Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students

In order for you to be eligible to apply for OPT, all of the following criteria have to be met: 

1. You must have been enrolled as a full-time student with valid, lawful status for one full academic year directly preceding the training.

2. You must be currently in the United States and in valid F-1 status at the time you submit your application and continue to maintain valid F-1 status.

3. The employment must be directly related to your major field of study.

4. The employment must be appropriate for someone having your level of education.

You may submit an application for optional practical training up to 90 days prior to being enrolled for one full academic year, provided that the period of employment will not begin until the completion of the full academic year as indicated by your Advisor at International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS).

Students in exchange programs do not qualify for any type of off-campus paid employment before or after their studies (with the exception of Internship with an International Organization Employment for exchange students) since they do not meet the eligibility requirements for these Immigration benefits. 

1. Part-time (20 hours per week) or full-time (40 hours per week) during your annual vacation and at other times when school is not in session if you are currently enrolled and intend to register for the next term; or

2. Part-time (20 hours per week) while school is in session; or

3. Part-time (20 hours per week) or full-time (40 hours per week) after completion of graduate course requirements (but before completion of a course of study), excluding a thesis or dissertation.

You may apply no earlier than 90 days prior to being enrolled for one full academic year, provided that the period of employment will not begin until the completion of the full academic year. The OPT application must be filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) within 30 days of the OPT recommendation being entered in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.

Provided you are completing a Bachelor's, Master's or Doctoral Degree Program at the U.S. institution you are authorized to attend. Post-completion OPT must be at least 20 hours of activity per week.

You may apply no earlier than 90 days before your expected degree completion date, provided that the period of employment will not begin until the completion of the full academic year, and no later than 60 days after the degree completion date. If you apply for OPT during the 60-day grace period after degree completion, you must submit your OPT application no less than 40 days after your program completion in order for USCIS to receive your application by the filing deadline. The OPT application must be filed with USCIS within 30 days of the OPT recommendation being entered in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, and no later than the end of the grace period. 

NOTE: You must continue to be registered, even if you are preparing a thesis or dissertation and have finished all your course work. This includes summer sessions if you expect to complete your degree in that summer session. If you fail to maintain your registration, you will forfeit your opportunity for optional practical training.

Click here for a comprehensive timeline of the Post-completion OPT Application and Approval Process.

International students in F-1 status are required to complete the online ISSS F-1 OPT Session prior to applying for OPT. The comprehensive and brief employment session will provide you with condensed information on OPT, including eligibility criteria and application procedures.

Go to miami.edu/opt to complete the OPT session.

Submit your OPT application to ISSS by clicking on miami.edu/optrequest. Upon receipt of a completed request form, an ISSS advisor will review your application and, if eligible, issue and email you a new Form I-20, indicating on page 2 that OPT was requested. Once you have received your new Form I-20, refer to How to File a Form Online for tips for filing forms online, including acceptable upload formats, how to upload passport-size photos, and how to pay the filing fee.

Review the DHS Tip Sheet How F-1 Students Seeking Optional Practical Training Can Avoid Form I-765 Delays.

Go to uscis.gov and follow the instructions under “File Online”. The first step is to create your USCIS account. Search for Form I-765 | Application for Employment Authorization, click “File Online” and complete the online form, including the upload of the photo.

• Enter eligibility code (c)(3)(B) for post-completion OPT.
• Include your complete last and first name as it appears in the Machine Readable Zone (MRZ) on your passport biographical page. You can find the MRZ on the bottom of your passport biographical page. It usually starts with a country code followed by your last name and then first name.
• Ensure your mailing address is complete and correct. This is where your USCIS Receipt Notice and Employment Authorization Document (EAD) will be mailed. If you change your address before you have received your EAD, report the updated address at https://www.uscis.gov/addresschange.

Review, sign and submit filing fee payment for Form I-765 | Application for Employment Authorization.

Once authorization to engage in optional practical training is granted, it may not be rescinded or canceled. This means that after optional practical training is authorized by the USCIS, unexpected delays in completing degree requirements, inability to find an appropriate job or loss of a job may result in loss of otherwise eligible time to work. Once permission to work has been given, it cannot be taken back regardless of subsequent occurrences.

USCIS regulations refer to the date you complete all requirements for a program of study, not the date you participate in graduation ceremonies and receive a certificate or diploma. USCIS ignores your graduation date because it realizes that many students, especially graduate students in thesis or dissertation programs, may complete requirements for a degree any day during the year.

This means that the last day of an academic term may not be the date you complete program requirements, but rather the date your thesis or dissertation gets accepted by the Graduate School.  Your lawful F‑1 status expires 60 days after the date you complete degree requirements, and you are expected to leave the country by that date unless you have filed a timely application for optional practical training or made other arrangements to lawfully remain in the U.S.

Contact  ISSS  immediately if you do not complete your degree requirements by the date indicated on your OPT application and on your Form I-20. Failure to do so will negatively affect your immigration status and employment eligibility.

