Optional Practical Training (OPT)

Under certain conditions, foreign students with an F-1 visa can complete a twelve-month internship during or after their studies in the USA, known as Optional Practical Training, or OPT for short.

The Optional Practical Training must be directly related to the field of study and there are two options:

1. Pre-completion OPT: from the 2nd year of study during the program
2. Post-completion OPT: after completion of the study program

A combination of pre- and post-completion OPT is also possible. In addition, students of certain academic disciplines have the opportunity to extend their OPT under certain conditions.

Unpaid internships and volunteering are considered permissible forms of work during OPT and therefore do not have a negative impact when applying for an OPT extension.

Both the application for OPT and the STEM OPT extension must be submitted to the appropriate USCIS Service Center on Form I-765 (Employment Authorization Document, EAD). In advance, the application for OPT EAD must be closely coordinated with the Designated School Official (DOS) and also approved. In particular, extension requests for STEM OPT EADs should be coordinated with the DOS and submitted to the USCIS in a timely manner.