Please note, this content may be outdated. Visit Study in the States' Students, Schools and Blog pages for more timely information on this topic. Show June 2, 2016 F-1 students, remember to verify that the “Admit Until” date on your Form I-94, “Arrival/Departure Record,” and admissions stamp on your passport lists “D/S” (i.e., Duration of Status) and not a specific date. If your Form I-94 does not list Duration of Status or D/S, contact your designated school official (DSO) immediately. Your DSO can help you fix this error. Not fixing this error in a timely fashion may result in a loss of status. The Form I-94 is proof of the terms of your admission into the country, including legal status and length of time you may stay in the country. You receive an admission stamp and typically an electronic I-94 upon arrival at a U.S. port of entry from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). D/S on your Form I-94/admissions stamp means that you may remain in the United States so long as you maintain your nonimmigrant student status, which includes finishing your program by the program date listed on your Form I-20, "Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Status." If you need more time to finish your program or want to apply for a post-completion training opportunity, work with your DSO to print an updated Form I-20. CBP usually issues an electronic form to nonimmigrants entering the country at an air or sea port of entry, and a paper form to those entering the country at a land port of entry. It is helpful to have a copy of your Form I-94 to prove your legal visa status in the United States. If you are admitted electronically and do not receive a paper form, or if you misplace your form and need a replacement, follow the steps outlined in the “What is the Form I-94?” Study in the States blog post. Remember, the visa expiration date does not determine your permitted length of stay in the United States. To find more information on your visa expiration date versus your duration of status, visit the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs’ website and read the Student Visa vs. Student Status: What’s the Difference? post on the Study in the States blog. Share this important information with your friends on social media, using the hashtag StudyintheStates.Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study. Eligible students can apply to receive up to 12 months of OPT employment authorization before completing their academic studies (pre-completion) and/or after completing their academic studies (post-completion). However, all periods of pre-completion OPT will be deducted from the available period of post-completion OPT. Types of OPTAll OPT must be directly related to your major area of study. If you are an F-1 student, you may be eligible to participate in OPT in two different ways:
If you are authorized to participate in pre-completion OPT, you may work (20 hours or less per week) while school is in session. You may work full time when school is not in session.
Impact of Pre-completion OPT Employment Authorization on Requests for Post-completion OPT at the Same Education Level If you have already received 1 year of part-time (20 hours per week) pre-completion OPT, the total time of full-time OPT still available would be reduced by 6 months, 50% of the previously authorized year at the same education level. In this scenario, you would only be entitled to a remaining period of 6 months full-time post-completion OPT employment authorization. If you have already received 1 year of full-time (40 hours per week) pre-completion OPT, the total time of full-time optional practical training still available would be reduced by 1 year, 100% of the previously authorized year at the same education level. In this scenario, you would not be entitled to any period of post-completion OPT employment authorization. STEM OPT ExtensionIf you have earned a degree in certain science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, you may apply for a 24-month extension of your post-completion OPT employment authorization if you:
If you are interested in applying for a STEM OPT extension, please see our Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT) page for more information. Applying for OPTGenerally, you must:
When to applyIf you are applying based on a… For… Then you… STEM degree Pre-completion OPT
Initial post-completion OPT
STEM OPT extension
Non-STEM degree Pre-completion OPT
Post-completion OPT
You may begin your pre- or post-completion OPT only after we approve your Form I-765 and you receive your Employment Authorization Document (EAD). If you file your STEM OPT extension application on time and your OPT period expires while your extension application is pending, we will automatically extend your employment authorization for 180 days. This automatic 180-day extension ceases once USCIS adjudicates your STEM OPT extension application. Transferring to a Different School or Beginning Study at Another Educational LevelIf you transfer to another school or begin studies at another educational level (for example, you completed a bachelor’s degree and are starting a master’s program), your authorization to engage in OPT employment will automatically terminate. SEVP will inform USCIS of the termination date, and USCIS will terminate your EAD accordingly. Although your authorization to engage in optional practical training will end, as long as you comply with all requirements for maintaining your student status, your F-1 status will not be affected by USCIS terminating your EAD. Maintaining your student status includes not working on a terminated EAD, as the termination means that you are no longer authorized to work in the United States using that OPT EAD. Working in the United States without authorization has serious consequences, including removal from the country and reentry bars. Also, remaining in the United States in violation of your lawful nonimmigrant status could lead to an accrual of unlawful presence. Please see USCIS Changing Policy on Accrued Unlawful Presence by Nonimmigrant Students and Exchange Visitors for more information regarding termination of your employment authorization under OPT and any impacts on your student status, including the possible accrual of unlawful presence. If you feel that your EAD has been wrongfully terminated, would like to request reconsideration of the EAD termination, or if you have other questions, see your DSO. Cap-gap Extension for F-1 Students with Approved H-1B PetitionsIf you are an F-1 student with a timely filed H-1B petition and change of status request, and your F-1 status and employment authorization will expire before the change of status to H-1B occurs (typically Oct. 1), you may be eligible for a cap-gap extension. Go to our Cap-Gap Extension page for more information. |