Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT)

• Pay attention to receipt notices, mail, and notifications from USCIS
• ISSS shortened your I-20 program end date based on your assertion that you will complete your coursework by this date. If you do not complete your degree. coursework or your plans otherwise change, please let ISSS know immediately.
• Contact ISSS if your OPT application is rejected, denied, or if you receive a Request for Evidence (RFE).
• Sign up for Informed Delivery service with the U.S. Postal Service.
• Verify that your name is listed on your mailbox. You must be listed as physically residing at your address with USPS or have indicated the person living at the residence in the c/o mailing address on the I-765. Your address must be able to accept mail categorized as “first class or higher.”
• If you have questions about your case or status of your application, please use the USCIS online tools or call the National Customer Service Number (800-375-5283). To check your case status online, click here. On that webpage, you can create a free account which will allow you to view your case status, history, and easily save your receipt numbers. You will also receive electronic case updates.
• Wait for your EAD card to arrive by mail. You must have your EAD card in hand to begin working.

Change your address through your USCIS online account immediately

Also, ISSS recommends that you:

• Sign up for mail forwarding with U.S. Postal Service.
• Sign up for Informed Delivery service with the U.S. Postal Service.
• Add a name label to your physical mailbox.

•     Check the mailing address accuracy on the Form I-765.  
•     Check with neighbors to see if the EAD was misdelivered.  
•     Use the USPS tracking number that USCIS provided; check with USPS to see if they have confirmation of delivery. 

Option 1: Open an inquiry with the USCIS Contact Center using the USCIS Self Service Online Tool.

•     Use this option if there was a USCIS error.
•     No work is permitted during this time without the physical EAD.

Option 2:  File a new I-765 application for a replacement EAD. Use this option if there is no explainable USCIS/USPS error.

•     File a new Form I-765 for a replacement card.  
•     What is your reason for applying? Please select “Replacement of lost, stolen, or damaged employment authorization document.” Indicate that yes, you have previously filed a Form I-765.
•     Pay USCIS filing fee again.  
•     Upload copies of I-797 approval notice and the I-20 showing the original OPT recommendation.
•     Receive receipt for replacement card filing. Verify with your employer/I-9 office: You may work up to 90 days with the I-797 receipt while awaiting your replacement card. (See USCIS Handbook for Employers M-274, Section 4.0 Completing Section 2 of Form I-9 and Section 4.3 Acceptable Receipts.)

It is very important that you get your EAD corrected, even if the error was made by USCIS. Please upload your EAD to the MyISSS Portal under Training/Employment Related Forms > EAD Card Submission. Alert ISSS to the error and wait for further instructions. You should also review this handout.

The SEVP Portal allows students in F-1 status to monitor their employment authorization and update their address, telephone, and employer information in order to meet regulatory reporting requirements. A student in F-1 status who has been approved for OPT and is in the employment authorization period will receive an email from do-not-reply.SEVP@ice.dhs.gov with information about creating a SEVP Portal account. Please add do-not-reply.SEVP@ice.dhs.gov to your trusted sender list. Monitor all your active email accounts including your junk/spam folder for the SEVP email. The SEVP email will most likely be sent to your colorado.edu email account but may be sent to an alternate account if you provided the email address to ISSS as your primary email account. If you do not receive the SEVP email and are in an approved period of OPT, please submit the SEVP Portal Account Help form (available in MyISSS portal). Please review the SEVP Help Hub for additional resources (e.g., user guide, instructional videos). Please note - as stated above, you will not receive the email from SEVP inviting you to set up your SEVP Portal account until your approved OPT start date has arrived.

While authorized for OPT, you are still in F-1 status. Immigration regulations require you to report certain changes including changes in employment status, employer, address, name, citizenship, contact information, within 10 days of the change.

