F-1 OPT: Eligibility, Form I-765, and STEM Extension

F-1 OPT, or Optional Practical Training, gives F-1 students up to 12 months of work authorization in a job directly related to their major, with a 24-month extension available for qualifying STEM degrees. You earn a fresh 12-month allotment at each degree level, so finishing a bachelor’s and then a master’s can mean up to 12 months of OPT after each. The rules on deadlines, employment, and reporting are strict, and missing any of them can cost you your F-1 status.

Who Qualifies

You need to be in valid F-1 status and to have been enrolled full-time for at least one full academic year at a school certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). One academic year generally means two semesters or three quarters.¹

The job must be directly related to the major listed on your Form I-20. That is not a loose connection; you have to be able to explain how the day-to-day duties draw on your degree.² Work in an unrelated field is treated as unauthorized employment, which can end your F-1 status.

One disqualifier catches students by surprise. If you used 12 months or more of full-time Curricular Practical Training (CPT) at the same degree level, you cannot get OPT for that degree.³ Part-time CPT does not count toward that limit, and CPT used at a lower degree does not block OPT at a higher one.

Pre-Completion vs. Post-Completion OPT

OPT comes in two forms. Pre-completion OPT lets you work while still enrolled: 20 hours per week when school is in session, and full-time during annual breaks.⁴ It eats into your 12-month total. Part-time pre-completion work counts at half the rate (two months of part-time uses one month of your allowance); full-time counts day for day.

Post-completion OPT is the more common option. It begins after you finish your degree and gives you up to 12 months of work authorization, minus any time already spent on pre-completion OPT. You must work at least 20 hours per week, and the start date you request has to fall between your program end date and 60 days after it.³

How to Apply

The application has two stages: the school’s part and the USCIS part. Getting the sequence wrong or missing a step can result in denial.

Get Your DSO Recommendation

Start with your Designated School Official (DSO). The DSO reviews your eligibility, enters the OPT recommendation into SEVIS, and issues an updated Form I-20 reflecting the recommendation. Both you and the DSO sign the I-20 before it goes with your application.¹ The moment the DSO enters the recommendation in SEVIS, a 30-day clock starts. You must file with USCIS inside that window.

File Form I-765

Form I-765 is the application for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). You can file online through a USCIS account or by paper. Online filing gives you an instant receipt number and real-time tracking.⁵ If you mail a paper application, use a tracked shipping method; lost applications mean missed deadlines.

Pick the right eligibility category. Post-completion OPT is (c)(3)(B); pre-completion OPT is (c)(3)(A). The wrong code leads to denial.

Along with Form I-765 and the signed Form I-20, include a copy of your passport biographical page, a copy of the F-1 visa stamp used for your most recent entry (Canadian citizens are exempt), and your most recent I-94 arrival/departure record, which you can print from the CBP I-94 website.⁶ USCIS charges a filing fee that differs for online and paper filing and is adjusted periodically, so check the current amount on the USCIS I-765 page before submitting.⁵

Under a USCIS photo policy effective December 2025, the agency takes its own photos rather than accepting applicant-submitted ones.⁷ You may be scheduled for a biometrics appointment after filing, so keep your mailing address current. Missing biometrics can delay or derail your case.

Three Deadlines That Must All Line Up

Post-completion OPT has three overlapping deadlines, and you have to satisfy all of them:

Earliest filing date: 90 days before your program end date.
Latest filing date: 60 days after your program end date.
DSO recommendation window: within 30 days of when the DSO entered the recommendation in SEVIS.

Missing any of these results in automatic denial.¹ Coordinate with your DSO early. If the SEVIS recommendation is entered too early or too late relative to your program end date, the 30-day SEVIS window and the 90/60-day program window may not overlap, and you will have no valid filing date.³

Processing Times and Premium Processing

Standard I-765 processing times fluctuate and can stretch well beyond a few months. Check the USCIS processing times page before filing so you can plan around the wait. Premium processing is available for OPT and STEM OPT: filing Form I-907 with a fee of $1,780 guarantees USCIS will take action within 30 business days, though that action could be an approval, a denial, or a request for more evidence.⁸ After approval, add one to three more weeks for the physical EAD card to be printed and mailed. You cannot work until the card is in hand and the start date has passed, so premium processing is worth considering when the start date is close.

When You Can Start, and the Rules Once You Do

You cannot begin work until you hold the physical EAD card and the start date printed on it has arrived. No exceptions, even if your employer wants you sooner.¹

Post-completion OPT requires a minimum of 20 hours of work per week. The work can be paid or unpaid; volunteer positions and unpaid internships count so long as the job is directly related to your major.³ Multiple employers are allowed at the same time, and self-employment is permitted if you can document the connection to your field of study.

