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ImmigrationClock explains · Students

OPT, in plain terms

Twelve months, a 90-day filing window, and a STEM extension with its own rules.

The facts

  1. Optional Practical Training lets an F-1 student work in a job directly related to their major. A student may use up to 12 months of OPT per higher degree level, before or after completing the program.
  2. Post-completion OPT is requested from USCIS on Form I-765. The application can be filed up to 90 days before the program end date, no later than 60 days after it, and within 30 days of the school's recommendation in SEVIS. Work may begin only once Form I-765 is approved, the employment authorization document is received, and its start date arrives.
  3. Students with a qualifying STEM degree may apply for a 24-month extension. The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify, and a formal training plan on Form I-983 is required.
  4. Time without a job counts: a student may accrue up to 90 days of unemployment during post-completion OPT, and an additional 60 days during the STEM extension.
  5. ImmigrationClock lists the OPT filing window among its recurring key dates and links USCIS's own OPT and STEM OPT pages for the current instructions.

Why it matters

Most OPT problems are calendar problems: a filing window missed, a start date misread, an unemployment limit run down. The rules are short. The dates are the hard part.

Sources

Every sentence above was written by a person from these sources and last checked against them on Sep 2, 2026.

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