F-1 Post Completion OPT

IMPORTANT: You must apply for post-completion OPT no later than four weeks after you complete your degree requirements to allow for adequate processing time. The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will not accept applications received 60 days or more beyond the completion date. You must be physically present in the U.S. to file for post-completion OPT. The OISS advises students not to travel outside the U.S. while the post-completion OPT application is pending.

• The timeframe to apply for post-completion OPT is set by the federal government and is not flexible. The earliest you may apply is 90 days prior to your completion date. The OISS strongly encourages students to apply before their completion date. It is possible to apply for OPT following your completion date (and it must be received by the government within 60 days of the completion date). However, the OISS strongly advises you apply as early as possible.
  
  OPT requires an application to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), which is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. USCIS may take up to 3 months to process an application for OPT. Please plan accordingly - the OISS recommends that you apply as early as possible. Note that post-completion OPT must end within 14 months of the completion date.

Applying for post-completion OPT is a four-step process: (1) you must first attend the post completion OPT workshop; (2) obtain the endorsement of your academic advisor or program; (3) come to the OISS for an OPT recommendation; and (4) submit your application to the USCIS.

(1) Attend the mandadory post completion OPT workshop here

(2) Download an OISS F-1 OPT Recommendation Form. Complete the form and have it signed by your academic advisor, dean, department chair, or program coordinator. Your department must endorse your request for OPT by signing and completing the form; confirming:

• That you are in good academic standing and are making satisfactory progress toward degree completion
• The anticipated date you will complete all of your degree requirements (for Ph.D. students the completion date is considered the date of dissertation defense)
• That the proposed employment is or will be related to your field of study

 Special note for GSAS Ph.D. students:

For the OPT recommendation request form the completion date for GSAS Ph.D. students can be one of two possible dates. The default completion date is the graduation date; however, students who have finished all degree requirements before that graduation date may wish to apply to start post-completion OPT sooner. To do this the student must obtain a certification of completion of degree requirements at the registrar's office. The date on this certification letter would thus be considered the sooner completion date.

(3) Bring the following to the OISS to obtain an OISS recommendation

• Your passport, I-94 card, and original I-20(s)
• A completed OISS F-1 OPT Recommendation Form

Once an OISS advisor has determined your eligibility for OPT, s/he will update SEVIS and issue a new I-20 to you, with a recommendation for OPT. Allow for OISS standard processing time.

(4) Once you have received an updated I-20 containing the OISS's recommendation, you may then submit an application to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for OPT. You must mail your OPT application within 30 days of I-20 issuance. Failure to do so could lead to a denial of your application. The complete packet includes the following:

• A check or money order for $380 made payable to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. If paying by check, be sure that your name and address are printed on it and that it is the same address you use for the Form I-765.
• A completed Form I-765  signed in blue ink
• Form G-1145, in order to receive an e-notification of application receipt from USCIS
• A photocopy of your updated SEVIS I-20(s)
• Photocopies of all I-20s previously issued; include I-20s from previous schools if applicable
  • A photocopy of your F-1 visa stamp (if applicable)
  • A photocopy of both sides of your I-94 card, clearly indicating that you are in F-1 status for duration of status
  • A photocopy of your passport identification page, clearing indicating your passport name, nationality, date of birth, and the passport expiration date
  • Two passport-style photographs, with your name, date of birth, I-94 card number, and SEVIS ID number lightly printed on the back
  • Photocopies of any previously-issued Employment Authorization Document (EAD) cards, if applicable

  Mailing Information
  
  Once you have prepared all of the above materials, mail your application to USCIS. For those residing in New York, New Jersey or Connecticut, the address for private courier service is:

  USCIS
  Attn: AOS
  2501 S. State Hwy, 121 Business
  Suite 400
  Lewisville, TX 75067

  If you use an address in a different part of the U.S., please speak with an OISS advisor to find out the appropriate USCIS mailing address.

USCIS routinely takes up to 90 days to process this type of application. Approval is NOT guaranteed, and you may not begin employment unless you have received written approval from the USCIS. Written approval will come in the form of an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card.

If your application for OPT is approved, you will receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card from the USCIS granting you permission to work off-campus.

Post Completion OPT is activity in your field of studies and commensurate with your degree level. It should be at least 20 hours per week. Post completion OPT includes:

-working for one or multiple employers
-working on a contractual basis
-working through an agency
-volunteering or holding an unpaid internship (as long as the position does not violate any labor laws)

For further information regarding work as a contractor or self-employed business owner, consult an attorney.

With regard to volunteer or unpaid internship activity, it is important that these are positions that do not displace or replicate a paid position within an organization. For example, the government could consider it a violation of labor laws for a position to be called "volunteer" and the same position
automatically "converted" to paid once the student's EAD arrives. For further information regarding labor laws, consult with a company's human resources department or an attorney.

• You may not start employment until you have received an EAD and not before the start date indicated on the EAD. You must stop employment by the EAD expiration date. Once your EAD expires, you have a "grace period" of 60 days to remain in the United States to prepare for departure or a change to another immigration status.
• Your EAD becomes invalid If you obtain another I-20 to begin a new full-time program, or if you depart the United States for more than 5 consecutive months.

If you are engaged in post-completion OPT, you are still considered an F-1 student under New York University's sponsorship. Students may not be unemployed more than 90 days during post-completion OPT. The government has stated that students may be denied future immigration benefits that rely on being in status if the Department of Homeland Security determines the student was unemployed for more than 90 days. The OISS is seeking further information from the government about the unemployment restrictions.

F-1 students on post-completion OPT must meet the following requirements:

• You must notify the OISS within ten days of any of the following, click here to report the following: change in legal name, change in mailing or residential address, change in employer (supply name and address of the employer, as well as the start date of employment) being unemployed for ten or more days, or deciding to depart the U.S., return to school full time, change status, or otherwise cease OPT activities. The government instructs students to keep a personal record of all reports made to the OISS regarding such changes.
• Keep a record of any and all OPT activity, including the position held, dates of the position, supervisor name, organization name and location, and description of activity. It is the student's responsibility to produce such information if requested by the government. A free and excellent tool for recording your OPT activity is NYUeVita.  Go to http://www.nyuevita.nyu.edu/ for more information.
• Travel while on post-completion OPT requires a valid F-1 visa (except for Canadian citizens), passport, EAD card, and SEVIS I-20. You should also carry a letter from an employer, and make sure that your SEVIS I-20 is signed every six months (instead of one year); refer to our travel instructions for further information about travel procedures. Please note that travel while on post-OPT may be more difficult than travel before completion of studies. Speak with an OISS advisor before arranging any travel plans.