Your OPT start date will be the date USCIS assigns at the time it processes your application. This is the date from which your optional practical training time starts counting, not from the date you begin employment.

All Optional Practical Training must be completed during the 14-month window following the date of completion of studies. Therefore, depending on when you apply, you may not be granted the full 12 months of optional practical training.

You may not begin employment until you have received your EAD, or until the approved start date on your EAD. Any work you do before receiving the EAD will be considered unauthorized employment. 

USCIS defines employment as “any type of work performed, or services provided, in exchange for money, tuition, fees, books, supplies, room, food or any other benefit.” OPT is employment that is related to the student's degree major and appropriate for the degree level. The location of the OPT employment must be within the US.

OPT may be in any of these forms:

• Working for one or multiple employers (short or long term).
• Working on a contractual basis.
• Working as a self-employed business owner on a full-time basis (with evidence of the proper business license).
• Working through an agency.
• Volunteering or holding an unpaid internship as long as the position does not violate any labor laws and that the volunteer work or internship is for at least 20 hours/week.

You may change employers after you have begun authorized employment provided the new job is (1) directly related to your major field of study and (2) appropriate for someone having your level of education. You must update the SEVP Portal within 10 business days.

After your OPT has been approved and is active, you will receive an email notification from 'do-notreply.SEVP@ice.dhs.gov' that includes a link to the SEVP Portal registration pages. You will be required to complete the registration using your SEVIS ID number to create an account.

The SEVP Portal is a tool for F-1 students on post-completion or STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) Optional Practical Training (OPT), which will allow you to:

• View details about your post-completion or STEM OPT.
• Report changes to your address, telephone and employer information.
• View and update data on all your employers.

SEVP has created a SEVP Portal Help section on the Study in the States website with: 

• Information about the portal.
• The SEVP Portal User Guide, which provides screenshots and detailed step-by-step instructions for using the portal.
• SEVP Portal videos.
• A useful one-page reference sheet on the portal.

Report changes to your address, telephone number and employer information on the SEVP Portal throughout your OPT.  If you have any questions about the portal or need assistance related to the portal, call the SEVP Response Center at (703) 603-3400.  For all other matters related to your F-1 status, contact ISSS at isss@miami.edu or at (305) 284-2928.

You may not accrue an aggregate of more than 90 days of unemployment during OPT. If you fail to report employment within 90 days of your start date, your SEVIS record will auto-terminate, and you will be out of status with immigration.

Authorization to engage in OPT is automatically terminated when you transfer to another school or begin your studies at another educational level.

International students who are no longer enrolled at the University but remain in the U.S. to engage in post-completion OPT and STEM OPT may still be insured under the Student Insurance policy if they originally purchased a plan that continues beyond the completion of their studies. Visit the Student Health Service website for more information. 

Although insurance coverage can continue during OPT or Academic Training, access to the Student Health Service is limited to enrolled students. Expenses incurred off-campus will be subject to deductibles, co-payments, and co-insurance. Please review the current Insurance Information for details on benefits, exclusions, and limitations of coverage or contact the Student Health Service at studenthealth@miami.edu for additional information.

H-1B Cap-Gap Extension
Duration of status and work authorization will be automatically extended for a student on OPT who is the beneficiary of a timely-filed H-1B petition requesting change of status and an employment start date of October 1 of the following fiscal year. The extension of duration of status and work authorization automatically terminates upon the rejection, denial, or revocation of the H-1B petition filed on the student's behalf.

To request an updated I-20 for H-1B cap-gap extension, please complete the OPT and STEM OPT Reporting for Students in F-1 Status.

Students on H-1B cap-gap extension must continue to report all changes of name and address, and interruptions of employment just like all other students on OPT.

Before completing your studies, you must present the following documents to USCIS at the port-of-entry in order to seek reentry to the U.S.: 

• SEVIS Form I-20, endorsed for travel by your ISSS advisor within the last 12 months;
• Valid passport; and
• Valid F-1 visa.

You do not need evidence of a job or a valid EAD issued for OPT to return to the U.S.

Please inform ISSS at isss@miami.edu immediately if you have left the United States permanently and have decided not to pursue your OPT.

Before your EAD has arrived, you must present the following documents to USCIS at the port-of-entry in order to seek reentry to the U.S.:

Form I-797 (USCIS receipt notice for pending EAD application)

• SEVIS Form I-20, endorsed for travel by your ISSS advisor
• Valid passport
• Valid F-1 visa

After your EAD has arrived, you must present the following documents to USCIS at the port-of-entry in order to seek reentry to the U.S.:

• EAD issued by USCIS
• A letter from the U.S. employer regarding employment for optional practical training.
• SEVIS Form I-20, endorsed for travel by your ISSS advisor within the last six months
• Valid passport
• Valid F-1 visa

Absence from the U.S. during OPT is limited to 90 days, or 5 months if on authorized leave or traveling as part of your U.S. employment.

Please inform ISSS at isss@miami.edu immediately if you have left the United States permanently and have decided not to pursue your OPT.