• When you start your first job on OPT, you need to enter that employment into the SEVP Portal to stop your unemployment days from accruing.
• You also need to complete the Post-Completion OPT Information Update and Relevance Statement Form (available in MyISSS portal). You should indicate on this form that you would like a re-print of your I-20.
• During your OPT authorization period, you should report changes of address, employment, and telephone information in the SEVP Portal. For alumni purposes, you can update your address in Buff Portal and with Alumni Association.
• If you change employers while on OPT, do not delete the previous employers you listed unless a duplicate was entered in error.
• If your employer changes while on OPT, you must complete the Post-Completion OPT Information Update and Relevance Statement Form (available in MyISSS portal) for the new employer. If your name or citizenship changes: Submit the OPT Information Update Form (available in MyISSS portal)
• If your Email Address changes: Please email ISSS

The following employment information must be reported for each job you have while authorized for OPT:

• Explanation of how employment is directly related to your major field of study (OPT Employment Relevancy Form)
• Whether employment is self-employment
• Employer/Company Name
• Employer Identification Number (EIN)—highly recommended
• Job Title
• Employment Start Date
• Whether employment is full-time or part-time (full-time employment is defined as 20 hours or more per week)
• The employer’s address and, if applicable, any alternative work addresses
• Your supervisor’s name, telephone, and email address
• Previous employment end date (if applicable)

8 C.F.R. § 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(E) states—“During post-completion OPT, F-1 status is dependent upon employment. Students may not accrue an aggregate of more than 90 days of unemployment during any post-completion OPT carried out under the initial post-completion OPT authorization.” This limit also applies to students with an automatic extension of an OPT authorization due to the cap-gap provisions.

In other words, you can accrue no more than 90 days of unemployment. The unemployment days start on your OPT authorization start date (the start date listed in SEVIS and on your EAD card). To stop the unemployment days from accruing, you need to enter your employment information into the SEVP Portal.

The list below is a suggestion of records you may be asked to present to prove OPT employment (during or after your OPT authorization); it is not exhaustive. Be sure to maintain documentation that the work/internship is in your major field of study.

• Copies of offer letters and agreements/contracts with all OPT employers including: start/ end dates, pay rate, and number of weekly work hours
• Copies of job descriptions including job title, duties, location, and supervisor’s contact information
• If you worked for an agency or consultancy, keep evidence of the projects you worked on
• Keep copies of your pay vouchers/pay stubs for all periods of employment, copies of your bank statements that show direct or corresponding deposits from your employer(s), and associated W-2 tax forms

If you engage in employment that is not paid while on OPT, it is recommended that you keep the following:

• Copies of employment agreement or contracts with the employer including: start/end dates, trainings (on location, online, etc.), responsibilities and training objectives, location of the internship/unpaid training, and supervisor’s contact information
• Copies of all diplomas, completion certificates and/or certifications that you received related to the training program; If you worked/trained as an unpaid employee for a third party, keep evidence of the projects you worked on
• Copies of company time and attendance records that document your daily tasks in detail for all employers during the unpaid internship or training.

• Regular paid employment in a position directly related to the student's major program of study.
  • For post-completion OPT, the work must be for at least 20 hours per week.
  • Students may work for multiple employers, as long as the employment is directly related to the student's major field of study.
• Payment by multiple short-term employers. SEVP guidance states "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 duration."
• Work for hire. SEVP explains, "This is also commonly referred to as 1099 employment where an individual performs a service based on a contractual relationship rather than an employment individual relationship. If requested by DHS, 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. SEVP indicates, "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. SEVP guidance states, "Students on post-completion OPT must be able to provide evidence showing they worked an average of at least 20 hours per week while employed by the agency."
• Volunteers or unpaid interns: Standard OPT. SEVP OPT Policy Guidance states that, "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."
  • Students should exercise caution when undertaking volunteer activity as a form of OPT employment. Should this volunteer activity be seen as a violation of U.S. labor law, then the activity will not stop the accrual of days of unemployment and the activity could result in loss of status.

SEVP OPT Policy Guidance states that, "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."

Students should exercise caution when undertaking volunteer activity as a form of OPT employment. Should the volunteer activity be seen as a violation of U.S. labor law, then the activity will not stop the accrual of unemployment days and the activity could result in loss of status.

If you would like to participate in volunteer work at CU Boulder, then the opportunity needs to be a formally established volunteer activity. If a CU Boulder department wishes to create a formal volunteer position, then ISSS recommends the CU Boulder department consult University Risk Management website for guidance in establishing a volunteer program.  The volunteer guidelines will help ensure the project is formally recognized by the university as a volunteer work opportunity.  Questions can be directed to:  urmucbdirs@cu.edu

For future visas to the U.S. as well as for USCIS petitions/applications you may be asked to present proof of employment for all positions you have had while on OPT. If you have been employed by a recruiting agency and have worked at a client's site, ISSS recommends you document proof of employment from both your employer and site location entity.

