All You Need To Know About Optional Practical Training

The United States offers a serious advantage over another study abroad destinations: It offers Optional Practical Training (OPT) to international students who have completed one full year of academic study in the U.S.

OPT means new graduates can start to accumulate paid work experience within their field. After graduation, they have a chance to stay in the country and work for 12 to 36 months. Even though they might have come into the country on an F-1 visa—or a “student visa”—they can commence work within their field of study without changing their visa status.

Optional Practical Training also aids individuals the access to a more permanent job. With work experience and connections in their field, students have the chance to extend their stay in the country by finding work and seeking an employer-sponsored visa once they are no longer in school.

However, there is one challenge you should keep in mind while turning transferable skills into career success: The U.S. now faces a lengthy OPT processing backlog, and most applicants can wait up to five months before they receive a response.

So there are two factors to consider:

Optional Practical Training provides a great opportunity for international students to obtain relevant work experience in the United States.
But OPT processing times sometimes makes it challenging to plan your next steps after graduation.

You may want to ask the question, ‘then, is it still worth it to apply for OPT?’ This article can help you make your decision. Learn below all about Optional Practical Training.

The Benefits of Applying for OPT After Graduation

After you have graduated from school, would you love to go straight home or extend your stay in the U.S. via OPT?

Even if you have not yet secured an internship or job offer, you have the chance of applying for OPT.

Based on the report of Pew Research Center, between 2004 and 2016, about 1.5 million international students were authorized to participate in OPT after graduating from a U.S. school.

Unlike the H-1B working visa, there is no annual limit attached to the number of international students that can obtain OPT.

However, you must be sure that your OPT gets approved before you can start working. And make sure you do all you can to not be unemployed under OPT for more than three months else, your OPT can be canceled.

If you are among those interested in pursuing a life and career in the United States, OPT can be a great bridge. When you have OPT approval, you will receive an Employment Authorization Document (or EAD card), which will make you eligible to apply for a Social Security number (SSN). Obtaining an SSN is mandatory for you to get paid in the U.S.

Employees under OPT normally pay lesser taxes than those who have H-1B visa authorization. OPT employees only pay federal and state taxes. H-1B visa holders not only pay federal and state taxes but also pay FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act) taxes which goes to Social Security and Medicare.

Best Fields of Study and Locations Optional Practical Training

Two main factors that dictate a student’s chances of being employed on OPT are the restriction of a city’s size and its industry cluster, which means if a certain type of business is concentrated in that city.

If you intend to work in the United States immediately you graduate, it can help to select a school and major that can improve your chances. You should find out if your school is close to a highly populated, metropolitan area, and which industries are in-demand in that location. If you are skilled in a high-demand field, it is more likely you will be hired on OPT.

According to Brookings, 45 percent of international students concluded their OPT in the region where their school is located. For instance, 85 percent of individuals who attend schools in and around New York City found OPT employment locally.

Rating the top five metropolitan areas with OPT employees are:

Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue (84 percent)
Honolulu (83 percent)
Los Angeles (78 percent)
Boston (72 percent)

According to Pew, 53 percent of applicants for OPT are STEM graduates, those who studied science, technology, engineering, or mathematics. Graduates of STEM program have been eligible to apply for a 17-month OPT extension since April 2008, which had already had 24 months extension for STEM graduates in 2016. These extensions are an addition to the basic 12 months of OPT.

Since August 2018, there arose another benefit OPT STEM majors can enjoy: As long as they are a registered employee, their employer can practically place them off-site, in some cases. For example, if one is employed by a New York-based entity that person may be posted to a third-party client’s worksite in San Francisco.

Optional Practical Training Application Timeline

Completing the OPT application and forwarding it to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) often takes time and serious paperwork. Certain deadlines shouldn’t be missed. You can submit your application before or after graduation. In light of the delays involved in the processing, starting before graduation will be better.

The earliest date you should submit your application is 90 days before your graduation date, that is, the last day of the final quarter. Your application must arrive at USCIS within 60 days of your graduation date, else, you will miss the deadline.

Processing your application will take USCIS at least 90 days. As earlier stated, applicants now encounter processing times of close to five months. If you procrastinate for too long, you might be difficult to acquire a summer job. If you have already secured an internship or job lined up, a delay in the processing of the OPT may put your commitments at risk.

Do not forget that once given OPT approval, you will still require a Social Security number before starting to work in the U.S. Consider the time it will take you for your application and to obtain your SSN. This will help you determine a realistic timeline for finding a job after graduation.

Final Tips for International Students

Here are some tips that will help you decide whether Optional Practical Training is the right choice for you:

OPT is a very good way to obtain work experience in the U.S. Even if you still have plans returning to your home country, your work experience in the US. will be greatly appreciated by future employers.
If you are seeking an opportunity for a local job, start with networking with professors and alumni. They are usually receptive and helpful to students.
Find a city where your international status will be seen as an advantage. Start with the metro areas already mentioned above, even if you did not go to school there.
Be decisive and apply early!