About Optional Practical Training

OPT is work authorization granted by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the United States Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), which enables a student to gain full-time or part-time training in their major field of study.

OPT is available before and after completing your program of study. However, if a student applies for both, the total cannot exceed 12 months. Pre-completion OPT requires full-time enrollment and post-completion OPT is authorized after the completion of the degree program.

One year (12 months) of OPT is available at each academic degree level as long as the new degree level is higher than the previous one. For example, completion of a bachelor’s degree, bachelor’s OPT, completion of a master’s degree, 

Optional Practical Training Workshop Optional Practical Training Workshop Quiz

OPT Eligibility Requirements

In order to apply for OPT, students must meet the following requirements:

  • Must have been in F-1 student status for one academic year on the current SEVIS I-20 Number. Time at previous institutions (except for high school) can count towards this one-year requirement

  • Must have maintained F-1 status (e.g. no unauthorized drop below full time, no unauthorized employment, etc.)

  • Must have completed all program requirements by the end of the semester to apply for post-completion OPT.

  • Must not have been approved for 365 days (12 months) of full-time Curricular Practical Training

  • Must currently be in the U.S. to submit the application

Note: Unlike CPT, students do not need to have a job offer to apply for OPT.

OPT Application Process

F-1 Students can apply for OPT 90 days prior and up to 60 days following the completion of studies. Please check your graduating semester end date to calculate OPT application dates. If you have a Graduate Assistantship, you will need to check your GA contract end date to calculate your OPT application dates.

*Note: USCIS must receive your completed application package by the application end date or else it will be denied.

Step 1: Request OPT Recommendation from International Student and Scholar Services

Complete the following forms and upload them to your International Student and Scholar Services Portal.

Note: Save each form individually and upload all government forms to your International Student and Scholar Services Portal. Please fill them out on your computer and save them as PDFs – do NOT print them out or fill them out with a pen.

All documents must be typed. Electronic signatures are not valid on the I-765 - Do not sign the I-765 as this is a draft version.

Important: Do not submit an online I-765 Application without your OPT recommended I-20 from International Student and Scholar Services. This will result in an automatic denial from USCIS and you will forfeit your application fee.

Once International Student and Scholar Services receives all of these documents, a DSO will review them and contact you if corrections need to be made and when the I-20 is ready.

Processing your I-20 for OPT will take up to seven business days.

Step 2: Submit your OPT application to USCIS

Submit your online I-765 application to USCIS and pay your application fee. Your application must be received/submitted within 30 days of the date on the OPT I-20. It is your responsibility to send it on time! The following documents will be required when applying:

  • One (1) passport-style photo (2”x 2”) taken within 30 days. The background must be completely white.
  • Debit or credit card to pay the application fee.
  • Completed, correct I-765 form. Do not sign (you will use this as a guide to fill out the online I-765 application).
  • Signed scanned copy of your OPT Recommended I-20.
  • Scanned copy of your current/most recent, valid passport (Passport Information Page Only).
  • Scanned copy of your current/most recent F-1 visa.
  • Scanned copy of your I-94 (front and back) or you can save/print an electronic copy by visiting the CBP website.
  • Scanned copies of all I-20s showing old or current CPT or OPT requests (Do not scan the regulations page - page 2 on I-20s issued up to May 2015 or page 3 on I-20s issued from 2015 until present).
    • This includes I-20s from previous schools (including those from high school – if applicable).
  • Scanned copy of the front and back of your previous Employment Authorization Document (EAD) (if applicable).

After you submit your application, You will receive your receipt notice in your myUSCIS portal and in an email/text 7-10 days after USCIS has accepted your application. This does NOT mean that your OPT has been approved, or that you have been granted any benefits.

Important: If you receive a Request for Evidence from USCIS, bring it to an International Student and Scholar Services advisor immediately and we will help you respond. This request is time-sensitive, so bring it to International Student and Scholar Services as soon as possible.

