Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a work authorization program for international students after they graduate from post-secondary education. Students are eligible for one year of OPT after completing a certificate, Associate’s degree, Bachelor’s degree, Master’s degree, and PHD program (in that successive order). Students who have earned degrees in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are eligible to extend their OPT an additional 24 months, giving STEM graduates a total of three years of OPT.
What is OPT?
The U.S. has allowed foreign students to take on some type of OPT during their studies or after the completion of their studies on a temporary basis since 1947. Termed ‘optional’ in the present day, this is never a requirement but can be recommended by the school. With limited immigration options to the U.S. (e.g., the difficulty in earning a green card in order to permanently live and work in the U.S.), OPT is the main way for international student graduates to work in the U.S. upon the completion of their degree, thus gaining access to the U.S. job market. Through OPT, international graduates have 12 months of work authorization whereby they can develop their work skills while networking with employers, potentially making them a better candidate for sponsorship (most often, the H-1B visa at first).
OPT can be taken during studies or after completion of studies, and the majority of students will wait until after completion of their studies to use their OPT. Regardless of the major, all foreign students are eligible for 12 months of OPT so long as they obtain some form of completion (certificate and/or degree). Since OPT is for a limited 12 month period, students should start thinking about options for after that 12 month period should they want to stay in the U.S. This could be pursuing an advanced degree or continuing on with a position which offers sponsorship (for the H-1B visa or Green Card); if however, the studies were in the STEM field, a further OPT extension is another option.
What is STEM OPT?
In 2008, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recognized that retaining skilled technical workers in the U.S. would advance the STEM fields domestically, and thus allowed for extensions of OPT for STEM graduates for up to 17 months given the high demand for workers in these areas. DHS extended the 17 month period to 24 months in 2016, allowing for a total three year period for STEM graduates (12 months standard plus 24 months for STEM graduates, yielding a total of three years). The list of STEM fields that qualify for OPT extension has grown and in January 2022, 22 new degree fields were added. You will want to note that you are only eligible for the STEM OPT extension if you are in a qualifying STEM field, you have already completed your studies, and you have already been granted the first 12 months of OPT.
To ensure that employers are not hiring STEM OPT graduates at lower pay rates, employers not only attest that a U.S. worker is not being replaced by their hire of a foreign worker, but foreign workers must be paid similarly to non-foreign workers.
TLDR:
OPT is a way for foreign students to gain practical work experience during or after their studies.
OPT is 12 months for any major, and can be taken during or after studies.
STEM OPT is an extension program, allowing those who have been granted OPT an additional 24 months.
To quickly check if an employer has a history with E-Verify (companies that hire OPT students must participate in this work authorization verification program), use the FrogHire.ai extension. By installing this extension, you can easily check a box that filters out the companies not participating in the E-Verify program (meaning they cannot hire you), thus making your job search quicker so you can only focus on the positions which you are eligible for. Furthermore, since OPT is only one year, if you do not have the STEM OPT extension, you can also check the H-1B box to see if there is a likelihood that you can be sponsored for continued employment when your OPT ends in 12 months.
