F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT)

If all of the below statements are TRUE, then you are eligible to apply for OPT:

• I have been lawfully enrolled full-time for at least one academic year
• I have maintained my F-1 status
• I have NOT been approved for 12 months or more of full-time CPT
• I have not been approved for OPT in the past for this same degree level or a higher degree level
• I will apply for OPT no more than 90 day before my graduation date and no more than 60 days after my graduation date

Step 1: Read through and sign the OPT Student Acknowledgement Form. If you are unsure whether you are eligible for OPT or have questions about the application process, you can meet with an International Student Advisor during walk-in hours.

Step 2: Complete the Student Section of the OPT Request Form.

Step 3: Meet with your Academic Advisor and have him/her complete and sign the Academic Advisor Section of the OPT Request Form. The purpose of the Advisor Section of the form is to confirm the date of your degree completion.

Step 4: Gather OPT application materials. The below documentation should be placed in this order. Please remove all staples and secure with one clip.

• Form G-1450 - Authorization for Credit Card Transaction OR
  Check or money order for $410 made out to "U.S. Department of Homeland Security"
  
• Two passport-size photos taken within the last 30 days (your name and I94 number written lightly on the back of both using either a soft pencil or felt pen so that you are not pressing through and distorting the picture)
  
• Completed Form G-1145 and I-765
• Copies of ALL previous I-20s (in order from newest on top to oldest on bottom)
• Copy of Passport
• Copy of visa
• I-94 Printout
• Copy of front and back of any previous EAD cards

Step 5: Drop off your USCIS OPT Application, Student Acknowledgement Form, and OPT Request Form at the OISP front desk during regular business hours.

• If you have all the proper documentation, the front desk will take your application and pass it along to your International Student Advisor. Please note, however, that applications will not be accepted more than five business days in advance of your earliest filing date (90 days prior to program end date). This policy is in place to help avoid application denials due to timing errors.
• Your advisor will review your OPT application materials and issue you a new I-20 document that reflects our recommendation for OPT and lists the requested employment dates on page 2. Please allow 5 (five) business days processing time.
• You will receive an email from the front desk when your new I-20 and application are ready for pick-up.

Step 6: Sign your new OPT I-20 and include a copy in your application along with your other I-20 copies.

Step 7: Mail your application to USCIS. You should include all the documents listed in Step 4 above.

**USCIS must receive your application within 30 days from the date your OPT request was entered into the SEVIS system by your International Student Advisor or within the 60 days following your program end date, whichever is sooner. You are responsible for mailing your application. Please see Mailing Addresses to find the appropriate address to use. The state should correspond with the address you entered on your I-765 form.

General Application Processing

Two to three days after USCIS receives your OPT application, you should receive an email and/or text message from them indicating that they have received your application. Within two weeks of receiving the text/email, you should receive a paper Receipt Notice (Form I-797). Both the text/email and the Receipt Notice should contain a Receipt Number which can be used to check your application status online.

To get a general idea of how long it will take USCIS to process your OPT application, you can visit the Check Case Processing Times page of the USCIS website. You will need to choose the appropriate service center from the pull-down. The service center processing your case will be listed in the bottom left corner of your I-797 Receipt Notice.

Approximately 2-3 months (90 days) after USCIS receives your application, you should receive an approval message on the website and an Approval Notice in the mail. Approximately 7-10 days after your application is approved, your EAD card should arrive in the mail.

You may only begin working after you have received your EAD card and the start date on the card has been reached.

Checking Your Case Status Online

Both the text/email from USCIS and the I-797 Receipt Notice should contain a Receipt Number which can be used to check your application status online at the USCIS Case Status website. You can also Create a USCIS Account to receive case status updates via email or text message.

If you have entered your Receipt Notice in the USCIS website and the case number was not recognized, you should email myuscissupport@uscis.dhs.gov.

Once your application is approved and the EAD card is shipped, the USCIS Case Status website will provide the USPS tracking number for the envelope containing your EAD card. If you created a USCIS account and signed up for case status updates, you should automatically be notified via email when your card has been shipped.

Address Changes

While your OPT application is pending, you must report any changes in address to both ISSS and USCIS within 10 days of moving to the new address. It is also important to update USPS with any changes of address to ensure the proper delivery of your EAD card.