Updating Mailing Address while OPT is Pending

If you move while your OPT application is pending with USCIS and you did not give them a separate mailing address, you will need to update your mailing address with USCIS within 10 days of moving.

It is recommended that all OPT students also verify their address with USPS before updating USCIS.

Responsibilities and Maintaining F-1 Status While on OPT

After you receive your EAD card from USCIS, submit a copy of the EAD card (front and back) to our office through the International Student and Scholar Services Portal. This is necessary to check that there are no errors on the card. If either you or your international student advisor finds errors on the card, it will need to be mailed back to USCIS for correction. Please contact your international student advisor if there are errors on your EAD card.

OPT Employer Reporting

Within 10 days of any changes to the student’s address or employment (moving to a new address, starting a job, quitting a job, adding a second job, etc.), students must report the changes through the appropriate portal.

U.S. Local Address updates must be completed through MyUNLV.

OPT Employment Updates must be completed through the OPT Employer Reporting Request through the International Student and Scholar Services Portal.

Information required to update the OPT portal:

  • Employer’s name

  • Employer’s address

  • Start date of employment

  • Full-time or part-time employment

  • Student’s Job title

  • Explanation of how the job relates back to your major area of study

Additional information to update in the OPT Employer Reporting Request:

  • Supervisor first and last name

  • Supervisor phone number

  • Supervisor email address

SEVP OPT Portal

On the start date of your OPT (listed on your EAD card), students will receive an email from do-not-reply.SEVP@ice.dhs.gov with information about creating an OPT portal account. While this account will be automatically generated for students on OPT, International Student and Scholar Services strongly recommends that students instead use the International Student and Scholar Services Portal to complete all employer reporting so that International Student and Scholar Services can better assist if there is a problem.

Employment on OPT

All students have 90 days of unemployment during their post-completion OPT. This 90-day period will begin to count down on the start date of the approved OPT period. For example, if the requested OPT start date was June 1, and was approved to start on June 1, then it will start counting down on June 1. On the other hand, if the requested start date was June 1 USCIS didn’t get to it until July 1, the start date would change to July 1 and the 90 days of unemployment will begin to count down on July 1. 

Please note that F-1 records which exceed the maximum 90 days (or 150 days for those on 24-month STEM OPT) of total unemployment days while on OPT may be automatically terminated. F-1 record termination means that you could lose your F-1/OPT status and lose your ability to legally remain in the U.S. in F-1 status. For more information about unemployment while on OPT, please contact your International Student and Scholar Services advisor.

Full-time employment OPT has two main requirements that must be met:

  • The job is at least 20 hours per week (International Student and Scholar Services recommends a minimum of 21 hours/week to be safe), and

  • The job is in the student’s major area of study

As long as these two requirements are met, the student is considered to be working full-time. For this year of OPT, the student does not have to be paid for it to be considered employed as the federal government understands that sometimes the only position open to new graduates may be a “part-time, unpaid internship” and thus made the above standards.

International Student and Scholar Services prefers for students to be paid for their work, but if the 90 days are almost over, and the student has found an unpaid internship that is more than 20 hours per week in their field, then the student can take this internship to stop the clock on their unemployment.

If the student is not able to find one job that is more than 20 hours per week, but has found two or more part-time jobs (0-20 hours per week) in their field of study, a student can report both in the portal to maintain employment. However, it will be up to the student to keep track of hours to show that they are working more than 20 hours per week. For example, if a student is working 15 hours per week at Company A and 10 hours at Company B, then the student will report that they are working part-time at each employer but keep records showing that they are working a total of 25 hours per week.

If the student is working more than 20 hours per week at one company while on OPT, then the student should update their portal to show that they are working full-time, not part-time (even if they are working 25 hours per week).

In September 2019, USCIS and SEVP determined that students must provide a clearer relationship between the job and the student’s major area of study. Some examples include:

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering: I work full-time as an Electrical Engineer at ABC Corporation, a government contractor. In my job, I analyze client requirements for electrical systems and provide them with cost estimates of such systems. My work requires an understanding of electrical circuit theory, which I studied in-depth at the University of ABC.

