Optional Practical Training

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Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a period during which undergraduate and graduate students who have completed or have been pursuing their degrees for more than 9 months are permitted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to work for at most one year on a student visa without needing to acquire a work H-1B visa) towards getting a practical training to complement their field of studies. Students are permitted total of 12 months towards practical training, on being certified by the advisor of the usefulness of the work towards goals of the degree, which can be distributed between Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and OPT. While CPT must be completed prior to submission of thesis, OPT is permitted only after submission of thesis and completing all course requirements for the degree sought.

OPT permit card can be obtained from INS before completion of degree program through university's International Students Office or equivalent upon filing of relevant form, payment of fee, and sending copies of I-20, passport, visa and other required documentation. Process can take up to 4 months to complete.

No social security or medicare taxes, except federal and state income taxes, are applicable on income earned during OPT. Many students use OPT during intermediate period between student and work visa.

[edit] External links

Optional Practical Training Tracker: An OPT tracker that lets F-1 visa students share and discuss the details of their OPT applications, reducing guesswork and making it easier to estimate processing times.