• Update ISSS by updating your contact information in your MyIllinoisState account
• Update USCIS by completing the online Change of Address form
  • This form creates a service request that is sent to the service center processing your case
  • The service center has 5 days to update your application with the new address. Make sure to take this delay into consideration when updating your address.
• Update the United States Postal Service (USPS)
  • complete an Official USPS Change of Address form online
  • Sign-up for Informed Delivery

Application Pending More Than 90 Days

If your application has been pending more than 90 days, and you have not received your EAD card, you can call the USCIS Customer Service number listed on your Receipt Notice and ask that they open a service request. You can also submit a case inquiry for Outside Normal Processing Time online.

EAD Card Issues

Non-delivery

If the USCIS site shows that your card was delivered, but you have not yet received it, then you should contact your local post office. If you are still unable to locate the card:

• First make sure that the address on file with USCIS is correct and submit the online Change of Address form, if needed.
• Then submit a case inquiry for Non-Delivery of Card online.
• Follow up in a few days by calling the USCIS Customer Service number listed on your Receipt Notice to check the status of your inquiry request.

Possible reasons for non-delivery:

• The address you wrote on the original I-765 was illegible or incorrect. For example, if you live in an apartment and you did not include the apartment number on the I-765, then the envelope may not be delivered.
• You requested USPS to forward your mail to a new address, and did not update your new address with USCIS. EAD cards are mailed by USPS as "Return Service Requested". This means they will not be forwarded to a new address.
• You updated your address with USCIS, but did not change your address with USPS. EAD cards are mailed by USPS as "Return Service Requested". This means they will only be delivered if the individual named on the envelope is officially associated with the address on the envelope.

Errors

If the error was caused by USCIS, then the Notice of Action you received with your EAD card should have instructions on how to fix the error.

If the error was caused by you (the applicant), then you must refile an entirely new I-765 OPT application with USCIS, including a new fee.

Any job you take while on OPT must be directly related to your field and level of study and must be for at least 20 hours/week in a paid or unpaid position.

You cannot begin working on OPT until you have the EAD card in your hand and the start date has been reached, and you must stop working on the end date listed on the EAD card.

While on OPT, you cannot exceed 90 days of unemployment for the entire 12 months. Staying past the 90-day limit may be considered a violation of status by DHS.

If you are uncertain whether a potential job would be considered in your field of study, ISSS recommends that you obtain a signed letter from a faculty member within your previous ISU academic department stating how the job duties relate to your field of study.

Though you may no longer be an ISU student, your are still in F-1 student status while on OPT and continue to have requirements to report information to ISSS.

On March 23, 2018, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Portal was launched. All Illinois State University F-1 students on OPT must report changes to their information via the SEVP Portal. For more information regarding the portal, including a user guide and helpful videos, please visit the SEVP Portal Help page.

To help ensure that you are given proper access to the SEVP Portal, you should:

• Just before the end date of your OPT I-20, add a personal (non ilstu) email address to your MyIllinoisState account, and mark it as "preferred". This will help ensure that your personal email address is uploaded to SEVIS and used to give you access to the SEVP Portal.
• Provide a copy of the front and back of your EAD card to ISSS (once you have received it). This will help ensure that your SEVIS record is updated to indicate that your OPT was approved. You will only receive access to the SEVP Portal after your SEVIS record shows your OPT as in approved status.

You can use the SEVP Portal to update your:

• Physical home address
• Mailing address
• Telephone numbers
• Employment Information

Remember, you must submit your updates via the SEVP Portal within 10 days of any change in the information.

The SEVP Portal cannot be used to update your email address. To request a change to your email address, please complete the SEVP Portal Account/Email Reset form. If any major change related to your visa status occurs, such as the following, please notify ISSS directly by emailing InternationalStudents@ilstu.edu:

• You plan to depart the U.S. prior to your OPT end date, with no plans to return and resume OPT
• You plan to transfer to another US institution to begin a new program of study
• You have applied or been approved for a change of status

Traveling outside of the U.S. prior to receiving work authorization is strongly discouraged. Attempting to enter the U.S. without proof of employment may result in denial. When traveling outside of the U.S. following OPT approval, the following documents are required:

• Valid Passport
• Valid F-1 Visa
• I-94 Printout marked D/S
• Valid EAD card
• I-20 will a valid DSO travel signature on page 2 (the signature is only valid for 6 months from the date it was signed)
• Employment letter (stating: start dates, hours, and duties)

Request a Travel Signature

If the travel signature on page 2 of your most recent I-20 has expired, you can request a new signature by completing the OPT/STEM Information Reporting Form and emailing it to InternationalStudents@ilstu.edu. Section D of the form is where you will indicate your travel signature request and the reason for it.