There are three types of Optional Practical Training: Pre-completion (before graduation); post-completion (after all degree requirements are completed); and an OPT "STEM" extension available to Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math students hired by an employer registered with the government's "E-Verify" Program.
F-1 students who have been enrolled in legal student status for a minimum of 9 months are eligible for up to 12 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) work authorization to be used as either pre-completion OPT or post-completion OPT by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS).
Employment under OPT must be directly related to a student's field of study and appropriate to the level of education. You do not need a job offer prior to applying for OPT, and your job may be anywhere in the United States. You may also change jobs during the course of your OPT period. OPT may be used in "chunks" during vacation terms before completion of studies, or used for a 12-month, full-time period after completion of studies.
Once you return the required forms and copies to our office, it will take between 5 and 10 business days to issue your new OPT-endorsed I-20. Once you mail the application to USCIS, it can take between two and four months for them to approve your application and send you the card.
See the presentations below for specific information on all types of OPT.
A Microsoft PowerPoint presentation/slide show covering Optional Practical Training is available from our Web site. Please click the link below to download and view the presentation:
A Microsoft PowerPoint presentation/slide show covering OPT STEM is available from our Web site. Please click the link below to download and view the presentation:
F-1 students who have been enrolled in legal student status for a minimum of 9 months are eligible for up to 12 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) work authorization by U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS). Employment under OPT must be directly related to a student's field of study and appropriate to the level of education. You do not need a job offer prior to applying for OPT, and your job may be anywhere in the United States. You may also change jobs during the course of your OPT period. OPT may be used in "chunks" during vacation terms before completion of studies, or used for a 12-month, full-time period after completion of studies. Once you return the required forms and copies to our office, it will take between 5 and 10 business days to issue your new OPT-endorsed I-20. Once you mail the application to USCIS, it can take between two and four months for them to approve your application and send you the card.
To apply for OPT a student will need to complete two forms:
I-765: (http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/I-765.pdf), and
OVIS OPT Application Form: https://fs8.formsite.com/Rcatmur/OPTApplication/secure_index.html
Once you complete the online form, you will be asked to submit document copies in support of your application for an OPT work endorsement. These may be scanned into one pdf file and uploaded to the form, or brought to the OVIS immigration advisor as paper copies. For all OPT applications, these copies include:
For a STEM OPT application, you will also need to submit:
Please note that if your employment or internship is
then you do not need to apply for OPT. Likewise, for any pre-completion OPT that is an on-campus Dartmouth College position, you do not need an OPT authorization.
All post-completion paid positions do require an OPT authorization, whether on campus or off campus. Please contact the Office of Visa and Immigration Services to verify that your position would qualify for an exemption from OPT.
You may apply for pre-completion OPT as long as you will have completed one academic year before you plan to begin your OPT employment. You may apply for post-completion OPT no earlier than 120 days prior to completion of studies, and no later than 60 after your compleiton of studies. It takes the Office of Visa and Immigration Services between one and two weeks to process your application for an OPT work endorsement on your I-20 form. When your application is ready, we will e-mail you to come to the office, sign the new I-20 form, and pick up the application. You will then need to mail the application, with a copy of the new I-20 form, to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services.
Once you submit the OPT application by mail to the USCIS, it will take between 60 and 120 days, and sometimes longer, to receive an answer. If it is approved, the USCIS will send you an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). You may not legally begin your employment until you receive this card and the beginning employment date listed on the card has been reached. If your plans change after you apply for the card and you will not be working after all, it is usually not possible to cancel the EAD card and request that the unused time be credited to your remaining eligibility (not to exceed 12 months). Please be sure that you apply early enough to receive the card before you need to begin the employment.
If you do not complete your program by the end date listed on your I-20 form, but you have already applied for OPT, your OPT application will be subject to cancellation by the Office of Visa and Immigration Services, and your legal student status may be in jeopardy. Please contact us as soon as possible if you will not complete by the end date on your I-20 form.
Click Here for the OPT FAQs.
