How to apply for OPT in the United States

OPT (OptionalPracticalTraining) is an off-campus work permit granted to F- 1 students by the US Immigration Bureau, so that F- 1 students can successfully apply for OPT within 2-3 months. There are two main forms of OPT: pre-completion and post-completion OPT. Most graduates need to apply for the latter, that is, Post-CompletionOPT, which refers to the OPT that foreign students apply for after completing their studies. Applicants must use it within 65,438+04 months after graduation. If F-65,438+0 students do not apply for OPT within 60 days after graduation, they will leave the United States. At the same time, the Immigration Bureau also refuses to accept any application that is more than 60 days after graduation. The graduation date is based on the date displayed on I-20. F- 1 students can successfully apply for an H 1B work visa if they find a job within the validity period of OPT.

Then, applying for OPT usually requires materials.

1. I-765 application form with complete information and signature.

2. Two passport photos.

3. Two copies of I-94.

4. Copies of all I-20s.

5. Copy of passport.

6. Copies of all previously applied EAD cards.

7.0 Application fee.

After preparing the above documents, the applicant needs to mail them to the US Immigration Service. It should be noted that since the US Immigration Service has several immigration centers in the United States, each center is responsible for receiving OPT application materials from the corresponding state. So please pay attention to the corresponding immigration center in your state. For example, if the international student's address on I-765 is in new york, New Jersey, Connecticut or Pennsylvania, please mail the application documents to the Texas Immigration Center. Moreover, according to the regulations of the Immigration Bureau, different mailing methods are selected, such as USPS and FedEx, and the receiving address of the Immigration Bureau is also different. Therefore, whether the applicant mails the materials himself or the school helps to mail the materials, the correct mailing address must be determined in advance.

In addition, the applicant should also pay attention to the fact that generally, the longest time from the receipt of the application materials by the Immigration Bureau to the completion of the trial does not exceed 90 days. If it is more than 90 days, the applicant has not received the approval notice and EAD card from the Immigration Bureau, and has not received any supplementary notice. Applicants must remain vigilant. It is best to consult an immigration lawyer, contact the relevant immigration service center, apply for expedited processing, or apply for an EAD card for a temporary transition period to avoid the danger of leaving the country due to omissions in the application process.

Finally, I would like to remind you that no matter what year and month the applicant filled in at the beginning of the application, he can't start working until he gets the official EAD. If you find that the start time on the EAD card is different from the start time on I-20, please consult the immigration lawyer immediately, contact the Immigration Bureau and submit an application for amendment.