How to File Your OPT Application: Form I-765 for F-1 Students

To file Form I-765 for OPT, an F-1 student first has the Designated School Official (DSO) recommend OPT in SEVIS and issue a new I-20, then submits Form I-765 to USCIS — online or by mail to the Chicago Lockbox — within 30 days of that SEVIS recommendation and inside the program-date filing window, along with the required documents and fee. An approved application produces an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) that permits work directly related to your major for up to twelve months after graduation, or part-time while still enrolled.¹

Start With Your DSO and the Updated I-20

Nothing goes to USCIS until your school’s Designated School Official recommends you for OPT in SEVIS. The DSO verifies that you have been enrolled full-time for at least one academic year and that the employment you plan to seek relates to your major, then issues a new Form I-20 with the OPT endorsement printed on it.²

That SEVIS entry starts a hard clock. You must file the I-765 with USCIS within 30 days of the date the DSO enters the OPT recommendation. Miss it and USCIS will deny the application regardless of your qualifications.³ Schedule the international office appointment early enough to leave yourself room on the filing side.

Filing Windows by OPT Type

The 30-day DSO deadline runs alongside a broader window tied to your program end date. For post-completion OPT, you can file as early as 90 days before your program end date and no later than 60 days after it.² Both deadlines apply, so the safest move is to file as soon as the updated I-20 is in your hand.

Pre-completion OPT can be filed up to 90 days before you complete one full academic year of enrollment, though employment cannot begin until that year is finished.² The 24-month STEM OPT extension can be filed up to 90 days before your current OPT expires, and within 60 days of the DSO entering the STEM extension recommendation in SEVIS.

Documents to Include

USCIS requires a specific set of supporting evidence with every OPT-based I-765. A missing item can get the whole package rejected without review, and that can cost you the filing window.

Form I-20 with the OPT endorsement, signed by your DSO for the specific type of OPT you are requesting. This is the single most important document.
A copy of your electronic I-94 (printable from cbp.gov/i94) or a copy of your passport biographical page showing your photo, name, and expiration date.⁴
Two identical passport-style color photographs, unmounted and unretouched. USCIS warns that edited or digitally enhanced photos will delay processing and may require an in-person identity check. Write your name and SEVIS number lightly in pencil on the back of each photo.⁵
A copy of any prior EAD, front and back. If you have never been issued one, include a copy of a government-issued identity document such as your passport.³
Evidence of any previous SEVIS numbers and any prior CPT or OPT authorization, with the academic level at which each was authorized.³

STEM extension filers need more: proof the qualifying degree appears on the STEM Designated Degree Program List, the employer’s E-Verify company identification number, and a completed Form I-983 training plan signed by both you and your employer.³ If the STEM extension is based on a previously earned degree rather than your most recent one, include a copy of that prior degree and evidence the institution is still accredited and SEVP-certified.

Filling Out Form I-765

Download the current version of the form from uscis.gov, or start it inside a USCIS online account. Most fields are straightforward. A few consistently trip up OPT applicants.

Eligibility Category Code (Part 2, Question 27)

This is where USCIS decides what kind of authorization you are requesting. The wrong code means a denial. The three OPT codes:

(c)(3)(A) — Pre-completion OPT, while still enrolled
(c)(3)(B) — Post-completion OPT, after finishing your program
(c)(3)(C) — 24-month STEM OPT extension

Both the code you enter and your I-20 endorsement have to match your actual situation.⁶ Filing (c)(3)(B) when your program has not ended, or (c)(3)(A) when you have already graduated, will be denied.

STEM-Specific Fields

Filers under (c)(3)(C) also complete Item Numbers 28.a through 28.c: your employer’s name as listed in E-Verify and the E-Verify Company Identification Number. Your employer’s HR department can provide these. Leaving them blank on a STEM application guarantees a rejection.³

Social Security Number Request

The form lets you request a Social Security Number or replacement card at the same time. Checking this option triggers a data share with the Social Security Administration, which issues the card after your EAD is approved, saving you a separate trip. If you already have an SSN, put it in the appropriate field.

Small Things That Cause Delays

Fill in every field. Use “N/A” for questions that do not apply and “None” for numerical fields with no value. Blank entries look like accidental omissions and can trigger a Request for Evidence that adds weeks. If a previous filing gave you a USCIS Online Account Number, enter that 12-digit number where prompted. Double-check the mailing address — that is where your physical EAD card will be sent.

