F-1 Optional Practical Training Status
Students in good standing are entitled to 12 months of optional practical training (OPT) per degree, which may be used before or after graduation in any combination. The job duties must be related to the student’s major field of study, but there is no pre-adjudication by the CIS. Rather, once the student presents the Employment Authorization Card to the employer, he may be placed on payroll and commence employment.
Post-Completion Optional Practical Training Practical training undertaken after graduation is referred to as “post-completion” OPT. Those students in OPT who are seeking to change status to H‑1B may be eligible for an automatic extension of OPT status while the H‑1B petition is pending and until it becomes effective, normally on October 1. Those students in OPT status whose underlying degree is in the field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) may be eligible for an additional period of 17 months of OPT after completing 12 months of post completion
OPT, but only if the employer registers in E-Verify. What if an F-1 student who has a bachelor’s degree in a STEM field is in post completion OPT based on a non-STEM master’s degree? Is he eligible for the 17-month STEM extension of his OPT? For example, suppose one of your F-1 employees was awarded a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering, but is currently employed in OPT status based on his recent receipt of a master’s degree in business administration. Can he qualify for the 17-month STEM extension based on his engineering degree?
The answer is no. Under the regulations, the degree that is the basis for the student’s current period of OPT has to be the STEM degree. Since in this case the student’s OPT was based on his master’s degree program in business administration, he is not eligible for the STEM extension.