Optional Practical Training (OPT) after Graduation

In order to authorize OPT on your SEVIS record, your international student advisor (ISA) must receive a completed Academic Advisor Approval Form (via My UIndy) which affirms the date that you are anticipated to graduate, as well as the date you wish to begin your employment.  This is an internal document and is not submitted to USCIS.  Upon receipt of this form, your ISA will send you a new I-20 document which will be endorsed with a recommendation for Optional Practical Training.

Academic Advisor’s Approval Form

Please scan and send this form by email to your academic advisor for completion. Your academic advisor must confirm a date by which you will have satisfactorily completed all requirements for your academic degree program. Ask your advisor to scan the completed and signed document back to you or to submit it directly to the Christel DeHaan Center for Global Engagement at internationalservices@uindy.edu.

Once your International Student Advisor receives the Academic Advisor Approval Form – they will send you a new I-20 document, endorsed with a recommendation for OPT.

Note: You must submit your application within 30 days of the issue date of your new I-20 document.

Do not go to Step 2 until you receive your new I-20 document with the OPT endorsement!

The OPT application can be completed fully online (see Step 3). Before you begin the application, it is necessary to collect and scan all required documents so that they may be submitted with your application:

• Passport Photo
  A passport-size photo will need to be scanned into jpeg format that can be downloaded onto the USCIS website. You have the option to take the photo yourself or go to the provided photo services.
  • Passport Photo Requirements:
    • Submit one color photo, taken in the last 6 months.
    • Use a clear image of your face. Do not use filters commonly used on social media.
    • Have someone else take your photo. No selfies.
    • Take off your eyeglasses for your photo.
    • Use a white or off-white background without shadows, texture, or lines.
    • Official examples and tips for a picture perfect passport.
  • Passport taking photos services:
    • CVS
    • Walgreens
    • UPS
    • Or similar providers
• Your Passport
  • Scan your passport information page – Be sure to make a clear copy of the information page of your current passport. 
  • Scan your visa. If your visa is in an older passport, copy information pages of both your new and old passport.
  • Scan the visa stamp which was stamped into your passport during your most recent entry to the United States.
• I-94 Form
  • You can download your most recent I-94 form from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
  • Scan your current I-20 document with OPT recommendation, pages 1-2, as well as any previous I-20 documents that have any previous OPT or other employment authorization on them.
• Newest I-20 Document
  • Print the newest I-20 you just received – the one that is endorsed for OPT.
  • Sign the I-20 document on page 1 – preferably in blue ink.
  • Scan all pages of the now-signed I-20 document.
  • Submit this I-20 with your application within 30 days of the issue date.
• Previous I-20 Documents
  • Scan and include copies of any previous I-20 documents that were endorsed for either CPT or OPT employment in the past.
• Previous EAD Card(s)
  • Scan and include a copy of any employment authorization document (card) that was sent to you previously. This is most common if you have completed an OPT experience at the conclusion of a previous degree program in the United States.

Once you have collected all of the necessary documents and you are in possession of a valid credit card, you may proceed with the online I-765 application.

Find the blue button saying “File Online” and follow instructions until you have submitted the application and all of the necessary documentation. Once you have submitted your application, you will be able to return to your home page and find a new message that will provide a “receipt number” for your application. You will need to include this number for any future inquiry you might make into the status of your application. Please note: Some questions on the application will not apply to you. You will be asked to provide an A number and/or a USCIS number, if you have one. In most cases, you will just leave this field blank. You will only have one of these numbers if you have applied previously  for permanent residency or refugee status.

Processing of OPT applications will normally take up to 90 days, and sometimes even more.  Come back periodically to your USCIS Account (you will open this account as part of the application procedure) to check if there have been any updates to your case.

Ideally, you should receive your Employment Authorization Card (EAD) within 90 days. You are NOT permitted to work until you have the EAD card in your possession and are able to demonstrate it to your employer. Once you receive your EAD card and I-797 Notice of Action, you are required to submit a copy of documents to the  Office of International Services (internationalservices@uindy.edu).

While you are authorized for OPT, you are responsible for keeping SEVP informed of your current address and employment information at all times. You can submit this information to your International Student Advisor or you can enter the information directly in SEVIS through the SEVP Portal. On the day your OPT begins, an email will be sent from SEVP instructing you in how to create your portal account. You must set up your portal account within 14 days of receiving the email message.

Failure to report through International Services or the SEVP Portal is a violation of your status and may result in your I-20 being terminated.

An international student applying for Optional Practical Training must have maintained their F-1 immigration status for at least one full academic year before being eligible for this benefit.

• Post-completion OPT can be applied for no more than 90 days before your program end date and no later than 60 days after your program end date. Students requesting post-completion OPT must have completed ALL degree requirements in the academic program and be eligible to receive the degree before the requested OPT start date. 
• Pre-completion OPT can be applied for no more than 90 days before being enrolled for a full academic year and cannot begin until after completion of a full academic year. Students who have been enrolled for a full academic year can apply up to 90 days prior to the requested OPT start date. Note: Any authorized use of Pre-Completion OPT will take away from Post-Completion OPT eligibility. 
• Students must possess a valid passport for the OPT period. 

Employment during OPT must be directly related to your major area of study and commensurate with your degree level. You do NOT need to have a job offer in order to receive OPT authorization. However, you are only allowed up to an aggregate of 90 days of unemployment during the OPT period.

Note: If you have been approved for OPT and decide to begin any coursework at a higher educational level, your OPT will be terminated.

• International students are not permitted to work on campus after graduation. 
• If the on-campus position falls within the dates indicated on your EAD card. However, if the position is related to your academic field of study, it may be approved for OPT purposes.

• You may only begin practical training once you have the EAD (Employment Authorization Document) in your possession and the start date of is current. Email confirmation from USCIS will not be acceptable as evidence of employment. 
• Your job must be directly related to your academic field of study. 
• You are required to work a minimum of 20 hours per week, paid or unpaid, to maintain your legal F-1 OPT status. You should be able to provide evidence that you worked 20 hours per week during the employment period.
• You have a limitation on unemployment after your OPT period begins. You may not be unemployed for more than 90 days within the dates indicated on your EAD. 
• You are required to report any of the following to a UIndy DSO or via the SEVIS portal within 10 days of the occurrence:
  • Name or address change.
  • Immigration status change. 
  • Interruption of employment or periods of unemployment. 
  • New employer (even if you are just adding a new employer).

Note: SEVIS records will automatically terminate for students who have no employment reported for 90 days. Termination of your SEVIS record also ends your OPT authorization. Be sure that if you have made alternate plans that you communicate them to internationalservices@uindy.edu BEFORE your record is terminated.