F-1 Optional Practical Training

Fall Semester ends on December 17, 2024. Students who complete their program during the Fall Semester may submit their applications in ISS Connect September 18, 2024–January 31, 2025.

*Law School semester ends on December 18.

**OPT eligibility goes by program completion date, not degree conferral date.

Spring 2025 ends on May 12, 2025. Students who complete their program during the Spring Semester may submit their applications in ISS Connect February 12, 2025–June 27, 2025.

**OPT eligibility goes by program completion date, not degree conferral date.

Graduate students who have only dissertation and no regular classes remaining may apply for OPT before finishing the dissertation. However, you should plan to complete and defend your dissertation within the 12 months of OPT. If this is the case, you should ensure your employer knows you are still working towards finishing your dissertation, and might need to travel back to campus.

Choose a start date between December 18, 2024–February 15, 2025.

**Law School semester ends on December 18. Law School students should choose a start date between December 19, 2024–February 16, 2025.

Choose a start date between May 13, 2025–July 11, 2025.

• 2" X 2" Passport-style Photograph taken recently (within 30 days of filing form I-765) in front of a white or off-white background
  • You cannot use a photo which has previously been used for a passport, visa, or any other U.S. government-related application
  • Please carefully read the photo requirements in the OPT Request in ISS Connect.
• Most Recent I-94
• Copy of passport page with photograph, name, and date of birth
• Copy of most recent F-1 visa (or USCIS Approval Notice for change of status to F-1)
• Copy of previous EAD, if you've been issued one previously
• If you have had CPT or OPT, you need to include copies of any previous I-20s with CPT or OPT information

1. Log in to ISS Connect. Navigate to the Requests tab, and click on OPT.
2. Follow the instructions in the request to complete all requirements
3. After completing all requirements in the request, submit the request.
4. An International Student Advisor (ISA) will review your request, including student's attached documents.
5. If everything is completed correctly, the ISA will record the OPT recommendation in SEVIS. If any corrections need to be made, the ISA will email the student, and student will need to upload corrections BEFORE the ISA will record OPT recommendation in SEVIS.
6. The ISA will create a new I-20 reflecting the OPT recommendation. Your OPT I-20 will be ready 7-10 business days following submission of your request. ISS will email you when your I-20 is ready.
7. When you receive your OPT I-20, review it, print it, and sign it in blue ink.

IMPORTANT: To file your application with USCIS, you MUST have received an I-20 with OPT recommendation from ISS. Do NOT complete this step if you have not yet received the OPT I-20 (see Step 2: Request an I-20 from ISS with OPT Recommendation)

1. Create your online USCIS account
2. Click on File a form online
3. Select the Application for Employment Authorization (I-765)
   • Carefully read all instructions and complete each section in order.
   • Filing Out the Form:
     • For guidance, use the Sample Form I-765 under Learning Content in your OPT request.
     • What is your eligibility category? c(3)(B) Student Post-Completion OPT
     • Why are you applying? Initial permission to accept employment
     • When filling out the questions, if a Form I-765 field has limited characters and you are unable to provide the complete text, enter the full text in the Additional Information tab.
     • Provide any previous SEVIS numbers and any previously authorized CPT or OPT and the academic level in which it was authorized in the Additional Information tab.
   • Evidence: Drag and drop or Browse to upload your documents
     • 2" X 2" Passport-style Photograph
     • Most Recent I-94
     • Copy of passport page with photograph, name, and date of birth
     • Copy of most recent F-1 visa (or USCIS Approval Notice for change of status to F-1)
     • Copy of previous EAD, if you've been issued one previously
     • If you have had CPT or OPT, you need to include copies of any previous I-20s with CPT or OPT information
     • Copy of your new I-20 with the OPT recommendation on page 2 (you must submit your application within 30 days of the date the I-20 was issued)
   • Review and Submit
     • Review your entries BEFORE you pay.
     • Once you submit payment, your application is submitted.
   • Applicant's Declaration & Certification
     • Provide your digital signature by typing your full legal name.
   • Pay the Fee
     • You will be directed to pay.gov.
     • Pay by ACH Withdrawal, debit or credit card.
     • Form will submit once you pay.
   • You will receive confirmation that your form has been submitted.
     • All notices (receipt notice, RFE, etc) for your submitted application will post to your account. USCIS will continue to mail paper RFEs.

