Overview
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary employment that is directly related to the student’s major area of study. Students can apply to receive up to 12 months of OPT employment authorization before completing their academic studies.
In May 2016, DHS announced that students who are participating in post-completion OPT may be eligible for a 24-month extension. If students earned a degree in pre-approved science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, students could apply for the STEM OPT extension.
WUST is compelled to follow all SEVP and DHS regulations regarding OPT and the STEM extension.
Student Eligibility Requirements:
To be eligible for OPT students must:
- Have been enrolled on a full-time basis for one academic year (pre-completion) OR
- Graduated (or will graduate) from their program of study (post-completion)
- Attended or attending a Department of Homeland Security approved college or university.
- Please remember that secondary schools and language schools are not eligible for OPT.
- Not have been absent from the United States for more than 5 consecutive months.
If you do not meet all these requirements, your OPT may be denied.
When to Apply
Eligible students may apply for CPT before the quarter begins. It is strongly recommended students apply Students can file for post-completion ¬no earlier than 90 days prior to your program completion date and must file no later than 60 days after the program completion date.
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Application Procedure
To apply for OPT, students must complete the following:
Complete the OPT Request Form available on our website.
- To complete the form, you will need to collect and upload the following documents:
- Copy of your Passport (must be valid for at least 6 months).
- Copy of your most recent I-94.
- Copy of your most recent F-1 Visa page.
- All previous CPT I20s from your current program level (if any).
- If you did not participate in CPT, you can just provide your active I-20.
- Electronic passport style photo (2-inch x 2-inch with a white background). Make sure your photo is approved on this link.
- Once the application has been reviewed and approved by the OPT Review Committee, the I-20 with the recommendation for OPT will be issued by a DSO.
- You will be required to pay the $195 processing fee through the Finance office before approval.
- Once you have the I-20 with the recommendation for OPT, you will be ready to submit your application online with USCIS.
- Please remember that you cannot submit your application with USCIS before receiving this I-20.
- You must also sign this I-20 before submitting the application.Initial OPT request I-20s are processed on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
- The application must be received by USCIS within 30 days of the issuance of the I-20.
- To submit your I-765 online you must:
- Create an online account with USCIS.
- Choose the “Application for Employment Authorization (I-765)” Form.
- Choose “Post-Completion OPT – (c)(3)(b)”.
- Follow instructions and complete the form.
To apply for the OPT STEM extension, students must complete the following:
- Complete the OPT STEM Request Form available on our website.
- To complete the form, you will need to collect and upload the following documents:
- Copy of your Passport (must be valid for at least 6 months).
- Copy of your most recent I-94.
- Copy of your most recent F-1 Visa page.
- All previous CPT I20s from your current program level (if any).
- An official transcript from WUST and a copy of your Diploma.
- All previous I20s from the current program level.
- Completed Form I-983 and offer letter from your employer.
- Please remember that the offer letter must be on the company’s letterhead, must have a brief description of the job performed or list of responsibilities, and must be signed by your supervisor/employer.
- Electronic passport style photo (2-inch x 2-inch with a white background). Make sure your photo is approved on this link.
- Once the application has been reviewed and approved by the OPT Review Committee, the I-20 with the recommendation for OPT will be issued by a DSO.
- You will be required to pay the $195 processing fee through the Finance office before approval.
- Once you have the I-20 with the recommendation for OPT STEM Extension, you will be ready to submit your application online with USCIS.
- Please remember that you cannot submit your application with USCIS before receiving this I-20.
- You must also sign this I-20 before submitting the application.
- The application must be received by USCIS within 60 days of the issuance of the I-20.
- To submit your I-765 online you must:
- Create an online account with USCIS.
- Choose the “Application for Employment Authorization (I-765)” Form.
- Choose “Post-Completion OPT – (c)(3)(c)”.
- Follow instructions and complete the form.
OPT Fees
Initial OPT Request
- $195 Application fee paid to WUST.
- $470 Application fee paid to USCIS.
OPT STEM Extension Request
- $195 Application fee paid to WUST.
- $470 Application fee paid to USCIS.
Important Things to Know
- Initial OPT approval is for 12 months only.
- STEM extension adds an additional 24 months.
- Students can be authorized for 12 months of OPT per program level.
- Students with the 12-month approval for OPT have 90 days of unemployment.
- Students who have been approved for the 24-month STEM Extension have an additional 60 days of unemployment.
- You must report any changes to your employment within 10 days of the change.
- You can do so by filling out the OPT – Student Employment Verification Form
- Students who have been approved for the STEM Extension will also be required to report their STEM OPT participation every 6 months.
You can do so by filling out the STEM OPT Data Validation Form.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once the application has been received by USCIS, it can take up to 6 months to receive the OPT EAD card. However, processing times are different for every student and therefore vary.
- Students can choose to pay for USCIS Premium Processing when submitting the I-765 form.
No. You do not need a job offer to apply for the 12-month initial OPT authorization.
No. Once the student has graduated, they may move and search for jobs anywhere in the United States.
When applying for post-completion OPT, your start date must fall within the 60-day grace period after your program completion date. This date is only a suggestion, so keep in mind that USCIS can change the recommended date. Your actual start date will be mentioned on your EAD card.
Students on OPT are required by USCIS to report employment within 10 days of the start date of employment. You can do so by filling out the OPT – Student Employment Verification Form.
Yes, on the I-765 form, you will have the option to request a Social Security Number if you do not already have one.
Yes, you can work more than one job at a time while on OPT as long as you are working at least 20 hours per week.
WUST is certified to operate by SCHEV. Accredited by ACCSC.
This institution is approved to offer GI Bill® educational benefits by the Virginia State Approving Agency. “GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill/"
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