Optional Practical Training (OPT)

Changes to the OPT and STEM OPT Fee

Effective April 1, 2024
The fee for the I-765 online Application for Employment Authorization for F-1 OPT and STEM OPT Extension has increased from $410 to $470.

The fee for the I-765 paper Application for Employment Authorization for F-1 OPT and STEM OPT Extension has increased from $410 to $520.

Effective February 26, 2024
The Premium Processing service fee for expediting the I-765 applications for OPT and STEM Extensions will increase from $1,500 to $1,685. NOTE: Premium Processing Fees do not include the I-765 application fee. Students still need to pay the $470 fee for the application in addition to the Premium Processing Fee if they wish to expedite processing.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) Resources

The guide below is meant to help F-1 international students understand the OPT application process. We know that everyone learns differently and that these regulations can seem complex to navigate. That's why we've created a few helpful guides to support you as you think about OPT and move through the application process. 

• OPT Guide: This page provides a step-by-step guide to the entire OPT application process.
• OPT Video Guide: Additionally, you can hear our advisors discuss the process in our video guide, linked below. 
• OPT Workshops: Be sure to attend one of our OPT Worskhops, listed on our Events Page, for an in-person walkthrough and live Q&A. 
• Ask the ISO: For further questions, don't hesitate to email the ISO at [email protected] or make an appointment with your dedicated ISO advisor.

Watch the OPT Video Guide

Optional Practical Training (OPT) Guide

How to Apply:

The application process for OPT is a six-step process that involves you, your academic department, the ISO and USCIS.

Step 1: Understand OPT. 

Step 2: Confirm your eligibility.

Step 3: Choose your OPT start date and decide when to apply

Step 4: Prepare your documentation, request an OPT recommendation from the ISO, and receive an updated I-20 reflecting the recommended OPT start date. Please see the How to Request an OPT Recommendation from the ISO section below for more information. 

Step 5: File an OPT application with USCIS within 30 days of the ISO’s recommendation. Students usually receive a receipt from USCIS within two to three weeks. You can use your receipt number to check the status of your case on the USCIS Case Status page.

Step 6: USCIS will adjudicate the OPT application. 

Step 7: If approved, you will receive an approval notice, and then an EAD work authorization card.

Step 8: Begin employment and report to the ISO within 10 days.

  Step 1: Understand OPT

What is OPT?

Optional practical training (OPT) is defined as "temporary employment for practical training directly related to the student's major area of study," and has a duration of up to 12 Months per each degree level (Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral).

A student can choose between two types of OPT: Pre-Completion OPT or Post-Completion OPT. GWU ISO recommends using Post-completion OPT, which begins after completion of your degree program. Pre-completion OPT on the other hand, can be used while school is in session and may not exceed 20 hours/week. Visit our CPT page to learn about working before degree completion.

Who Approves it?

The ISO recommends students for OPT, and the U.S. Government approves OPT applications. A recommendation from the ISO does not guarantee USCIS approval.

  Step 2: Confirm Your Eligibility

First, determine whether or not you are eligible to apply to OPT. To apply for OPT students must:

• Have active F-1 status
• Have been lawfully enrolled on a full-time basis for one full academic year.
• Have not used more than 12 months of Full Time CPT
• Be physically present in the US at the time of application
• Apply within the permissible period

If you are working on a dissertation/thesis you may be eligible to apply for OPT as long as you have completed your regular program requirements. Please reach out to the ISO for more information.

Note: You do NOT need a job offer to apply for OPT.

  Step 3: Choose Your OPT Start Date and Decide When to Apply

Choosing Your OPT Start Date

Choosing your OPT start date is an important part of the process and helps you to plan your next steps after graduation/completing your program requirements. When you choose your OPT start date, you are requesting that the government grant you OPT based on the start date of your choice. This is the earliest date that you MAY be eligible to work. However, depending on when you submit your OPT application to USCIS, and the processing time (usually 3 to 5 months - please check USCIS for processing timelines) it is not guaranteed that you will be approved for the start date you have requested. You are not allowed to start work until you receive your EAD (Employment Authorization Document) and the start date on the card has arrived.

Your start date must be within your 60-day grace period. This means that:

• The earliest date that you can choose is the 1st day AFTER your program end date.
• The latest date that you can choose is the 60th day of your grace period.
• ​​NOTE: The majority of GW schools follow GW’s Academic Calendar. However, we highly recommend that you reach out to your Academic Advisor to confirm your program completion date. Please know that this MAY NOT be the same as the current program end date listed on your I-20.

