The F-1 nonimmigrant visa status allows noncitizens to study in the United States at U.S. colleges and universities. F-1 students may be eligible for off-campus employment under the following programs: Curricular Practical Training; Optional Practical Training (OPT); and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Optional Practical Training Extension (STEM OPT). General eligibility requirements for off-campus F-1 employment include that the training be related to the student's area of study and be authorized by the Designated School Official and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On August 27, 2024, USCIS updated its Policy Manual to clarify guidance for F-1 students concerning eligibility for post-completion OPT and the period during which F-1 students may apply for STEM OPT extensions.
F-1 students may be eligible for employment authorization under OPT prior to completing their course of study (pre-completion OPT) or after completing their course of study (post-completion OPT). Under post-completion OPT, an F-1 student may be eligible for up to 12 months of practical training (employment) at each level of education.
Specifically, the policy manual update confirms that F-1 students may be eligible for post-completion OPT after completion of an associate's, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree program. The section of the policy manual on post-completion OPT eligibility for F-1 students indicates that the student must, "[h]ave completed a course of study or be in an associate's, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree program and have completed all course requirements for the degree (excluding thesis or equivalent)." The policy manual also notes that for post-completion OPT, F-1 students may work as a volunteer or unpaid intern "as long as this practice does not violate any labor laws, and the employment is related to the program of study" and that F-1 students employed under post-completion OPT must work at least 20 hours per week.
An F-1 student who meets certain requirements may be eligible for an additional 24 months of employment authorization based on a STEM OPT extension. One requirement for STEM OPT extensions is that the F-1 student must have earned a bachelor's, master's, or doctorate degree in a field designated as a STEM field by the Department of Homeland Security. The USCIS updates to the policy manual correct the period during which students may apply for STEM OPT extensions and include other technical corrections. The STEM OPT Extension section for F-1 Practical Training in the policy manual includes the eligibility requirements for F-1 students to apply for STEM OPT extensions based on previously obtained STEM degrees as well as future STEM degrees. In terms of future STEM degrees, the policy manual indicates that if an F-1 student enrolls in a "new academic program and earns another qualifying STEM degree at a higher educational level, the student may be eligible for one additional 24-month STEM OPT extension, for a total of two lifetime STEM OPT extensions." Therefore, if an F-1 student completes a STEM OPT extension based on a qualifying bachelor's degree, the F-1 student may subsequently apply for an additional STEM OPT extension based on a qualifying master's degree.
The updated guidance from USCIS further details eligibility requirements for OPT and STEM OPT for F-1 students and U.S. employers. The USCIS policy manual can also be used as guidance for employers in determining how F-1 students can maintain, extend, and potentially gain future eligibility for U.S. employment authorization under the OPT and STEM OPT programs.
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