F-1 Optional Practical Training (학생 OPT)
Questions: Could F-1 OPT work for you? Ask yourself the following questions to see if you might qualify:
- Have you been a full-time F-1 student in good standing for at least 1 full academic year?
- Are you currently maintaining F-1 status?
- Is your proposed work directly related to your major area of study?
F-1 OPT Requirements
Requirement 1 – Your OPT must relate to your major or course of study.
While on F-1 OPT, the work you will perform must directly relate to your major area of study. If you are starting a business, the majority of the work you perform must be directly related to your major area of study.
Requirement 2 – You will need to decide whether you wish to engage in OPT while you are still attending school (pre-completion OPT) or after you graduate (post-completion OPT), or a combination of the two.
An F-1 student may be authorized up to a total of 12 months of full-time practical training at each educational level (e.g., undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate). If the student chooses to engage in pre-completion OPT, he or she may not work more than 20 hours per week while school is in session, but may work full-time during his or her annual vacation and other times when the school is not in session. If a student engages in pre-completion OPT, the student’s eligible period of post-completion OPT will be reduced by 1 month for every 2 months of part-time pre-completion OPT that is worked when he or she graduates. Students who graduate with a qualified Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) degree, and are currently in an approved post-completion OPT period based on a designated STEM degree may apply for a 17-month STEM extension of their post-completion OPT.
For a 10 minute free consultation, please call Law Office of Jack Park at 1-734-677-4200
Source: USCIS
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