What is post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT)?
It is employment directly related to your field of study, following the completion of your academic degree. It is NOT your graduation date, which is the date when Pace University recognizes those who have recently completed their studies. The completion date would be the student's program end date as scheduled on the School’s academic calendar.

Who is eligible for post-completion OPT?
You are eligible to apply for post-completion OPT authorization if you:

1. have been a full-time student for at least one full academic year;
2. are currently in lawful F-1 status;
3. have completed all course requirements for your degree program;
4. have not been previously authorized for 12 months of optional practical training during continuous study in the U.S. at the same educational level; and
5. have not been authorized for 12 months or more of full-time curricular practical training

What is the maximum amount of time that can be authorized for Optional Practical Training?
The maximum amount of time that can be granted is 12 months of full-time employment authorization per educational level to all qualified students on F-1 visa.

When should I apply for Optional Practical Training?
F-1 students may apply for OPT no more than 90 days before the degree completion date, or as late as 60 days after the end date (so long as you do not leave the U.S. during these 60-days, and are in F-1 status in the U.S. at the time of application). It is strongly recommended that you file your OPT application once you are within the 90 days period before degree completion date, as processing times are long.

Can I travel on my grace period between graduation and OPT filing?
If you do not apply for OPT, but travel outside of the U.S. after your official completion date (during the 60-day grace-period), you will have negated your eligibility to apply, as you won’t be able to return under F-1 status.

What happens if I apply for OPT prior to program end date and fail to complete the degree requirements and must retake one of the classes?
This depends on quite a few factors. If your OPT application has not been adjudicated by USCIS you may withdraw the application. ISS staff will adjust your SEVIS record and cancel the OPT electronically. If the employment authorization has been approved already by the time you become aware of the failing grade, it will be too late to withdraw. In this case you will need to retake the class in order to complete the degree requirements. At the same time you must keep your OPT but may use it for part-time employment only, while enrolled in the course. After completion of the degree requirements you may work full-time for the remainder of your OPT. It is strongly recommended to contact ISS immediately for guidance.

Do I need a job offer to apply for post-completion Optional Practical Training?
No, you do not need a specific job offer to apply for OPT; it is a granted benefit and a legal extension of your F-1 status and lawful stay in the United States. However, the provision of the new OPT rule establishes a limit on the period of unemployment during the 12 months of authorized post-completion OPT. Students on OPT may have up to 90 days of unemployment in total accumulation during the 12 months of OPT. SEVIS countdown clock will trigger status termination for 90 days of unemployment in accrual.

How do I choose the effective OPT days?
Optional Practical Training must be completed within 14 months of completion of your studies. This means you may request that your OPT start date will be within 60 days following your last day of classes. For example, if you completed your studies on May 15, you could request for employment to begin on May 16 or any other date within the next 60 days. Your employment end date will be exactly 12 months after the start date. On the OPT Request through ISS Connect you are required to enter the OPT start date and the OPT end date (your choice). The International Student Advisor will submit these dates electronically to SEVIS and issue you a new I-20 bearing the OPT recommendation and the expected employment start and end dates of your choice. The EAD card you will receive from USCIS will have the same effective dates of employment. If USCIS approves your application after your chosen OPT start date, then USCIS will change your start date to the date of approval.

May I start working as soon as I file my application for Optional Practical Training with USCIS?
No, you may not begin legal employment until it has been authorized by the USCIS and you have received your Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

When can I begin working?
You may begin working only on the start date printed on your EAD card. You must receive the card prior to commencing employment. We advise students to file early to avoid delays.

Can I travel while on Optional Practical Training or before the approval?
If you have completed your studies and leave the U.S. before Optional Practical Training is approved, your application will be considered abandoned. You can travel as long as you have the following:

• Valid passport (must be valid for at least 6 months into the future)
• Valid/unexpired F-1 visa
• Form I-20 issued for OPT and signed for travel (travel signature is valid for 6 months)
• Unexpired EAD
• Proof of employment. The proof of employment would be a job letter from your current employer, or a job offer.