Within those parameters, this is a personal decision. Here are some examples of things that may help you make your decision:

• If you already have a job lined up, you may want to choose your start date based on your employer’s needs, as long as they do not fall outside of the 60-day grace period.
• USCIS processing may take some time. An earlier start date can help you avoid unexpected delays in the process.
• If you do not have a job offer, choosing a later start date can help you give yourself time to apply.

Note:

• Unemployment days will start being counted from the day of approval in your EAD.
• While on OPT, F-1 students are allowed 90 days of unemployment starting from the approval date. Failing to secure employment within a cumulative 90 days will constitute a violation of your F-1 status, and you should plan to depart the US before the 90th day arrives.
• If you are on an H-1B cap-gap extension of your OPT, the total of allowed unemployed days is still 90 days. This means when you add together the time you were unemployed during your initial 12 months and the time you were unemployed during your H-1B cap-gap extension, they cannot total more than 90 days.

Deciding When to Apply

• You can apply as early as 90 days prior to your expected program completion (check your I-20 to confirm your actual program end date).
• USCIS must receive your full and complete OPT application no more than 60 days after your program end date.
• USCIS must receive your application within 30 days of when the ISO recommends your I-20 for OPT.
• If you fail to submit your application within 30 days after the day your OPT was recommended, but you are still within the 60-day grace period, please contact the ISO to renew your OPT recommendation and get an updated I-20.
• Important: USCIS will deny OPT applications received after the 30-day deadline and after the 60-day grace period.

  Step 4: Request OPT Recommended I-20 from the ISO

In this step, you'll need to request an OPT Recommendation I-20 from the ISO. Please DO NOT submit your OPT application to USCIS at this point. You will need the OPT Recommended I-20 from the ISO prior to submitting your application to USCIS. Failure to obtain the OPT I-20 will result in denial of your application and you will forfeit the I-765 fee.

4.1 Prepare Documentation

In order to submit your request for OPT Recommendation I-20 to the ISO, you will need to prepare the following documentation:

• All previous copies of your I-20s
  • It is especially important that you provide copies of I-20s with CPT authorizations from your current degree level.
• Copy of your I-94
• Copy of your passport
• Copy of your visa
• A draft snapshot of the I-765 form
  • This is the application for employment authorization that you will eventually send to USCIS when you apply for OPT. Please see our I-765 online filing guide for more information on this step.
• Copies of any previously issued Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) if applicable

4.2 Complete Request on ISOGateway

To complete your request, Log into ISOGateway and:

• Provide your program completion date 
  • Note: Your program completion date should be the last day of your final exams.
• Provide your requested OPT start date and end date
• Describe how OPT will benefit you
• Provide the email address of your academic department or academic advisor

Note: The ISO will review your documents, but you as the student have the responsibility to review your entire submission for anything that may lead to a denial and to ask the ISO if you have any questions. 

4.3 Request is Routed to Academic Advisor

Once you have completed the request in ISOGateway, it is then routed to your Academic Advisor. At this stage, your Academic Advisor confirms that you have completed all program requirements and routes the request to the ISO for processing.

4.4 Request is Routed to ISO

At this point, the ISO reviews your documents. Please note that the ISO has a 10-business day processing time. This processing time begins once the ISO has received your request from your Academic Advisor.

• If your application is complete and correct, the ISO will provide an OPT Recommended I-20.
• If there are any missing or incorrect documents, the ISO will contact you. If you provided the wrong contact email for your Academic Department, ISO will deny the application and you will need to start the process again with the correct contact information.

Important: You must cease all on-campus and/or off-campus employment the day after you complete all of your program requirements, or after ISO shortens your program date while issuing your OPT recommended I-20.

  Step 5: Apply for OPT with USCIS

Once you have received your OPT Recommended I-20 from the ISO, you may proceed with your online application for OPT with USCIS. Note the OPT recommendation dates on Page 2 of your I-20. These dates may differ from those that you requested.

Also, note the program end date in Item 5 on Page 1 of your I-20. Your program end date might have been shortened to reflect the actual date when you will complete (or completed) all program requirements.

You must be physically present in the U.S. when you submit your OPT application to USCIS.

  Step 6: Check Application Status and Receive Adjudication from USCIS

Checking the Status of Your Request

Due to the high volume of OPT applications, USCIS’ processing time can exceed 90 days. We advise students to carefully plan when they send their application, but as a general rule, we recommend that students apply for OPT as early as possible. USCIS will send you a receipt notice (Form I-797) immediately if you file online, and within 2-3 weeks of your submission if you file by mail. This document is proof that USCIS has received your application. The receipt will have your name and your case number. You can use the case number to track the progress of your application on the USCIS Website and learn about case timelines. If USCIS is taking longer than the normal processing timeline, please submit a case inquiry with USCIS. We also recommend that you sign up for an account with uscis.gov to track your application.  

