Optional Practical Training a pathway to work while being on F1 Student Visa in USA

---

---

Optional Practical Training, fondly known as OPT by foreign students studying in US based institutions is the permit issued by the USCIS and representing institutions to the enrolled student to work off campus. This permit will hold intact even after students complete their course.

The minimum period a student is expected to be on the course’s roll is 9 months before applying for OPT. This is just for application and the students can start working only when they receive their Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and this comes by only when you’ve stayed for at least a year on the course’s roll. The time period consumed generally by USCIS to issue the EAD to a student is 90 days.

Following are the eligibility requirements for students to apply for OPT:

·         Education must be in sync with employment a student is intending to seek

·         F1 status of applicants must be valid

·         Applications should be sent while the course is still on its run

·         Students who hold CPT for a minimum of 12 months are not eligible to apply for OPT

 

The OPT comes with a maximum validity of 1 year and students who are willing to stay back in the country and continue working full-time are expected to upgrade their visa types to the relevant ones that support their working status in U.S.