Reporting is not optional. Update your DSO or report through the SEVP Portal within 10 days whenever your legal name, physical or mailing address, or employer’s name and address changes.⁹ Also report the start date of any new job. Falling behind on these updates can trigger a SEVIS termination even if everything else about your OPT is compliant.

The 90-Day Unemployment Limit

During the standard 12-month post-completion OPT period, you are allowed a cumulative maximum of 90 days of unemployment.¹⁰ Every day without qualifying employment counts, and the clock starts on your OPT start date, not when you begin looking for work.

A STEM OPT extension raises the limit to 150 days total, but that number includes any unemployment days already used during the initial 12-month period.¹⁰ Going past the limit puts you out of status, with the practical options narrowed to departing the country or, if timing works, transferring into a new academic program.

The 24-Month STEM Extension

If your degree appears on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List, which covers hundreds of Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes across engineering, biological sciences, mathematics, physical sciences, computer science, and related fields, you can apply for a 24-month extension on top of the initial 12 months.¹¹ That is up to 36 months of work authorization from a single degree.

STEM OPT carries extra requirements. Your employer must be enrolled and in good standing with E-Verify, and there is no public database to check this, so ask the employer directly before accepting the job.¹² You and your employer must complete a Form I-983 training plan describing your role, its relation to your STEM degree, and learning objectives; the employer certifies you will not replace a U.S. worker and that your pay and working conditions match those of similarly situated American employees.¹³ Both of you have to notify your DSO of material changes to the training plan, including significant pay reductions or hours dropping below 20 per week, and the employer must report a termination or departure within five business days. DHS may also make unannounced site visits to verify the training plan is being followed.

Apply for the extension before your initial 12-month OPT expires. If the extension is filed on time and your current OPT lapses while it is pending, your work authorization is automatically extended until USCIS decides the case.¹⁴

Traveling Outside the U.S.

International travel on OPT is possible but risky, especially while the application is pending. If USCIS schedules biometrics while you are abroad and you miss the appointment, your case can be delayed or denied. If the application is denied while you are outside the country, you cannot re-enter in F-1 status to reapply. The safer approach is to stay in the U.S. until the EAD arrives.

After approval, you need all of the following to re-enter: a valid passport, a valid F-1 visa stamp (Canadians excepted), your EAD card, a Form I-20 with a travel signature from your DSO dated within the last six months, and proof of employment or an active job search if you are between positions. Returning on a tourist visa or in any other status will invalidate both your F-1 status and your OPT authorization.

Cap-Gap Extension for H-1B Transition

If your OPT is ending and your employer files a cap-subject H-1B petition on your behalf, you may qualify for an automatic extension of your F-1 status and work authorization that bridges the gap until the H-1B start date. The cap-gap extension runs until April 1 of the fiscal year for which H-1B status is requested, or until the approved petition’s start date, whichever comes first.¹⁵

The extension is automatic. You do not file a separate application or receive a new EAD; your DSO can issue an updated I-20 as proof. The H-1B petition must have been properly and timely filed while your F-1 status (including OPT or the 60-day grace period) was still in effect. One catch: if you were already in the 60-day grace period when the H-1B petition was filed, you get the status extension but not work authorization, because you were not authorized to work at the time of filing.¹⁵

The cap-gap terminates immediately if the H-1B petition is denied, withdrawn, revoked, rejected, or not selected in the lottery. It also ends if the change-of-status request is denied, even where the underlying H-1B petition is approved for consular processing abroad.

The 60-Day Grace Period at the End

When your OPT authorization ends, whether the EAD expires, you are terminated from SEVIS, or you choose to stop working, you have a 60-day grace period to wrap up your affairs and depart the United States.¹⁶ You cannot work during this window. You can use it to prepare for departure, transfer to a new school, or change to another immigration status if you qualify.

If you leave the country during the grace period, the remaining days are forfeited; you cannot re-enter to use them. Overstaying past the 60 days without changing status can create bars to future visa applications and re-entry.¹⁶

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students
2
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. SEVP Policy Guidance: Practical Training-Determining a Direct Relationship Between Employment and a Students Major Area of Study
3
Study in the States. F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT)
4
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
6
U.S. Customs and Border Protection. I-94/I-95 Website
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. New Photo Policy Helps Prevent Immigration Fraud Through Enhanced Identity Verification
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees
9
Study in the States. OPT Student Reporting Requirements
10
Study in the States. Unemployment Counter
11
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List
12
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT)
13
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Training Plan for STEM OPT Students (Form I-983)
14
Study in the States. STEM OPT Extension Overview
15
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Extension of Post Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 Status for Eligible Students Under the H-1B Cap-Gap Regulations
16
Study in the States. Students: Understand Your Post-completion Grace Period