>
Optional
Practical Training
Online Workshop
This PowerPoint
workshop is designed to be viewed in Internet Explorer (links do not
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When it loads
in your browser, click the screens to advance through them. Let00 begin with some information to help you
get the most benefit from this workshop00/b>
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Important Instructions/Reminders
First of all,
review all the information carefully!
This workshop
is designed to answer most of the questions students will have about
OPT.
If you skip
screens, or do not read carefully, you may not understand some important
concepts.
Of course, if you
have any remaining questions after you go through the workshop,
you are welcome to
Be sure to follow
the instructions in the slides carefully and use the links provided
to download the forms you will need for the OPT application.
Do not use old versions
of forms, or forms from other sources. Be sure to download the
most recent versions of any application forms from this workshop
presentation. Do NOT use site search!
When using links
in the workshop, remember to use your browser00
00ack00button to return to the workshop after you have viewed/downloaded
the page you need.
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What Is OPT?
OPT, which stands
for 00ptional Practical Training,00
is authorization which permits F-1 students to engage in employment
related to their field of study, for a maximum of 12 months per academic
degree level.
Note: OPT
may not be used for jobs that are not related to the field of
study as indicated on your current I-20, even if you have previous degrees
or work experience in those other areas!
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Where Can I
Use OPT?
OPT gives you permission
to work for any employer, as long as:
Your authorization
(as shown on the card the immigration service will send you) is valid,
and
The employment is
directly related to the field of study on your most recent I-20.
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Can I Work
More Than One Job?
Yes, as long as each
job you take is directly related to your field of study as indicated
on your most recent I-20.
You may change employers
during your OPT period; you do not have to obtain permission from the
immigration service to do so, but you must be sure that your new job
still meets the requirement that the work be related to your field of
study.
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What If My
Job Isn00 00elated00
OPT is intended to
be used for 00ractical application00
of your area of study, therefore the regulations only allow it to be
used for jobs which are related to the field of study on your I-20.
Misuse of your OPT
authorization could cause problems for you later if you apply for H-1B
work authorization, permanent residency, etc.
It is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
to comply with the rules defining what jobs are appropriate for OPT!
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Who Is Eligible
for OPT?
OPT is only available
to students who:
hold valid F-1
status, and
have been lawfully
enrolled full-time for at least one academic year.
Note:
If you fell out of status and then regained status by leaving the United
States and coming back with a new I-20, you must wait for one academic
year AFTER making your new entry to the U.S. before you can have OPT.
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One Academic
Year00efinitions
To be 00awfully enrolled full-time for one academic
year00means:
You have been a full-time
student for at least 9 months (two semesters, on a semester calendar),
and
You have been enrolled
full-time while holding a status that permits full-time study.
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What If I Had
a Status Problem?
If you violated your
F-1 status at some point and later regained valid F-1 status, you should
know:
If you regained status
by leaving the United States and returning with a NEW I-20, then you
may only count the time AFTER your return toward the one-academic-year
enrollment requirement.
If you applied for
and were granted a formal reinstatement by the immigration service,
then you may count ALL your time as a full-time F-1 student toward the
enrollment requirement.
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Can I Use OPT
Before I Graduate?
Sometimes, yes.
Pre-completion OPT
may be used during your academic program; however, it may only be granted
on a full time basis during summer vacations. During fall or spring
semesters, OPT may only be granted on a part time basis. When
this happens, the part time authorization is deducted from your total
eligibility at a 50% rate.
For example:
6 months of part time OPT authorization means that 3 months of OPT eligibility
is deducted from your 12 month limit for a particular degree level.
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When Is OPT
Most Often Used?
Most students use
their OPT as 00ost-completion00
OPT, meaning:
After completion
of all courses required for a bachelor00
degree, or
After all coursework
requirements for a master00 or
doctorate degree (with thesis/dissertation pending), or
After final deposit
of master00 thesis or doctoral
dissertation.
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When Should
I Apply For OPT?
The Citizenship &
Immigration Service (CIS) must receive your OPT application NO
EARLIER than 120 days prior to your completion of coursework, but NO
LATER than the completion of your academic program.
Remember that 00ompletion00of your academic program for
CIS purposes is not the
same as the official 00raduation00
date listed by the University!
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So What Defines 00ompletion?00/font>
CIS defines completion
of the academic program in the following ways:
Undergraduates:
The date of the last final exam
Non-thesis master00 students: The date of the last final
or comprehensive exam, or submission of the final project
Master00 students with thesis: The date of
final deposit (not defense!) of the master00 thesis
Doctoral students:
The date of final deposit (not defense!) of the doctoral dissertation
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How Long Does
The Process Take?
Processing time for
your OPT application, once CIS receives the application, is usually
between 1 and 3 months.