The time spent abroad during authorized Optional Practical Training while unemployed impacts the 90-days limit for unemployment.

When do I need to file my OPT with USCIS? Is there any deadline?
You must file your OPT with USCIS within 30 days from the OPT I-20 issue date. In the event it was filed later than that, your OPT application will be denied. The OPT I-20 is only valid for 30 days.

What will be my non-immigrant status be while on post-completion Optional Practical Training?
You will remain on F-1 status even though you have completed your studies and are working fulltime. Optional Practical Training is viewed as an “extension” of your F-1 non-immigrant visa status.

What is the ISS OPT Administrative Fee?
While you are on OPT, you remain in F-1 non-immigrant status and ISS staff will continue to provide you with immigration and advising support. The $125 ISS OPT Administrative Fee will cover the expenses of mandatory SEVIS compliance and SEVIS record management after your graduation. Please note that this fee can only be paid online in ISS Connect under the ‘Material submission’ box on the right-hand side of the OPT Request. We cannot accept this fee payment by phone, fax, email, check, cash or money order. The fee is non-refundable once the I-20 with the OPT recommendation has been issued. This fee is separate from the application fee paid directly to USCIS.

In addition to providing you with advising while you are on OPT, we will continue to process requests, including:

• I-20s updated with employment info
• Mailing updated I-20s if you are outside the tri-state area
• Travel Signatures
• Letters
• Cap-gap extension I-20s (if applicable)

How many times is it possible to get Optional Practical Training while studying in the United States?

• If you complete 12 months of Optional Practical Training and go directly to a higher educational level, you will be eligible for another 12 months of OPT upon completion of your next higher degree.
• Final May 2016 OPT STEM rule allows F-1 students who obtained a degree in a government approved STEM field in the last 10 years, regardless of immigration status held at that time; and have since completed a degree in a non-STEM field; and are currently on post-completion OPT may be eligible to apply for a STEM OPT extension based on that prior degree if they meet all other required criteria.
• Under the 24-month rule, F-1 students who had already obtained one STEM OPT extension become eligible for a second STEM OPT extension (total of two lifetime STEM OPT extensions) after:
  • Earning another qualifying STEM degree at a "higher degree level" and
  • Obtaining a new initial grant of standard 12-month post-completion practical training based on that higher degree.

What counts as unemployment time?
Each day during the period when the OPT authorization begins and ends that the student does not have qualifying employment (see above 6 categories for the qualifying employment, including unpaid internship or volunteering work) counts as a day of unemployment.

How does travel outside the U.S. impact the period of unemployment?
If a student whose approved period of OPT has started travels outside of the United States while unemployed, the time spent outside the U.S. will count as unemployment. If the student travels while employed (vacation or business trip), the time spent outside the U.S. will not count as unemployment.

What are the consequences of exceeding the period of unemployment?
A student who has exceeded the period of unemployment while on post-completion OPT has violated his or her visa status unless he or she has taken one of the following actions:

1. Applied to continue his or her education by a change of educational level or transferring to another School.
2. Departed the U.S. in a timely manner.

What type of work can I do while authorized for the post-completion Optional Practical Training?
The work must be directly related to your major field of study. For students who are not on STEM the employment may include:

1. Paid employment (part-time or full-time)(at least 20 hrs. per week)
2. Multiple employers (the student on OPT may work for more than one employer, but all employment must be related to the student’s degree program)
3. Work for hire (service performed on contractual relationship)
4. Self-employed business owner (students on OPT may start a business; proper business license is required, as well as business activities related to the student’s degree program)
5. Employment through a Staffing Agency/Consulting Company (at least 20 hrs. per week)
6. Unpaid employment (students may work as unpaid interns for at least 20 hrs. per week)

What are the new reporting requirements under the OPT Final Rule?
Students on all types of post-completion OPT – regular, cap gap OPT extension, or STEM extension have mandatory reporting requirements, as outlined on our website and in ISS Connect.

