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Visit the new introductory guide for F-1 and M-1 international students interested in gaining work experience while in the United States. This new resource, the Applying for Practical Training page, features application steps and timelines for: 

For F-1 students and employers participating in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) optional practical training (OPT) program, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) may visit employer locations. Overview of Employer Site VisitsThe March 2016 STEM OPT rule allows the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct site visits of employers that train STEM OPT students. These are routine visits that SEVP initiated shortly after the rule became effective in 2016. 

If your F-1 international student is interested in curricular practical training (CPT), don’t forget that you must authorize their CPT opportunity before they can participate. CPT is an alternative work/study, internship, cooperative education or other type of required internship or practicum that a sponsoring employer offers through agreements with a student’s school. It occurs before a student’s program end date on the Form I-20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.” Here’s what you should keep in mind before authorizing CPT for your student:

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is aware of recent delays in processing optional practical training (OPT) authorization requests. While SEVP understands that SEVP-certified schools want to determine solutions to assist international students, please keep in mind that curricular practical training (CPT) must be an integral part of an existing curriculum and must be implemented in accordance with federal regulations. Therefore, we are providing reminders to clarify the requirements of those existing regulations.

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is scheduled to upgrade the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to Release 6.41 on Oct. 26, 2018. The release will change how SEVIS calculates the days of unemployment that a student accrues while on post-completion and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) optional practical training (OPT).

Since the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) launched the SEVP Portal on March 23, SEVP has collected the most common questions about the portal from its stakeholders.The following questions are among the top questions from designated school officials (DSOs) about the SEVP Portal.Can I be held accountable for fraudulent information entered by a student into the SEVP Portal?

Since the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) launched the SEVP Portal on March 23, SEVP has collected the most common questions about the portal from students and designated school officials (DSOs).The following questions are among the top questions from students about the SEVP Portal.

A volunteer position that is not directly related to an F-1 student’s course of study does not qualify as optional practical training (OPT) and must not be listed as OPT employment on a student’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System record.

Study in the States has several free resources to help international students and designated school officials (DSOs) understand the SEVP Portal.

If you are an F-1 international student on post-completion optional practical training (OPT) or an M-1 international student participating in practical training, you will receive an invitation to create an account in the new SEVP Portal, launching March 23.