You may apply as
early as 120 days (4 months) prior to the completion of your coursework
requirements, so we suggest you apply as early as possible within this 00indow00of time.
General Rule:
To have the best chance of getting your authorization by the time you
finish your program, apply at the beginning of your last semester in
the program.
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Don00 I Have To Find A Job First?
No offer of employment
is required for OPT. You do not have to secure a job offer before
applying; however, while you are in the OPT period, you are expected
to either be working (in an appropriate job) or 00ctively
seeking employment.00/font>
While not being able
to find a job during the OPT period does not make you 00ut
of status,00it is in your best interests to keep evidence that you
have been 00eeking employment00if you are not able to find a job
right away.
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When Can My
OPT Start?
When you apply for
OPT, your foreign student advisor will request a beginning date for
the OPT based on the date you are expected to complete your academic
program.
If your application
cannot be processed by the CIS service center in time to accommodate
the requested beginning date, the OPT will be valid beginning on the
date that CIS approves the application.
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How Do You
Determine The Date?
For undergraduates,
the requested beginning date will be the day after the last final exam.
Failure to complete
all your program requirements by the expected completion date can cause
problems for your OPT. For this reason:
You should
not take correspondence courses during your last semester, unless
you are certain you can complete them by the end of the semester
You should have a
thorough degree check done to be sure you know exactly what requirements
you have to meet by the end of the semester
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How Do You
Determine The Date?
For master00 students with a non-thesis program, the
requested beginning date will be:
No earlier than
the day following the completion of coursework requirements, but
No later than the
date of the last scheduled comprehensive exam or the date of submission
of the final project, if applicable
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How Do You
Determine The Date?
For master00 students with a thesis program, the requested
beginning date will be:
No earlier than the
day following the completion of coursework requirements, but
No later than the
date of the final deposit (not defense) of the thesis
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How Do You
Determine The Date?
For doctoral students,
the requested beginning date will be:
No earlier than the
day following the completion of coursework requirements, but
No later than the
date of final deposit (not defense) of the dissertation.
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Can I Choose
A Different Date?
Immigration regulations
allow the period of F-1 status to cover:
The academic program,
plus
Authorized Optional
Practical Training, plus
A sixty-day 00race period00intended
to follow OPT, during which the student must obtain an I-20
for a new program or depart the United States.
Note:
If you intend to change status following OPT, the immigration service
should RECEIVE your change of status application BEFORE your OPT expires.
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A Different
Date00/font>
Since the regulations
and CIS interpretations of those regulations allow for:
Program + OPT + 60
days
The beginning
date requested by ISS will not be later than the completion of coursework/exams
OR the final deposit of thesis or dissertation, whichever comes later.
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What If CIS
Approves OPT Late?
Students may not
be approved for OPT that would extend more than 14 months beyond their
completion date (as defined earlier).
If the student, due
to the timing of the application OR delays on the part of CIS, does
not receive the OPT approval by the date originally requested, he/she
will be given 00djusted00dates
by CIS.
These 00djusted00dates will begin on the date the
application is approved and will not extend more than 14 months beyond
program completion.
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Will I Be Out
Of Status Then?
As long as your OPT
application was received by CIS prior to your program completion, you
will not be out of status while you wait for the application to be processed,
even if it takes a very long time.
However, since regulations
allow for 00rogram plus OPT plus
sixty days,00you might use up your grace period (and some of your
OPT time) between the completion of your program and the approval of
your OPT if your application is delayed.
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What Is My
Grace Period Then?
According to CIS
officers, F-1 students have 12 months maximum OPT and ONE sixty-day
grace period following program completion; therefore, no later than
14 months following the date of your program completion, you must:
Obtain a new I-20
for a new program/level of full time study, or
Depart the United
States.
If you are
planning to change status following OPT, be sure that CIS receives your
application BEFORE your OPT expires!
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Is OPT Good
For Only 12 Months?
OPT can be authorized
for a maximum of 12 months for each successive (higher) degree level.
Although it is possible
to use OPT both during and after program completion, the maximum amount
of full-time OPT that can be granted for each degree level is 12 months.
Example:
If you complete a master00 degree,
then use 12 months OPT, you will not be eligible for any more OPT for
a second bachelor00 or master00 degree; however, you would be eligible
for 12 more months following a doctorate degree.
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How Many Hours
Can I Work?
For post-completion
OPT, the only type of authorization granted for OPT is 00ull
time.00nbsp; This means you may work 40 hours per week plus overtime
(any number of hours, basically), as long as any employment you engage
in meets the requirement that it is related to your field of study.
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Do I Lose OPT
If I00e Had CPT?
Students who have
had Curricular Practical Training, or CPT, only lose OPT for a particular
degree level if they have accrued 365 days or more of FULL time CPT
at that degree level. Until the student accrues that amount of
full time CPT, no OPT eligibility is lost.
