Pre-completion OPT is Optional Applied Grooming y'all employ before finishing your program of report. Retrieve, OPT is employment that is straight related to your major field of report and is only for students in F-one status.

The data contained on this page is for full general information purposes only. Due to frequent regime updates, NYU OGS may make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents on this folio at any time without prior discover.

Delight note, these directions are meant to assistance you lot in completing your application but should non be considered legal advice. The Usa Citizenship and Immigration Services ultimately provides the conclusion on your OPT application. Information technology is your responsibility, as the OPT applicant, to ensure that your OPT application is authentic and complete before you lot submit information technology to the US government. Incomplete applications could result in a delay in processing time or denial. NYU in no event shall exist held liable for whatever delay, deprival, or mistake on your OPT application.

How Many Hours Can Yous Work per Week?

Autumn or Spring Semester

Y'all can get authorized for pre-completion OPT on a part-time basis merely (20 hours or less per calendar week) during the autumn or jump semester while engaged in course work.

Master's Thesis or Doctoral Dissertation

If y'all are working on a chief's thesis/projection or doctoral dissertation following completion of all coursework yous tin can become say-so for either a part-time or total-fourth dimension basis (anything more than 20 hours per calendar week).

Holidays

During vacation periods (such as the summer and winter breaks) you can be authorized for either a part-time or full-time ground (anything more than twenty hours per week).

When to Apply

If you have been a total-time educatee for More than than one academic year in the US and are currently in F-1 condition, you may apply for pre-completion OPT up to xc days earlier you desire your OPT to start. If you lot are in F-one status and have been a total-time student for LESS than i academic year, you may apply for pre-completion OPT up to ninety days before yous will accept completed one academic twelvemonth. However, your OPT cannot begin until you have completed the full bookish year.

How to Apply

Sympathize the Process and Prepare the Needed Documents

Read all the steps in this process carefully. Then assemble and prepare all the items yous need for your OPT application.

Nourish an Employment Workshop

Go tips on making a successful OPT awarding and reminders on what you need to do while you are on OPT to maintain your F-one status. If no workshop listed works with your schedule, cheque our recorded workshops folio to view an OPT workshop previously recorded.

STEP 1

Determine Whom in Your Academic Department Can Confirm Your Academic Progress and Completion Appointment

You will need to provide the proper name and NYU electronic mail address of your academic advisor, section chair, program coordinator, or kinesthesia counselor in your academic department to the OGS in gild to utilise for OPT.

Pace 2

Submit a Asking to the OGS for an I-20 Recommending You lot for OPT

In order to submit your asking successfully, y'all will need to upload scanned copies of your:

  • I-94 record,
  • passport photo/biography page,
  • and your previous employment authorization document (EAD) if you've previously been authorized for piece of work in the Us.

If you lot take any problems submitting the online request, review our troubleshooting tips.

Once the OGS receives both your asking for an OPT recommendation I-20 and the electronic confirmation from your section, it takes 7 business days to procedure your request. We will ship an electronic mail to your NYU electronic mail address when your new I-twenty is ready.

Go your new I-xx one time y'all receive an e-mail from OGS. You lot will receive further instructions with your new I-20. Once you lot have received an updated I-20 with the OPT recommendation, brand sure to sign your new I-twenty and photocopy it.

Due to the COVID-nineteen situation and based on recent guidance from the US government, nosotros are currently issuing digitally signed I-20s and emailing them to students at their NYU email account.

Stride 4

Determine How You Want to File Your OPT Application

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US Citizenship and Clearing Services (USCIS) currently accepts OPT applications through ii methods:

  1. Filing the OPT application online
  2. Filing the OPT application past sending information technology through the mail

STEP 5

Get together and Review Your OPT Awarding

Once you lot have assembled your OPT application, if filing your application online, and then come up to i of our application review question and answer sessions to review what a complete OPT application needs to include. If you are filing your awarding by mail, view our OPT application review session linked off of our recorded workshops web page to review what a consummate OPT application sent by mail service needs to include.

Incomplete or incorrect applications can cause serious delays. If you have questions about your application, schedule an online advising date.

Upcoming OPT Application Question and Answer Sessions

If no workshop listed below works with your schedule, bank check our recorded workshops folio to view a previously recorded OPT Live Q&A session.

STEP six

Submit Your OPT Application to the US Government

USCIS must receive your application within 30 days of the date your I-twenty was issued.

If you lot are applying for OPT by postal service:

If you decide Not to use for or use your OPT:

You must notify u.s.a.. If y'all fail to notify us, your ability to work in the US in the future could be denied.

Pace 7

Confirm the US Government Received Your Application and Runway Your Awarding Status

Receive electronic and paper receipts from USCIS within 60 days.

STEP eight

Fix Informed Delivery With the US Postal Service

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One time USCIS sends yous whatever data regarding your application, they will send official notification to you lot through the US postal service.

Informed delivery allows you lot to digitally preview your mail and manage your packages scheduled to make it soon. Larn more than about how to set up your informed delivery account.

Step nine

Review Your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and Social Security Number (SSN)

Contact united states of america if you notice any mistakes on your EAD. Please annotation: y'all must confirm that the commencement and end dates of your pre-completion OPT are accurate as soon as your pre-completion OPT is canonical.

If you don't already have a Social Security Number and did not employ for one when y'all completed the I-765, call up that you must have i to get paid. If you completed the Social Security related questions on your I-765 course, y'all should receive your Social Security carte du jour within a month of your OPT approval. Acquire more about How to apply for a Social Security Number.


OPT FAQs