New OPT Rules for F-1 Students: STEM Extension, Cap-Gap, and Deadlines

The OPT rules for F-1 students let you work in the United States in a job tied to your major for up to 12 months after graduation, with a 24-month extension available if your degree is in a qualifying STEM field. The program runs on tight deadlines, hard caps on unemployment, and ongoing reporting duties, and missing any of them can end both your work authorization and your legal status.

Who Qualifies

You need valid F-1 status and at least one full academic year of full-time enrollment at a SEVP-certified school. The job you plan to take has to be directly related to the major on your I-20, meaning a clear connection between your daily duties and the coursework or research you completed. SEVP guidance suggests you should be able to point to specific classes or research projects that prepared you for the role.

OPT comes in two forms. Pre-completion OPT lets you work before finishing your degree, but only part-time (20 hours a week maximum) while classes are in session. Post-completion OPT starts after your program ends and allows full-time work.1Study in the States. Student Employment Overview You get up to 12 months at each successive degree level, so a master’s after a bachelor’s gives you a fresh 12 months.

Pre-completion time reduces your post-completion time. Full-time pre-completion work is subtracted day for day. Part-time pre-completion work counts at half rate, so six months of part-time pre-completion OPT cuts three months off your post-completion window.

The STEM Extension

A bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in an eligible STEM field qualifies you for a 24-month extension of post-completion OPT, bringing your total to 36 months.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT) Your degree must appear on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List, which uses Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes.3Study in the States. Eligible CIP Codes for the STEM OPT Extension The degree needs to be on the list when you apply, not necessarily when you graduated.

The STEM extension carries three requirements the standard 12-month OPT does not:

  • Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify. If they aren’t, they can’t sponsor you for the extension.4Study in the States. Students – Determining STEM OPT Extension Eligibility
  • You and your employer must complete and sign Form I-983 before you apply. The plan has to explain how the job relates to your STEM degree, set specific training goals, and describe how the employer will supervise your learning.5Study in the States. Form I-983 Overview
  • The training plan must confirm that your duties, hours, and pay are comparable to those of similarly situated U.S. workers, and that you are not replacing a U.S. employee.

A second STEM extension is possible if you later earn a new STEM degree at a higher level and complete a new period of initial post-completion OPT.

Filing Deadlines

Post-completion OPT has three deadlines running at once, and you have to hit all three:

  • You can file Form I-765 as early as 90 days before your program end date.
  • You must file no later than 60 days after your program end date.
  • You must file within 30 days of the date your DSO enters the OPT recommendation in SEVIS.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students

The 30-day rule is the one that catches people. If your DSO enters the recommendation on March 1, USCIS has to receive your application by March 31 even if your program doesn’t end until June. Coordinate with your DSO so the recommendation only goes into SEVIS when you are actually ready to file.7eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status

For the STEM extension, you have 60 days from the SEVIS recommendation to file. Your initial OPT must still be valid, or within its 60-day grace period, when you apply.6U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students

What Goes in Your Application

Ask your DSO to recommend OPT in SEVIS. They will endorse your I-20 and give you an updated copy with the recommendation.8Study in the States. F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) Do not file the I-765 until you have that updated I-20.

Your package needs:

Pick the right eligibility code on the form. Post-completion OPT uses (c)(3)(B); the STEM extension uses (c)(3)(C).10U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-765, Instructions for Application for Employment Authorization The wrong code is a common cause of delay or denial.

Fees and Premium Processing

USCIS charges different amounts for online and paper filings, and paper filings paid by credit card need a separate Form G-1450.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Authorization for Credit Card Transactions Fees adjust periodically for inflation, so check the current amount on the USCIS site before you file. The wrong fee gets your package rejected.13U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Announces FY 2026 Inflation Increase for Certain Immigration-Related Fees

Premium processing is available for OPT and STEM OPT. Filing Form I-907 with your I-765 commits USCIS to acting within 30 business days. The premium fee is $1,780 as of early 2026, on top of the standard filing fee.14U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. How Do I Request Premium Processing Even after approval, expect another one to three weeks for the physical EAD card to arrive.

You cannot start work until USCIS approves the application and you receive the EAD. Your requested start date sits within the 60-day window after your program ends; if USCIS drags and that date passes before the card is in your hand, those days still count against your unemployment cap.