  • Master's degree in Music: I am working at a hospital playing the harp in patient rooms. I also conduct hands-on, harp beginner workshops for long-term patients. On average, I work at the hospital 35 hours a week. My duties directly utilize the skills and knowledge I acquired from my coursework and degree in music therapy.

Read the Official Notice

Students can begin working on OPT only after receiving their EAD card and only after the start date on the EAD card has passed.

Students are also not allowed to work past the end date on their EAD card unless they have applied for the OPT STEM extension or they have been selected for an H-1B visa and have a CAP-GAP extension on their I-20.

International Student and Scholar Services recommends that students instead use the International Student and Scholar Services Portal to complete all employer reporting. However, if students chose to update their OPT portal themselves, students should never delete an employer in their SEVP OPT portal account if they have ever worked at a company, even if it was only for 30 minutes on one day, as it can trigger the 90 days of unemployment. Students are required to notify International Student and Scholar Services anytime they update their OPT portal account.

Students should always consult their International Student and Scholar Services advisor before deleting an employer from their OPT SEVP Portal.

If a student changes jobs while on OPT, they should never delete the previous employer as it can trigger the 90 days of unemployment. Instead, students should update the end date of working for company A and then select “Add Another New Employer” and update that section with the information from company B.

International Student and Scholar Services always recommends the use of the International Student and Scholar Services Portal to update your OPT employment in order to avoid errors. 

EAD Card was not Delivered or was Lost by USPS

If the USCIS Case Tracker says that the EAD card was delivered but it is not in the mailbox, there are not a lot of options available.

International Student and Scholar Services recommends that students first contact their local USPS to file an inquiry.

If they are unable to find the EAD card, then students should prepare the following documents and make an appointment online with their international advisor:

  • Copy of paper USCIS I-797A Approval Notice

  • Copy of OPT approved I-20 (ask International Student and Scholar Services for this)

  • New I-765

  • Personal check, cashier’s check, or money order, payable to: Department of Homeland Security

  • Two new passport-style photos

Students must have these documents ready by the appointment or the advisor will not be able to help them put their packet together.

Options After OPT Has Ended

Just like with completing your degree program, you will have a 60-day grace period after your OPT has ended. You will need to choose to do one of the following:

  • Apply for the OPT STEM Extension (if you have earned a qualifying STEM degree)

  • Return to your home country before the end of your 60-day grace period,

  • Change your immigration status by filing an application with USCIS, or

  • Begin a new degree program (either at UNLV or another school)

If you have earned a qualifying STEM degree, then you may be eligible to apply for the OPT STEM Extension. The application window for the OPT STEM Extension is from 90-days before your first year of OPT ends up until your approved initial OPT end date. You must submit the application to USCIS within this window for the OPT STEM extension to be approved. (hyperlink to the OPT STEM page).

If you decide to change your immigration status, you will need to submit the application to USCIS as soon as possible and at least have the receipt notice by the end of your 60-day grace period.

USCIS has issued guidance that students must maintain their current status while the change of status application is pending. Therefore, International Student and Scholar Services recommends that students maintain their F-1 status until their new immigration status is approved. If you have any questions regarding this, please contact International Student and Scholar Services.

If you decide to return for another program at UNLV, you will need to work with the proper admissions office to be admitted and be issued your new, Change of Education Level I-20. This new I-20 must be issued before the end of your 60-day grace period and your new program must start within 5 months of your OPT end date or the next available semester (whichever is first).

If you decide to transfer to another school to begin a new program, you will first need to be admitted to the new program and follow the steps listed in the Transfer-Out section. The new “Transfer-Pending” I-20 from your new school must be issued before the end of your 60-day grace period and your new program must start within five months of your OPT end date or the next available semester (whichever is first).