Although there are several visa categories for international students in the United States (including J and M categories), the majority of international students enrolled in US colleges or graduate schools are under the F1 visa program. Under the F1 visa, students are allowed to apply for work authorization under OPT.
Under an F1 visa, students can complete their entire degree, and they have certain rights to work while they are on a valid F1 status.
While there are some conditions where an international student can apply to work under OPT while still in school (“pre-completion OPT”), most international students choose to use their full 12 months of OPT after completing their degree for 12 months (“post-completion OPT”).
So as you near graduation (up to 90 days before graduation, in fact), you can apply for OPT, which, if granted, will permit you to work for an employer in the US (subject to all of the rules of OPT). You can apply for a new OPT period for each new degree level you complete — for instance, if you receive a Bachelor’s degree, you can apply for OPT and work for a year, go back to graduate school, then when you complete your Master’s or PhD, you can apply for OPT again and work for another year (many students actually do this).One twist to OPT is that students who have graduated from a US college or university with a specific degree in the STEM fields — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — can apply to extend their OPT for an additional 24 months, bringing their total post-graduation OPT available time up to 36 months.
The specific degrees that qualify for the extension are:Full list of the eligible degrees Note: your school must code your major to match one of the CIP codes listed here in order to qualify for the STEM OPT extension.
As you can imagine, applying for OPT and staying compliant with all of its rules and your F1 visa status can be technical and complicated. If you have questions about your eligibility, you can contact your school’s international office and they will be able to help you navigate the process of applying for OPT. If you are approved, it is likely that you will no longer be eligible for your school’s health insurance plan and your employer may not offer you insurance (or if they do, there may be a waiting period before the plan starts!). You may need to secure your own student health insurance for OPT, whether it’s for your entire OPT period or just a few months.
Need insurance while on OPT? The Student Secure plan is a popular option and can be purchased for as little as 15 days up to a year.