Part time CPT, in
any amount, has no effect on OPT eligibility whatsoever.
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What If I Want
To Study In OPT?
During OPT, you may
take part time classes if they are 00ncidental00
to your primary activity of working or actively seeking employment.
If you wish to engage
in full time study, you must obtain a new I-20 for your full time program.
Engaging in full
time study with a new I-20 invalidates the remainder of your OPT, even
if your authorization card has not reached its end date.
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What If I Start
A New Degree?
If you begin a new
full time academic program before your OPT ends, then your OPT authorization
is AUTOMATICALLY INVALIDATED
Once your OPT has
been invalidated in this manner, you LOSE the time you had originally
been authorized for that level and may not 00ave
it00or apply for it later on. Plan
carefully!
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What If I Come
Back Later?
If you have used
your full 12 months of OPT eligibility for a particular level (or if
it has been invalidated), you may be eligible for additional OPT if
you pursue another, HIGHER degree level.
Since you are only
given additional OPT when moving to a higher degree level, you will
NOT gain additional OPT by doing another degree at a lower level.
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Can I 00plit00My OPT Time?
If you plan to do
more than one degree at a particular level, you may request
a shorter period of OPT at the first degree in order to save some of
your eligibility for that level for another degree.
However, you cannot 00plit00your post-completion OPT in this
way for just one degree program. You would need to do a second
degree at the same level to use the remaining post-completion OPT time
for that level.
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Can I Cancel
My OPT Application?
Prior to the approval
of your OPT application, you may
request the cancellation of the application if you
have a compelling reason (you realize you will not be able to complete
when expected, etc.); however, this is NOT guaranteed to be successful!
Once OPT has been
authorized, it CANNOT be cancelled; any time that had been granted
to you in that authorization is lost.
Make your plans
carefully!
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Can I Leave
The U.S. In OPT?
Traveling during
OPT is much more risky than traveling during the academic program.
IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED.
However, if you do
choose to travel outside the U.S. during your period of OPT, you should
know what you will need and prepare carefully.
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What Is Needed
For Travel?
To travel during
OPT, you need:
A travel endorsement
(signature from your foreign student advisor) on your I-20 especially
for OPT, which is not more than six months old at the time of your
return to the U.S.
Your valid OPT authorization
card, which is known as the 00AD00
(Employment Authorization Document).
A valid F-1 visa
(you will need to apply for a new one if yours has expired).
A letter from your
employer indicating that you will resume employment under OPT on your
return.
To get the travel
endorsement, you must submit your I-20 to ISS. Plan sufficient
time to do this BEFORE travel!
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Can I Still
Work On Campus?
Once you complete
your academic program (according to the definitions discussed earlier),
you may not work on campus unless:
You have received
your OPT authorization card;
The dates on the
authorization card are current;
The job is related
to your field of study.
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What Is ISS00Role During My OPT?
During your period
of OPT, you must still continue to update ISS with any changes in your
living address, within 10 days of moving. We continue to update
your address in the SEVIS system during this time.
You must also notify
ISS if:
You change status
You stop employment
and leave the United States
You decide to start
a new academic program (at the U of A or somewhere else)
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So How Do I
Apply For OPT?
First, you need to
ask your academic advisor or major professor to complete an Academic
Verification Form. Download the appropriate form at one of the
following links:
Next, complete a
Form I-765. Use only the form that can be downloaded from
this link:
Department of Homeland Security.00/b>
Do not abbreviate or use other names.
Personal checks are
preferable, since they can be tracked more easily and can serve as proof
of the application filing date if a formal receipt notice is lost.
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How To Apply00/font>
If using a check,
remember:
You cannot use
a 00emporary00check. The
check must have at least the account holder00 name printed in the
upper left corner.
You cannot mark out
or alter any preprinted information on the check (such as an old address).
CIS will reject 00ltered00checks.
Be sure to write
out the amount completely on the 00ollars00
line, exactly
as it appears here:
Three hundred
forty and 00/100
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How To Apply00nbsp;
Schedule an appointment
at ISS to submit your completed OPT application. You can select
a time by using our online scheduling system or by calling our front
desk at 575-5003.
Be sure to bring
all your documents when you meet the advisor to submit your application.
In addition to your completed application forms, photos, and check,
you should ALSO bring:
Passport (valid for
at least six months in future)
I-94 Card
I-20
Any previous EAD
(work authorization) cards you may have received 00
for example, if you have had OPT in the past
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What Happens
After That?
ISS will submit your
application to the appropriate CIS service center.
Approximately 2 to
3 weeks following your OPT appointment, a receipt notice will arrive
which includes your 00ase number,00
which can be used to track your application on CIS00online system.
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