While You Are
on OPT

Receiving Your EAD Card

Once your application is approved, USCIS will issue you an EAD. You should make a copy of your EAD and write your UMID somewhere on the page. Scan and email it to your school with a note indicating you applied for OPT and have received your EAD.

When You Can Begin Working

You may begin working once both of the following conditions are met:

• You have physically obtained the EAD card — you may not begin employment if your OPT has been approved but you have not yet received the EAD in the mail.
• The begin date on the card has been reached.

The EAD is not employer-specific, so you may change employers at will. However, employment must be directly related to your field of study. Any employment outside your field of study is unauthorized and constitutes a substantive violation of your status.

Social Security Number

If you do not yet have a Social Security Number (SSN), you will need one for tax reporting purposes. You may apply for an SSN after you have received the EAD card and the begin date on the card has been reached.

Address Notification Requirement

You are required by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to update your address within 10 days of any change, even while you are on OPT. You can do this online at the USCIS AR-11 portal (www.uscis.gov/ar-11).

Required Documents for Re-Entry

To be re-admitted to the U.S. as an F-1 student, you must present the following documents at the port of entry:

• Your passport, which must be valid for at least six months on the day you re-enter the U.S. If you recently renewed your passport, you may need to carry your old expired passport as well if your F-1 visa is in the expired passport. An exception exists for entering Canada or Mexico only, for no longer than 30 days — this is referred to as Automatic Revalidation of Visa.
• A valid F-1 visa stamp in your passport (except for Canadian citizens). In most situations, the F-1 visa must be valid on the day you enter the U.S.
• Your currently valid I-20 immigration document with a recent handwritten travel signature on page 3. The signature must have been provided by your Foreign Student Advisor after you arrived to begin your study, and it must be less than one year old on the day you re-enter the U.S.

Additional Precautions

You may wish to bring copies of financial documentation and your student transcript as an additional precaution when traveling. If you feel you may come under increased scrutiny, consider obtaining a letter from your department stating that you are a student in good standing with the university.

General Employment Requirements

You are expected to be employed in your field of study during OPT, and you are required to submit employer information to SEVIS. The maximum total period of unemployment allowed is 90 days.

Documenting Your OPT Employment

It is recommended that you keep documentation of all your employment. In the future, you may be asked to provide proof that your employment during OPT was in your field of study.

Specifically, you should maintain evidence for each job including:

• The position held and job title
• Proof of the duration of that position
• Contact information for your supervisor or manager
• A description of the work performed

Types of Employment Allowed During OPT

All OPT employment, including post-completion OPT, must be in a job related to your degree program. The following types of employment are permitted (note: these categories do not apply to students on a STEM extension):

Reporting Employment Changes

Students are required to report changes in employment to their school's Foreign Student Office as soon as possible. It is recommended that you report changes within 10 business days of the change to avoid situations where a DHS official may determine you to be out of status.

Understanding the 90-Day Unemployment Limit

Students on post-completion OPT are only allowed a total of 90 days of unemployment throughout the entire OPT period. This is a cumulative limit, not a consecutive one.

What Counts as Unemployment Time

• Unemployment time is counted each day during the OPT dates indicated on the EAD.
• Students who have OPT extended due to cap-gap provisions continue to accrue unemployment time and remain subject to the 90-day limitation.
• If you have a job offer that begins more than 90 days after your OPT begins, you will exceed your allowable unemployment time. Receiving a job offer within 90 days is not sufficient — you must actually be employed.
• If you travel outside the United States while unemployed, the time spent outside the U.S. still counts as unemployment against the 90-day limit.
• Permanently leaving the U.S. without notifying the International Center can result in accidental accrual of unemployment. You must contact the International Center if you decide to abandon your OPT.

What Does Not Count as Unemployment Time

• Travel abroad while employed — either during a period of leave authorized by an employer or as part of your employment — does not count as unemployment.
• Days of unemployment that occurred before April 8, 2008.

Options If You Cannot Find Employment

If you cannot find employment that meets the definition of OPT employment, you may have the following options: