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

Optional Practical Training (OPT) rules for F-1 students set out who can work, when to apply, how long the authorization lasts, and what you have to do to keep it. The program is governed by federal regulations at 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10) and administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.¹ You get up to 12 months of work authorization in a job related to your field of study, with a 24-month extension available for STEM graduates. Miss a deadline, work the wrong hours, or skip a reporting duty, and the authorization ends.

Who Qualifies

You must have been enrolled full-time for at least one full academic year at an SEVP-certified school before you can apply.¹ That is usually two full semesters or three full quarters. Time in a study-abroad program counts if you first completed at least one full academic term in the U.S.

The job has to be directly related to the major area of study listed on your Form I-20.² One trap to watch: if you used 12 months or more of full-time Curricular Practical Training at the same education level, you are ineligible for post-completion OPT.³ Part-time CPT does not trigger the bar, but full-time CPT usage should be tracked carefully.

Pre-Completion vs. Post-Completion OPT

Pre-completion OPT lets you work while you are still enrolled. During the regular term you are capped at 20 hours per week; over annual breaks and summer, you can work full-time.² Every month you use before graduation comes out of your 12-month post-completion allowance. Four months of full-time pre-completion OPT leaves you eight months after graduation.

Post-completion OPT is the more common route: up to 12 months starting after you finish your degree requirements, with a minimum of 20 hours per week to count as valid employment.⁴ A fresh 12-month allotment opens each time you complete a higher degree level, so a bachelor’s-to-master’s move resets the clock.

Filing Windows and Deadlines

OPT deadlines are rigid, and most rejected applications fail here.

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. You must also file within 30 days of your Designated School Official (DSO) entering the OPT recommendation in SEVIS.² Both deadlines apply at once. If USCIS receives the application after that 30-day window, they deny it and keep the fee.⁴

For the STEM extension, you can file up to 90 days before your current OPT expires, but the application must reach USCIS before your OPT end date. One day late kills the application and the automatic 180-day work extension that comes with it.

What You Have to File

Start with your DSO. The DSO reviews your record, enters the OPT recommendation in SEVIS, and issues an updated Form I-20 reflecting it.² Do not file until you have that updated I-20.

The application itself is Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. Pick the right category code: (c)(3)(B) for standard post-completion OPT, (c)(3)(C) for the STEM extension.⁵ The wrong code causes avoidable delays. Attach the DSO-endorsed I-20, two passport-style photographs, a copy of your passport ID page, and your most recent Form I-94.⁶ The filing fee changes periodically and can differ between online and paper filing, so confirm the current amount on the USCIS fee schedule before sending payment.⁷

You can file online or by mail. Once USCIS accepts the filing, they issue Form I-797C, Notice of Action, with a case number you can use to track status.⁸ Processing can stretch to several months. Do not work, paid or unpaid, until the Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card is in hand. Working before then is an immigration violation regardless of whether the application is pending. Premium processing through Form I-907 is available and guarantees action within 30 business days; the fee is $1,780 as of March 2026, and the clock resets if USCIS asks for more evidence.

Rules Once You Are Working

Getting the EAD is only half the job. The rules below are what keep the authorization alive.

Minimum Hours

Post-completion OPT employment must be at least 20 hours per week to count.⁴ Anything less counts as unemployment. Volunteer or unpaid work only counts as employment when it meets Department of Labor criteria and is directly related to your major. Working unpaid at a role a company would normally pay for is unauthorized employment, not volunteering.

Unemployment Cap

You get a limited number of unemployment days. Blowing past the limit triggers automatic termination of your SEVIS record, which ends your work authorization and your lawful stay.

Standard post-completion OPT: 90 days of unemployment across the 12-month period.
STEM extension: an additional 60 days, for 150 days total across the full 36 months. Days accrued during the initial OPT carry over.⁹

The counter starts on your OPT start date, not when the EAD arrives. Any gap between the start date and the card counts against you, which is why early filing (and sometimes premium processing) pays off.