How do I report my employment under OPT?
When your OPT goes into effect, you will receive a link from SEVP from Do-NotReply.SEVP@ice.dhs.gov for creating an SEVP Portal account. The SEVP Portal allows you to:

• View details about your OPT
• Report changes to your address, telephone, and employer information
• View and update data on all employers in one place

In the SEVP Policy Guidance: Practical Training-Determining a Direct Relationship Between Employment and a Student's Major Area of Study (September 27, 2019), SEVP expanded the responsibilities of Designated School Officials (DSO) to review and determine the direct relationship between the OPT holder’s field of study and the work they will do during post-completion OPT. “DSO must make a determination of whether there is a direct relationship between the job and the major area of study" (SEVP Policy Guidance, September 27, 2019).

In light of the Policy Guidance, an OPT holder, reporting OPT employment, should proceed as follows:

1. Report employment on OPT via SEVP Portal
2. Submit the Report OPT Employment and Request a New I-20 request in ISS Connect for a new I-20 reflecting OPT employment.

Please note, ISS DSO preserves the right to request more evidence proving the direct relationship between the field of study, based on the degree earned, and the job duties you are going to perform. If the correlation is not evident from your explanation in the request and in SEVP Portal, we may ask for a job description or list of duties. Once you submit your request in ISS Connect, your I-20 will be processed within 7-10 business days.

What happens after the end date of my Post-Completion Optional Practical Training?
You have a 60-day grace period to:

1. depart the U.S.;
2. apply to continue in another educational program at Pace or another school; or
3. change to another non-immigrant status

What if my employer wishes to extend my employment beyond the OPT end date?
It may happen if you are a beneficiary of an H1B petition filed by your current employer; you have the receipt notice or approval notice, but your OPT expires before October 1, the H1B start effective date. Cap gap extension will allow your employment eligibility to be extended until September 30. Although the cap gap extension is automatically granted by the law, the student must submit a Cap-Gap Extension request in ISS Connect in order to be issued a new I-20 with an extended OPT end date (September 30). The I-20 will serve as the only proof of employment eligibility (EAD card will not be extended) until H1B comes into effect.

Can OPT be extended?
The OPT Final Rule published by the Department of Homeland Security in Federal Register effective May 10, 2016 allows a 24-month extension of the Post Completion OPT. The final rule allows F-1 students who are currently on OPT after earning a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (government approved STEM fields) to now be able to apply for 24 months of additional OPT if they have a job or job offer from an E-Verify employer and meet all other required criteria.

Is there any special paperwork for filing for STEM OPT?
Students and their employers will have increased reporting requirements, along with a formal training plan documented on the US government Form I-983. Read more about STEM OPT on the US government STEM OPT FAQ.

When should I apply for STEM OPT extension?
You cannot apply for STEM OPT extensions during the 60-day grace period following an initial 12- month period of post- completion OPT. The current requirement to properly file the request for a STEM OPT extension no sooner than 90 days prior to the end of the initial OPT period allows sufficient time to apply for the extension and ensures continuing employment authorization during the transition from the initial OPT period to the STEM OPT period. Student who filed a timely STEM OPT extension application may continue working while the STEM OPT application is pending, for up to 180 days beyond the expiration of the student's standard post-completion OPT.

It is not recommended to travel while OPT is pending. If you travel home after graduation but before an OPT request has been approved by USCIS, keep in mind that you cannot re-enter the U.S. until you have the OPT EAD card and a job offer in your hand. If you leave the U.S. while your OPT is pending, please remember that USCIS processing time for OPT approval can be long, so plan your travel arrangements and job search accordingly.

Travel on OPT is possible, but it is strongly recommended that you secure a job first. You will be unable to reenter the U.S. in F-1 status if you exceed the 90-day unemployment clock. For reentry, you will need the following documents:

• Valid I-20 issued for OPT endorsed with current travel signature (issued within 6 months prior to your return)
• Valid passport (must be valid for at least 6 months into the future)
• Valid/unexpired F-1 visa (Canadian and Bermudian citizens are exempt)
• Employment Authorization Document (EAD)
• Job Letter

Check the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) website for more information about reentry for F-1 visa holders.

Please note: If you did not apply for OPT, but traveled outside of the U.S. after the program end date (during the 60-day grace period), you will have negated your eligibility to apply for OPT. OPT regulations require that you remain physically in the U.S. and in F-1 status at the time of application.