F-1 students often want to work. However, employment opportunities are limited and strict rules apply. This document discusses different types of optional practical training (OPT) including: required forms, processes, and updating SEVIS.

What is Optional Practical Training?

Optional practical training is one type of work permission available for eligible F-1 students. It allows students to get real-world work experience related to their field of study.

While a Designated School Official (DSO) recommends OPT in SEVIS, it is the student who must apply for the work permit with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). If the OPT is approved, USCIS will issue an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). The student must not begin working before the start date on the EAD.

Regulations and Policy Guidance

Complex rules and guidance apply to OPT. Any OPT requests entered into SEVIS must comply with federal regulations. DSOs must understand the following regulations and policy guidance:

OPT Types

There are three general types of OPT:

OPT: For students engaged in post-secondary schools or at conservatories. Twelve months of Regular OPT is available for each higher level of study. (For example a student may have 12 months for a bachelor’s degree and another 12 months for a master’s degree).

• Pre-Completion OPT: Any portion of OPT used before the student’s Program End Date. It may be part-time or full-time.
• Post-Completion OPT: Any portion of OPT used after the student’s Program End Date. It must be at least 20 hours per week or full-time.
• 24-month (STEM) OPT Extension: For students who majored in designated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) degrees approved by DHS. This type of OPT is a 24-month extension of OPT.
• Cap-Gap OPT Extension: For students whose prospective employers filed a qualifying H-1B-cap subject petition.

OPT Request Statuses

The table below lists the statuses used to identify the stages of OPT requests in SEVIS. 

OPT Eligibility

A student is eligible for OPT if:

• The student has been a full-time student for one academic year in an SEVP-certified:
  • College
  • University
  • Conservatory
  • Seminary
• The student is not studying English as a Second Language.
• The student’s proposed employment relates to the student’s major area of study. For more information see SEVP Policy Guidance: Practical Training – Determining a Direct Relationship between Employment and a Student’s Major Area of Study.
• The student has not used all optional practical training available at the current level of study.
• The student has not been authorized for 12 months or more of full-time Curricular Practical Training (CPT).

Note: Full-time CPT at a previous school at the same program level counts toward the CPT 12-month total affecting OPT. CPT at another program level does not affect OPT.

OPT Process at a Glance

The OPT application process involves many players and several steps:

Form I-765 Filing Deadlines Once DSO Requests OPT in SEVIS

Note: If the student does not file a Form I-765, the DSO should cancel the OPT request in SEVIS. 

DSOs must be mindful of several key dates when entering OPT in SEVIS.

Key Dates

DSOs must be mindful of several key dates when entering OPT in SEVIS.

Recommend OPT

To recommend OPT:

1.    Go to the Student Information page.

2.    Click OPT Request. The OPT Employment page opens. 

3. Click New OPT Request. The Add OPT Employment page opens. 

4. Enter information relevant to the OPT authorization.

5. Review the information. Click either Save or Cancel:

• Save: Submits the OPT request.

  A message indicates that the update was successful.

Click either Print I-20 or Return to Employment List:

• Print I‑20: Prints the Form I‑20 with the OPT recommendation. 

​Note: Sign the Form I-20 and give the printed Form I-20 to the student. The student must sign the Form I-20 and submit it to USCIS with the application for work authorization.

• Return to Employment List: Returns the user to the OPT Employment page. The newly added OPT employment will be on the list. 

6. Review the information on the OPT Employment page. To make changes to the existing OPT request, click Edit.

Note: To recommend an additional period of OPT, click New OPT Request and repeat Steps 4 and 5.

OPT information can be edited depending on the status of the OPT request: 

To edit an OPT request:

1. Click OPT Request on the Student Information page. The OPT Employment page opens.

2. Click Edit to the right of the OPT segment to be edited. The Edit OPT Employment page opens.

3. Make any necessary edits:

4. Click either Save or Cancel:

• Save: Updates this employment request in the student’s record. An Update Successful message indicates if the edit was successful. Click one of the following:
  • Click Print I-20 to print the Form I-20.
    • Sign page one of the Form I-20, and give the printed Form I-20 to the student.
    • Student must also sign page one of the Form I-20 and submit it to USCIS with the application for work authorization.
  • Click Return to Employment List to return to the OPT Employment page.
• Cancel: Returns the user to the OPT Employment page without updating the employment segment.

An OPT request can be canceled in SEVIS ONLY if the OPT Request is in Requested status. 

Note: Any request in Requested status longer than 180 days is automatically canceled by SEVIS.

Cancel OPT Request

To cancel an OPT request:

1.      Go to the Student Information page.

2.      Click OPT Request. The OPT Employment page opens.

3.     Click Cancel Request next to the segment of OPT you want to cancel. A Confirm Cancelation of Request page opens.

4.       Click either Yes or No:

• Yes: Cancels the OPT request. An Update Successful message verifies that the update was successful. Click either Return to Employment List or Print I-20:
  • Click Print I-20 to print the Form I-20.
  • Click Return to Employment List to return to the OPT Employment page; and then click either Return or Print I-20:
    • Click Print I-20 to print the Form I-20.
    • Click Return to return to the Student Information page.

Note: The student’s OPT status in the Student Requests section updates to Canceled.

• No: Returns the user to the OPT Employment page without canceling the OPT request.

Withdraw OPT Request

Once an OPT request status changes to Pending, the student must write USCIS to withdraw the OPT application. The request must:

• Be sent to the USCIS Service Center processing the application. The address is on the USCIS-issued Receipt Notice sent to the student.
• Include the receipt number USCIS assigned the case when it was filed.

While on OPT, a student is required to report the following to their DSO:

• Change in student’s legal name.
• Change in student’s address while on OPT.
• Changes in employment or interruption of employment.

Students can enter employment information using the SEVP Portal or DSOs can update SEVIS to reflect the changes. Employment information must be updated in a timely manner.

While students are not required to have an employer when OPT is requested in SEVIS, students authorized for post-completion OPT are expected to be employed. A student on post-completion OPT can be unemployed for a total of 90 days.

The following Alert List and Student Lists in SEVIS help DSOs monitor and manage students on OPT:

DSOs can view a student’s OPT information on the following pages, which are accessed through the Student Information page:

• Request/Authorization Details page: Lists only current authorizations.
• Employment Information page: Lists all employment authorizations linked to the SEVIS ID.

Refer to the Practical Training Indicators and Dates topic for details on:

• How the practical training indicator displays
• How SEVIS derives the three sets of dates associates with practical training

SEVIS will automatically extend post-completion OPT or 17-month extension of OPT if:

• On or after April 1, an employer files an eligible H-1B petition to change the student’s status.
• The requested start date for the H-1B is October 1.
• The student’s OPT or 17-month OPT extension ends on or after April 1.
• Review the F-1 Cap Gap Extension page for information on how to add or edit cap gap information on a record.

If OPT information in SEVIS does not reflect applications filed with or decisions made by USCIS, DSOs can ask to have the record corrected. There are two ways to correct data in a student record.

See the SEVIS Help Icons on the SEVIS Help Hub for a quick-reference of the icons used in this user guide.