification line.
8. Standard business-sized envelope holding required photos and check to USCIS. Do not seal the envelope!
9. If you have applied for Optional Practical Training or any other employment authorization in the past, you must bring copies of all EAD’s or denial notices you have been issued.
10. If you know who you will be working for while on OPT, please provide the name and address of the employer on a separate sheet of paper.

If all the materials are in order, UC International Services will recommend to the USCIS that you be granted Optional Practical Training.

OPT Approval

OPT approval can take up to 90 days to process. Please plan appropriately. If you have not designated UC International Services as the place to which the EAD card will be sent, you must provide us with a copy of the EAD card when you receive it.

OPT Availability

OPT is available for up to 12 months for all F-1 students for each higher degree you receive in the United States. This means if you obtain a Bachelor’s degree and utilize twelve months of OPT for that degree, you could apply for and receive another twelve months of OPT for a Master’s degree.

An additional 17-month OPT period (29 months total) is available to F-1 students who have completed a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) and who have accepted employment with employers enrolled in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) E-Verify employment verification program. E-Verify is a free internet-based system operated by USCIS, in partnership with the Social Security Administration, which determines a new employee’s eligibility to work.

OPT Limitations

Optional Practical Training is designed to provide students with work experience in their fields of study. As such, there are limits to how long you can remain in the U.S. in lawful F-1 status on OPT while unemployed. Students on 12-month OPT can remain in the U.S. unemployed for an aggregate of 90 days. Students who qualify for and receive the 17-month OPT extension can be unemployed for an aggregate of 120 days. It is also important to remember that once OPT is awarded, even if you change your immigration status, go back to school, etc, it cannot be cancelled or saved.