F Visa

Post-Completion OPT Extensions and Regulations

Reporting Address and Employer Information While on OPT
All students on post-completion OPT must report to the HIO their current residential addresses, and any future changes of address within 10 days of the change by using the online Change of Address Form. In addition, students are required to report their employer's name and address, and any interruption of employment or changes of employers by using the online OPT Employer and Address Form.

Limits on Periods of Unemployment on OPT
F-1 visa regulations allow students to apply for OPT without having an employer. For students who remain in the United States on post-completion OPT, their legal status depends on being employed. OPT employment may be paid or unpaid, full-time or part-time, and includes self-employment. Students on post-completion OPT may not accrue an aggregate of more than 90 days of unemployment within the approved dates of OPT as listed on the Employment Authorization Document (EAD).

What Types of Employment Are Allowed for Post-Completion OPT?*
All OPT employment, including post-completion OPT employment, is required to be related to the student’s degree program. The following list describes acceptable forms of employment:

• Paid employment Students may work part time (at least 20 hours per week when on post-completion OPT) or full time.
• Multiple employers Students may work for more than one employer, but all employment must be related to each individual student’s degree program.
• Short-term multiple employers (performing artists) Students, such as musicians and other performing artists, may work for multiple short term employers (gigs). The student should maintain a list of all gigs, the dates, and the duration.
• Work for hire This is also commonly referred to as 1099 employment where an individual performs a service based on a contractual relationship rather than an employment relationship. If requested by the Department of Homeland Security, students should be prepared to provide evidence showing the duration of the contract periods and the name and address of the contracting company.
• Self-employed business owner Students on OPT may start a business and be self-employed. The student should be able to prove that he or she has the proper business licenses and is actively engaged in a business related to his or her degree program.
• Employment through an agency or consulting firm Students on post-completion OPT must be able to provide evidence showing that they worked an average of at least 20 hours per week while employed by the agency.
• Unpaid employment Students may work as volunteers or unpaid interns, where this practice does not violate any labor laws. The work should be at least 20 hours per week for students on post-completion OPT. A student should be able to provide evidence, acquired from the student’s employer, to verify that he or she worked at least 20 hours per week during the period of employment.

Please note: The 17 month STEM OPT extension rules and responsibilities are more extensive than the list above.

Travel after Graduation While Waiting for OPT Approval
After graduation, OPT students are required to show the EAD along with other F-1 visa documents in order to reenter the United States. Printed on the EAD is the statement "Not valid for reentry." This statement means that students must have ALL documents listed below in order to travel and return to the United States after graduation. In many cases students will also need to apply for new F-1 visas before they may return to the United States. The following is a list of required documents for OPT students to reenter the United States using after graduation:

• a valid Form I-20, signed on page 3 by an advisor in the HIO (the signature should not be more than six months old at the time of reentry to the United States)
• a valid passport
• a valid F-1 visa in the passport
• the EAD issued by USCIS
• evidence of a job offer or evidence of resumption of employment

* This information is adapted from SEVP Policy Guidance: 0801-02 Updates to Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT)