OPT Employment

OPT Employment Requirements

• Any employment while on OPT must be related to your major field of study - see below for more details.
• Your OPT employment can be paid or unpaid.
• You must work at least 20 hours/week to avoid accruing unemployment. Students can work multiple jobs to meet this requirement.
• F-1 students are permitted to change jobs while on OPT.
• Employer sponsorship is not required-- F-1 students will have work authorization through OPT.

USCIS has a broad definition of what counts as employment on OPT. Examples of OPT employment include the following:

• Standard employment
• Paid or unpaid* internships
• Working for multiple employers
• Short-term multiple employers
• Work for hire (service on a contractual basis)
• Self-employed business owner
• Employment through an agency or consulting firm
• Volunteering*

*Volunteer work and unpaid internships on OPT must be in compliance with the Department of Homeland Security's and Department of Labor's regulations. Please see our page on Volunteering and Unpaid Internships for more information.

See the OPT Reporting webpage for more details about how to report your OPT employment to SEVP.

Alumni Career Resources

• One Network Resources Repository – The repository is a hub for resume and cover letter guidance, interview tips and job search strategies.
• One-on-One Career Support – The Office of Career Development & Professional Engagement has a job and internship database. School of Business students can also access the Business School's Career Services, and Law School students also have the Law School's Career Services as a resource.

OPT Employment and Major/Academic Program Relationship

All employment on OPT must be related to your major or academic program. If you need help assessing whether a job relates to your degree, we recommend using the following strategies:

1. Contact your department and/or professors
2. Think about classes you took and skills you learned in your program
3. Summarize your job duties and how they relate to your degree

Sample text from SEVP's September 2019 Policy Guidance:

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering: I work full time as an Electrical Engineer at ABC Corp., a government contractor. In my job, I analyze client requirements for electrical systems and provide them with cost estimates of such systems. My work requires understanding of electrical circuit theory, which I studied in-depth at the University of ABC.
• Bachelor's degree in Business: I work full time as a Loan Officer at a mortgage company, Happy Homes, where I meet with clients and evaluate, authorize and recommend approval of loan applications. On a daily basis, I use the knowledge I gained in my credit analysis, sales and marketing classes that I took as part of my major program of study.
• Master's degree in Music: I am working at a hospital playing the harp in patient rooms. I also conduct hands-on harp beginner workshops for long-term patients. On average, I work at the hospital 35 hours a week. My duties directly utilize the skills and knowledge I acquired from my coursework and degree in music therapy.
• PhD in Computer Science: I am employed as a Computer and Information Research Scientist at ABC Research Institute. I work as part of a team of scientists and engineers that designs experiments to test the operation of various software systems. My work builds on research in complex algorithms and machine learning, which I studied as part of my dissertation.
• Master's degree in Kinesiology: I am working 25 hours a week in a health food store as a consultant for Self-Made Inc., designing and teaching exercise classes that are incorporated into a customer's overall nutrition and exercise plan. My designs and customer instruction draw upon my studies and classwork in exercise therapy and physical reconditioning.

OPT Unemployment Limit

SEVP limits F-1 students on post-completion OPT to an aggregate of 90 days of unemployment. For example, you may be unemployed for 30 days before you begin working, and still have 60 days left of unemployment to use during the remainder of your OPT employment period.

If no current employment is reported in your SEVIS record, you will begin to accrue unemployment days. Unemployment will only begin accruing once your OPT application is approved and after the OPT start date listed on your EAD card has been reached.

See the OPT Reporting webpage for more details about how to report your OPT employment to SEVP.

Exceeding 90 Days of Unemployment

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will terminate immigration records for students who have exceeded the allowable number of unemployment days, meaning that you will no longer be in valid F-1 status. If your immigration record is terminated, you must leave the U.S. immediately; there is no grace period. Exceeding the allowable days of unemployment may also:

• Affect your ability to remain in the U.S.
• Make you ineligible for future immigration benefits (such as a change of status to H-1B)
• Lead to the denial of a future visa application

If you will soon exceed the allowable number of unemployment days and have no plans to work, volunteer, or intern in your field, consider the following options:

• Apply to continue your education by a change of education level or transfer to another SEVP-certified school
• Depart the U.S.
• Initiate a change of status