Request for Evidence (RFE)

USCIS may, on certain occasions, send a Request for Evidence (RFE) to the student. The request is usually sent when USCIS has further questions and/or the application is missing something. If you receive an RFE, please contact the ISO as soon as possible so we can advise you on how to respond to it.

  Step 7: Receive EAD (Employment Authorization Document)

Once your OPT is processed and approved by USCIS, you should receive an I-797 Notice of Approval letter. Your Employment Authorization Documents should arrive about 2 weeks after receiving the Approval Notice. If you have requested a Social Security Card, you should expect to receive it as well. 

  Step 8: Begin Employment, Report to the ISO, and Fulfill Your Responsibilities While on OPT

Even after F-1 students begin OPT, the ISO will still monitor students’ SEVIS status, and students must still work with the ISO to maintain their F-1 visa status. It is your responsibility to report information related to your post-completion employment. The ISO will continue to support and maintain your record during this period. 

Maintaining Your Status While on OPT

You are responsible for maintaining your F-1 status while on OPT. To maintain your status, please note the following:

• You are only allowed to start work from the start date on your EAD card. Do not begin employment before this date.
• All employment opportunities should be related to your field of study. As long as your employment is directly related to your degree program you can engage in: 
  • Paid employment, full-time or no less than 20 hours per week
  • Unpaid employment as a volunteer or unpaid intern
  • Multiple employers at the same time
  • Work for hire, which is work based on a contractual relationship between the student and the employer. This employment is also referred to as 1099 employment. We advise you to keep detailed records about your contracts and employment evidence.
  • Self-employed by starting a business on their own. You must make sure to apply for the proper business licenses and that the business is related to your degree program.
• You are allowed 90 days of unemployment from the start date of your OPT.
• You are responsible for reporting changes in employment and personal information to the ISO and through the SEVP Portal (see below).
• Travel signatures while on OPT are only valid for 6 months.

Reporting to the ISO While on OPT

You are responsible for reporting the following information to the ISO within 10 days of any changes:

• Change of name
• Change of current residential address 
• Change of U.S. telephone number and email address
• Start and end date of all employment 
• Name of the employer, contact information, and U.S. mailing address
• Hours of employment (part-time vs full-time)
• Decision to forfeit OPT and leave the U.S.
• Change of immigration status

Reporting through the SEVP Portal While on OPT

If students are not requesting an updated I-20 from the ISO then they have to update the following employment and personal information through the SEVP portal:

• Current residential and mailing addresses
• Current U.S. telephone number and email address
• Start and end date of all employment 
• Name of the employer, contact information, and U.S. mailing address
• Hours of employment part-time vs full-time
• Decision to forfeit OPT and leave the U.S.
• Change of immigration status
• Brief description of how employment relates to studies

Accessing the SEVP Portal

The SEVP portal account will only be available to students once they receive their EAD and their OPT starts.
You should receive an email to the email address listed in your SEVIS record from [email protected] containing an access link to the SEVP Portal which will enable you to create the portal account. 

If your OPT starts and you have not received the portal account link or if your portal account is locked, please email the ISO.

Traveling Abroad During OPT

It is possible to travel outside of the U.S. while on OPT. Please make sure that you have the following documents before leaving the U.S.

• Updated I-20 with a valid travel signature. Remember while on OPT a travel signature is valid only for 6 months
• Passport, valid for at least 6 months
• F-1 Visa, valid on the date of your planned re-entry
• Valid Employment Authorization Document (“EAD card”)
• (Recommended) I-797 Approval Notice
• (Recommended) Evidence of employment, including job offer 
• (Recommended) Copy of university diploma and transcript

Ending your OPT

The status and SEVIS record of F-1 students on OPT remain active and monitored by the ISO. It is important that you notify us of any changes to your immigration status including when:

• You decide to end your OPT and leave the U.S. permanently before your EAD expires
• You apply for a change of status
• Your change of status is approved to a different immigration status, such as H-1B, E-3 etc. or Legal Permanent Resident status

STEM OPT Extension

Is your your current degree, or a degree that you previously received in the U.S. on the STEM Designated Degree Program List? If so, you may be eligible to apply for a 24-month STEM extension to follow your 12-month OPT. 

Please visit our STEM Extension page for more information. The ISO offers several OPT workshops per year. For more information on upcoming workshops, see our events page or send an email to [email protected].