Reporting

Report any change to your name, address, or employment to your DSO within 10 days.¹⁰ STEM OPT students face the same 10-day window and must also report any loss of employment within it.¹¹ Once OPT is approved, you can use the SEVP Portal to submit employer updates directly rather than routing everything through your DSO.¹²

The STEM Extension

Graduates with a bachelor’s or higher in an eligible science, technology, engineering, or math field can apply once for a 24-month extension, bringing total OPT to 36 months.¹³ The degree must appear on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List at the time you submit the extension, not necessarily when you earned it.¹⁴

Your employer must be enrolled in E-Verify. There is no public database, so ask for the E-Verify company ID and the EIN tied to the account. You and the employer also complete Form I-983, a formal training plan that describes your role, ties it to your STEM degree, and identifies the knowledge and skills you will develop. The employer certifies you will be supervised by experienced staff, will not replace a U.S. worker, and will receive pay and working conditions comparable to similarly situated U.S. employees.¹⁵ Material changes to the plan (a significant pay cut not tied to reduced hours, a drop below 20 weekly hours, a change of employer EIN from a restructuring) must be reported to your DSO promptly. DHS can conduct site visits to verify the plan is being followed.

If you file the extension on time and your initial OPT expires while the application is pending, your work authorization is automatically extended by up to 180 days while USCIS decides.¹³ The extension ends the moment USCIS decides. File late and you lose this cushion entirely.

Traveling on OPT

You can leave the country during OPT, but re-entry is at a Customs and Border Protection officer’s discretion. For re-entry with an approved OPT, expect to show a passport valid at least six months past your return date, a valid F-1 visa stamp (Canadian citizens are exempt), a Form I-20 with a travel signature from your DSO (signatures are valid for six months while on OPT), your EAD card, and evidence of employment such as an offer letter or, if between jobs, proof of an active job search. If your application is still pending, bring the I-797C receipt along with the rest, and understand that re-entry is never guaranteed.

One boundary worth flagging: once your OPT ends and you enter the 60-day departure grace period, leaving the U.S. forfeits any remaining grace time. You cannot depart and come back on it.¹⁶

The 60-Day Grace Period

After your OPT authorization expires, you have 60 days. You cannot work during this window, but you can use it to prepare to depart, transfer to another school, change education level, or apply for a change of status if you qualify.¹⁶ Letting the 60 days lapse without departing or acting can create problems for future visas and re-entries.

Cap-Gap Extension for H-1B

If your employer files a cap-subject H-1B petition while your OPT is still active, your F-1 status and work authorization may extend automatically until the H-1B start date of October 1.¹⁷ There is no separate application and no new EAD. Your DSO can issue an updated I-20 showing the extended dates as proof.

Two limits matter. If the H-1B petition is filed after you have already entered the 60-day grace period, your F-1 status is extended but work authorization is not restored. And the cap-gap terminates the moment the H-1B petition is denied, withdrawn, revoked, or not selected in the lottery. Cap-exempt petitions do not qualify.¹⁷

Taxes While on OPT

OPT wages are U.S.-sourced income. F-1 students who are nonresident aliens for tax purposes file Form 1040-NR. Even with no U.S. income in a given year, you still file Form 8843 to document your exempt status under the substantial presence test.¹⁸

The useful piece here is the FICA exemption. During your first five calendar years in F-1 status, you are generally exempt from Social Security and Medicare taxes, which saves about 7.65% of wages.¹⁹ Some employers withhold FICA by mistake. Ask the employer to fix the withholding first; if they refuse, request a refund directly from the IRS. Once you have been present in the U.S. more than five calendar years and meet the substantial presence test, the exemption ends and FICA applies normally.

1
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status
2
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students
3
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Policy Manual Volume 2, Part F, Chapter 5 – Practical Training
4
Study in the States. F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT)
5
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Employment Authorization
6
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Checklist for Form I-765 (c)(3)(C) Filings
7
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I-765, Application for Employment Authorization
8
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Form I-797C, Notice of Action
9
Study in the States. Unemployment Counter
10
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. USCIS Reminds F-1 Students in Post-Completion OPT and Their DSOs to Enter Employer Information in SEVIS
11
Study in the States. Students – STEM OPT Reporting Requirements
12
Study in the States. SEVP Portal
13
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT)
14
Study in the States. Students – Determining STEM OPT Extension Eligibility
15
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Training Plan for STEM OPT Students
16
Study in the States. Students – Understand Your Post-Completion Grace Period
17
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
18
Internal Revenue Service. Form 8843, Statement for Exempt Individuals and Individuals With a Medical Condition
19
Internal Revenue Service. Foreign Student Liability for Social Security and Medicare Taxes