Please review the Career Services’ policy addressing reneging on a job or internship offer letter. Please keep this policy in mind prior to accepting an internship offer.

Yes, there are two ways to extend (if you are eligible).

24-Month Extension of OPT (with Qualifying STEM Degree and E-Verify Employer)

Students in F-1 status in a current period of OPT with qualifying STEM degrees (previous U.S. degree or current U.S. degree) and an employment offer with an E-Verify employer in the STEM field may be eligible to apply for a STEM extension of OPT. Students must meet all of the eligibility requirements including submitting the OPT STEM Extension I-20 Request Form with a complete I-983 Training Plan to ISSS.

Cap-Gap Extension

A student in F-1 status is eligible for a cap-gap extension of OPT if they:

• are the beneficiary of a H-1B petition
• have requested a change of status
• have an employment start date of October 1 of the current year

If eligible, your duration of status (D/S) and any post-completion OPT work authorization is extended to September 30 or until the H-1B petition is withdrawn or denied. An automatic cap-gap extension of a student's F-1 SEVIS record also applies to the duration of status of any dependents in F-2 status. To request an I-20 with a comment indicating the H-1B is pending or has been approved, complete the Cap-Gap I-20 Request (available in the MyISSS Portal).

There is a 60-day grace period following the completion of your post-completion OPT (starting from the EAD end date) for students who maintained status and did not accrue more than 90 days of unemployment. You are not eligible for employment or to re-enter the U.S. in F-1 status during the 60-day grace period.Students in F-1 status in the 60-day grace period can request that their SEVIS record be transferred to another institution if they have been admitted and will begin the program within 5 months. They can also apply for a change of status during the grace period.

The F-1 regulations state, "Authorization to engage in optional practical training employment is automatically terminated when the student transfers to another school or begins study at another educational level." Enrolling full-time or part-time at any degree level may result in the termination of your OPT. Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) guidance indicates that recreational and avocational classes are permissible. However, SEVP does not clearly define "recreational and avocational" therefore ISSS cannot advise on how taking classes toward a non-degree certificate program may or may not impact a student's OPT. ISSS advises students exercise caution when considering enrolling in any courses while on OPT.

During post-completion OPT, employment in your major field of study is the basis for maintenance of F-1 status. Enrollment is not required and if you choose to enroll while participating in OPT, it may impact your OPT work authorization. Consult ISSS if you are considering beginning a new course of study or will seek to transfer your SEVIS record to another institution. OPT work authorization is terminated when your SEVIS record is transferred to a new school and/or you begin a program at a new degree level.

If you depart the U.S. while authorized for OPT for a temporary absence, you must have proof of employment or a job offer in your major field of study in order to re-enter the U.S. Please review your employment authorization in the SEVP Portal prior to traveling and update it if necessary.

During post-completion OPT, employment in your major field of study is the basis for maintaining F-1 status. If you do not have a job, travel outside of the U.S. is not recommended.If you exceed the 90-day limit on unemployment while outside the United States, you will not be eligible to re-enter the United States in F-1 status.

If you seek re-entry to the U.S. in F-1 status while authorized for OPT, carry the following documents:

• I-20 ISSS issued with OPT employment information on page 2 and travel signature dated less than six months from your date of re-entry to the U.S.
• Valid Passport (validity should extend at least 6 months beyond your date of re-entry to the U.S.)
• *Valid F-1 visa (exception- Canadians; *automatic visa revalidation)
• Unexpired Employment Authorization Document (EAD/OPT card)
• Evidence that you have a job or a job offer in you major field of study in the United States and have not exceeded 90 days of unemployment since the EAD card start date
• I-901 SEVIS fee receipt - a copy can be printed from online.

If you are using automatic visa revalidation to re-enter the U.S., have your printed I-94.

Things to keep in mind if you choose to travel while authorized for OPT:

• A temporary absence from the U.S. should be less than 5 months. Even with a job offer and valid EAD, an absence greater than 5 months may not be considered temporary and you may be denied re-entry.
• Do NOT leave the U.S. if you have a pending change of status application as it will likely be considered abandoned. Please consult an immigration attorney if you have questions about this.
• Do NOT re-enter the U.S. in another status (e.g., B) if you intend to work on OPT. You must be present in the U.S. in F-1 status to work on OPT.

Additional Travel Resources: