The relationship between CPT and OPT in the United States

CPT and OPT are both called "internship permits", which means that the US government allows students to apply for permission from the Immigration Bureau and find an internship with a company after approval. The target groups are undergraduates and master students.

Studying in the United States, no matter what level of degree, whether undergraduate, master or doctor, can apply for CPT (in-class training) and OPT (optional training). Both of them are called "internship permits", which means that the US government allows students to apply for permission from the Immigration Bureau, and after approval, they can find an internship with a company.

The difference between them is that CPT is used during study and OPT is used before and after graduation. In addition, the duration of CPT can be close to one year, but it cannot be used for a whole year; In contrast, it can take a whole year to apply for OPT a few years ago, but now it usually takes only three months. Generally speaking, it takes one year to study OPT for a master's degree. Students can do OPT internships during holidays or school years, or stay after graduation. Those who are engaged in OPT internship during school shall not work more than 20 hours per week. If it is an OPT internship after graduation, it must start within 14 months after graduation. Originally, it was strictly stipulated that a person only had one opportunity to apply for OPT, but later it was relaxed to allow one application for different degrees of OPT. If you have studied more than one degree at the same level, for example, you have studied several master's degrees, then the length of one year means that all master's degrees add up to one year, not every master's degree has one year.

In addition, you can also apply for CPT (Circular Practice Training) during your study. Employers who provide internships are limited to enterprises or non-profit organizations that have cooperation agreements with schools. Foreign students who take part in this kind of internship can also get some credits. Generally speaking, the definition of CPT is the so-called "work/study, interpersonal communication, cooperative education, or training and internship required in the course".

The relationship between the two is that OPT requires that the internship must be directly related to what the applicant has learned. The problem now is that CPT can work part-time or full-time, and as long as CPT has been used for one year, it can no longer apply for OPT. According to the regulations of the US Immigration Bureau, the so-called part-time job is to work within 20 hours per week. After this hour, working only 2 1 hour per week is considered full-time. It has a great influence on students who graduate in the future. Therefore, you should use your CPT carefully at school to avoid the possibility that you may not apply for OPT or the validity period is less than one year in the future.