Submitting the Application

You can file online or by mail. Online is faster and eliminates the risk of a lost package.

Online

Create a USCIS online account at myaccount.uscis.gov if you do not already have one. From there you start the I-765, upload scanned copies of your supporting documents, and pay the fee through the Treasury Department’s secure payment portal.⁵ You get an electronic receipt notice almost immediately, and USCIS correspondence appears in your account. For most students this is the better route: a time-stamped confirmation that you met your filing deadline.

By Mail

All OPT-based I-765 applications — (c)(3)(A), (c)(3)(B), and (c)(3)(C) — go to the same Chicago Lockbox:⁷

USPS: USCIS, Attn: I-765 C03, P.O. Box 805373, Chicago, IL 60680-5374
FedEx, UPS, or DHL: USCIS, Attn: I-765 C03 (Box 805373), 131 South Dearborn, 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60603-5517

Use a trackable shipping method so you have proof of delivery. Organize the package with the fee payment on top, then the I-765, then supporting documents. The filing fee is periodically adjusted, so verify the current amount on the I-765 page at uscis.gov before submitting. Pay by check, money order, or credit card authorization on Form G-1450. An incorrect fee triggers automatic rejection of the entire package without review.

Premium Processing

Premium processing is available for OPT and STEM OPT applications through Form I-907. USCIS guarantees an adjudicative action — approval, denial, Request for Evidence, or Notice of Intent to Deny — within 30 business days of receiving the I-907 and the associated fee. If USCIS issues a Request for Evidence, the 30-day clock pauses and restarts when you respond.

You can file the I-907 with your I-765 or add it later for a pending case. When filing by mail together, the addresses are different from the standard Lockbox:⁷

USPS (I-765 with I-907): USCIS, Attn: I-907, P.O. Box 88782, Chicago, IL 60680-1782
FedEx, UPS, or DHL (I-765 with I-907): USCIS, Attn: I-907 (Box 88782), 131 South Dearborn, 3rd Floor, Chicago, IL 60603-5517

Consider premium processing if your OPT start date is close and standard processing times are running long. Check current processing times on the USCIS case processing times page before paying the extra fee.

After You File

USCIS sends Form I-797C, the Notice of Action, confirming receipt. That notice contains a 13-character receipt number you can use to track your case at egov.uscis.gov. Save it. It is your proof that an application is pending.

USCIS may schedule you for biometrics at an Application Support Center — fingerprints, photograph, and signature — if it needs to verify identity or run background checks. Not every applicant is called in, but if you are, the appointment notice tells you when and where.³

If the adjudicator finds something missing or inconsistent, you will receive a Request for Evidence specifying what is needed. Your processing pauses until you respond. USCIS denies applications when it cannot verify the applicant’s identity, the applicant fails to establish eligibility, or the applicant abandons the case by not responding.⁸

Do Not Start Work Until the EAD Arrives

This catches many students off guard. You are not authorized to begin working, even unpaid, until USCIS approves the I-765, you physically have the EAD card, and your OPT start date has arrived.¹ A pending receipt notice does not authorize employment for initial OPT. If processing takes longer than expected, talk to your employer about a delayed start rather than working without authorization, which can jeopardize your F-1 status.

One exception applies to STEM extensions: if you timely file the 24-month extension before your current 12-month OPT expires, employment authorization continues automatically for up to 180 days while the extension is pending, and the receipt notice is proof of that continued authorization.

If You Are Filing the STEM Extension: Form I-983

The 24-month STEM OPT extension requires a formal training plan on Form I-983, completed and signed by both you and your employer before you file. The plan has to explain how the training relates to your qualifying STEM degree, describe specific training goals, outline how those goals will be achieved through the work, and detail how the employer will evaluate your performance and supervise the training.⁹

The I-983 also requires the employer to confirm that you will not replace any full-time or part-time U.S. worker and that your compensation is comparable to what similarly situated U.S. workers earn in the same area. Employers with fewer than three similarly situated workers must affirm commensurate terms and conditions instead of providing a direct comparison. Submit the completed I-983 to your DSO, who updates SEVIS and issues a new I-20 for the extension. That updated I-20 then goes into your I-765 filing package.⁹

1
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765 Instructions
4
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Checklist of Required Initial Evidence for Form I-765
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment Authorization
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Direct Filing Addresses for Form I-765
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 4 – Adjudication
9
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Form I-983 Overview