All F-1 students completing a program of study who have been enrolled full-time for at least 2 consecutive semesters are eligible to apply for OPT authorization.

You can apply for OPT up to 90 days before your expected program completion date but no later than 60 days after the program end date. Your OPT application must also be received by USCIS no later than 30 days after the OPT I-20 is printed.

It will take USCIS approximately 3-6 months to process the OPT application. Expected processing times for applications can be viewed on USCIS’s website. 


Do not use the USCIS ELIS system to apply for OPT online

Waiting to apply for OPT may result in loss of OPT employment time. ISSS recommends that you apply 90 days before your expected program completion date.

1. You may initiate your OPT request by submitting the OPT Request e-form on iStart.  You will enter your academic advisor’s information and an email will be sent to him/her requesting verification on your program completion date.

2.  Once your academic advisor completes the advisor form, your request will be reviewed by ISSS advisors.

3.  If the eform request is approved, you will receive an email with relevant information needed to complete the application. An ISSS advisor will prepare an I20, if eligible, to accompany your OPT application and form I-765. The email will ask you to prepare the documents listed below.

4.  USCIS will notify you via email whenever a receipt notice is received and typically again when your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) arrives.

• Form I-765
• 2 passport style photographs that have not been used in your passport or visa before, preferably taken within the last 30 days
• Check, money order, or cashier’s check for the I-765 fee made out to U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Please view the most up to date fee HERE. 
• Copy of your I-94 record: If you have a paper card,  a copy of the front and back would be necessary.  If you have an electronic I-94 record, please print a screen shot
• Copy of your I-94 travel history
• Copy of your passport ID page (and any renewal pages)
• Copy of your visa
• Copy of your passport page with the most recent entry stamp on it
• Copy of any previously issued EAD cards
• If you entered the U.S. in a visa status other than F-1, a copy of your I-797 approval notice

You may not begin employment until you receive the OPT card (employment authorization document) and may only work the duration of the dates listed on the card. 

You must work at least 21 hours per week to maintain full time work authorization.  There is no maximum number of hours you can work.

As an F-1 student authorized for OPT, you are required to report any of the following to ISSS within 10 days of occurrence:

• If your address has changed, update it in TopNet
• If your immigration status has changed, please email isss@wku.edu with proof of your new status
• If your employer has changed, report this through the "OPT Employment Report" e-form in iStart
• If you decide to return home and forgo any remaining OPT time, email us at isss@wku.edu.
• Students on OPT can accumulate no more than 90 days of unemployment before termination of your SEVIS record. 

Please note that the program completion date is not necessarily the same as the graduation date.  Although you may walk or participate in graduation ceremonies, for immigration purposes, your program completion date is the date in which all final requirements have been met for your degree.  If you have not completed internship requirements or thesis requirements, for example, your program would not be considered complete yet.

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We recommend that you not travel outside the United States while your application for OPT is being processed. If you must travel for a family emergency or other urgent reason, we recommend caution. If while you are outside of the country, USCIS sends a request for additional information about an aspect of your application and it is not resolved in a timely fashion, your application will be denied.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offers FAQs on their website to assist in your decision making where travel is concerned.

VISIT ICE

To re-enter the U.S. while approved for OPT you will need your passport, I-20, your EAD card, and evidence of employment. If you have accumulated 90 days or more of unemployment during this period, it is likely that you will not be allowed to re-enter the U.S.

OPT is part of your F-1 status. Although you might no longer be a student, you are still in F-1 status.

An extension of OPT is only possible for students who are completing a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in DHS-designated STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. If your degree is in a non-STEM field, the maximum amount of time for which you are eligible for OPT is 12 months for each higher degree level. See the information about STEM Extensions.

You should report your employment dates, place of employment, and personal address through the OPT Employment Reporting form in iStart or you could also self-report using your SEVP Portal. Be sure to submit updated information within 10 days of any changes.

Determining relation between employment and major/program of study. 

You are allowed to accrue up to 90 days of unemployment during your OPT.

Any days that you are not employed or on payroll will count toward the 90-day total. This includes any days spent outside of the United States while unemployed.

If you near the 90th day of unemployment while on OPT, it is best to make plans to depart the United States, apply for a change of status, or make preparations to begin a new degree program.

Take action early so that by the end of the 90th day of unemployment, you have another option already in progress. If you are unemployed for more than 90 days, you are considered to be out of status and your SEVIS record will be terminated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Those on OPT may not be enrolled in degree seeking program as only incidental study is allowed to maintain OPT status. 

If you begin a new program of study at WKU or at another institution, your OPT authorization is terminated because OPT work must be full-time. OPT will automatically terminate when a new program of study begins or when your SEVIS record is transferred to another school. 

To begin a new program of study at WKU, please complete a new application for admission.

If you wish to transfer your SEVIS record to another school to begin a new program of study, you must complete the Transfer Out Request e-form through iStart. 

Please note that you must complete theses processes before the end of the 60-day grace period following your OPT end date.

SEVP and employment resources