Unemployment Caps

This is where OPT holders quietly get into serious trouble. During the initial 12-month post-completion OPT, you can accumulate no more than 90 days of unemployment. Every day without qualifying employment counts, weekends included. Hitting day 91 is a status violation that can trigger removal proceedings and hurt future visa applications.2U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT)

The STEM extension adds 60 more days, for a combined cap of 150 days across the entire OPT period. Over 36 months, gaps between jobs add up quickly.

Reporting While on OPT

Getting the EAD starts a new set of duties. You have to report changes to your name, address, or employer to your DSO within 10 days.15Study in the States. OPT Student Reporting Requirements The SEVP Portal handles address and employer updates directly; some changes still go through your DSO.

STEM OPT adds evaluations on Form I-983: one within 12 months of your STEM start date, and a second at the end of the extension. Your employer signs each one to certify the plan is being followed.16Study in the States. Students and the Form I-983 If your duties, employer, or work location change enough to affect the plan, you and your employer must update the I-983 and submit it to your DSO before the change takes effect.

The 60-Day Grace Period

After your OPT or STEM OPT end date, you get 60 days to prepare to leave the country. That period is available only if you stayed under the unemployment cap. If you already went past the 90-day or 150-day limit while on OPT, there is no grace period and you should leave promptly.17Study in the States. Students – Understand Your Post-Completion Grace Period

You cannot work during the grace period. You can use it to pack, travel inside the U.S., transfer to a new academic program, or apply to change to a different visa status. Leaving the country forfeits any remaining days; you cannot re-enter on the grace period.

Travel

Travel while OPT is pending is risky. Leaving the country before your EAD is approved raises a real possibility that you won’t get back in time. To re-enter you generally need a valid passport, a valid F-1 visa stamp (Canadian citizens excepted), an I-20 with a travel signature no more than six months old, and your I-797C receipt notice for the pending application.

Once the EAD is approved, re-entry is smoother but still needs preparation. Carry the EAD card and proof of current or upcoming employment. CBP officers have discretion at the port of entry, and returning on post-completion OPT without a job or offer can raise questions about whether you are maintaining status. Get a fresh travel signature from your DSO before any trip; signatures are valid for six months during post-completion OPT.

Self-Employment

You can work for yourself on post-completion OPT, including running your own business, as long as the work is directly related to your major. You need any required business licenses and must be actively engaged in the business. Passive ownership of a company you aren’t working for doesn’t stop the unemployment clock.

Self-employment on the STEM extension is harder. Your business has to be enrolled in E-Verify, you must work at least 20 hours a week, and you still need a complete I-983. It’s possible as a sole proprietor but takes careful documentation.

Cap-Gap Extension for H-1B Filers

If your OPT is expiring and your employer files a cap-subject H-1B petition that requests a change of status to start October 1, you may qualify for an automatic extension of your F-1 status and work authorization through September 30 of that fiscal year. The cap-gap extension exists to close the gap between OPT ending and H-1B beginning.18U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Extension of Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) and F-1 Status for Eligible Students

Three details drive eligibility:

  • The H-1B petition must be filed while your OPT is still valid or during the 60-day grace period. If it’s filed in the grace period, status is extended but you cannot work.
  • The petition must request a change of status. Consular processing does not trigger cap-gap.
  • If the H-1B is denied, withdrawn, revoked, or not selected in the lottery, the cap-gap extension ends immediately.

Cap-gap is automatic; you don’t file anything. Your DSO issues an updated I-20 noting the extension, and that serves as proof of continued work authorization. No new EAD is issued for this period.

Taxes and the FICA Exemption

Income earned on OPT is subject to federal and state income tax. Most F-1 students are treated as nonresident aliens for tax purposes during their first five calendar years in the U.S. and file Form 1040-NR rather than the standard 1040. Whether or not you earned income, file Form 8843, which the IRS requires from people present in the U.S. on student or exchange visas.

The meaningful tax benefit is the FICA exemption. F-1 students who are nonresident aliens don’t owe Social Security or Medicare tax on wages from authorized employment, including practical training. The exemption lasts as long as you remain a nonresident alien for tax purposes, generally the first five calendar years.19Internal Revenue Service. Foreign Student Liability for Social Security and Medicare Taxes Once you become a resident alien under IRS rules, the exemption ends and FICA applies like it does for any other employee.

If your employer withholds FICA while you’re still exempt, ask the employer for a refund first. If that fails, file a claim directly with the IRS. Payroll departments unfamiliar with the nonresident alien rules make this mistake often, so check your first pay stub.