Curricular Practical Training (CPT)
CPT
authorization is available to F-1 students who would like to take part
in off-campus internships relating to their degree programs. The student
must receive course credit for the internship. Internship for
credit is only available to Manhattanville students after they have
completed 60 credits, declared their major and completed their first
portfolio review. The internship may part-time (20 hrs per week or less)
during the academic year and full-time (20+ hours per week) during
summers. Please note that an internship is defined as supervised
employment of limited duration, with education and experience being its
primary function. Full-time, continuous, benefits-eligible employment is
not appropriate for an internship.
The steps
necessary for Internship/CPT authorization and credit registration
Optional Practical Training
OPTION
1
Optional
Practical Training (OPT):
If you would like
to get work experience in your major/minor field of study after graduation,
you may apply for up to 12 months* of OPT employment authorization from
the USCIS. You
do not need a job offer to apply for OPT!
The
deadline for filing your OPT application is the
day before commencement
(we recommend you apply much earlier – up to
120
days before commencement – most students apply around 80 days
before commencement. You may
travel while waiting for your OPT to be granted if it is BEFORE
commencement.
 If
you are thinking about making travel plans AFTER commencement, your OPT must be authorized
(and your EAD Card “in hand”) before you leave the country AND you should have a
job to which you are returning.
When your OPT is authorized, you will receive an Employment
Authorization Document (EAD) card [see left]. If you do
travel, you will need your EAD Card, a travel endorsed I-20, a current
F-1 student visa*** (not everyone’s visa is valid through their OPT
year) and a letter from an employer to return to the U.S. The
OISS will assist in the OPT application process.
It
may take between 60-90 days to get your OPT authorized by the USCIS,
so patience is paramount. If
you don’t expect to start working soon after graduation, you can make
your “start date” up to 60 days after graduation (this gives you
some time to find a place to live).
Remember you don’t need a job to get your OPT authorized!
*
A 17
month extension of OPT is available to STEM Students with jobs directly
related to their majors
**
Automatically
extending the period of stay and work authorization for all F-1 students
with pending H-1B petitions
***
Places
you can visit with an expired F-1 visa, EAD, and signed I-20 (automatic
revalidation of expired F-1)
OPTION 2
Are
you planning to begin a new program of study?
If you are going to begin a new program at
another school, you need to get a new I-20 for that program and report
to the International Student Office at that school within the first 15
days of the term. We will
have to release your USCIS records from the SEVIS system to your new
school so they can make a new I-20, but we can’t do this on your word
alone, we will need documentation (acceptance letter). Your new school
may want transfer notification - sometimes they require a form to be
filed by the OISS. Please do this in a timely manner and not the
last minute.
YOUR
IMMIGRATION STATUS ENDS (and you legal stay in the U.S.) SIXTY (60) days
after commencement UNLESS you have
done one of the following
- applied
for OPT
- received
a new I-20 and notified the USCIS of your new program of study
- applied
for a change to another non-immigrant status BEFORE THAT DATE!
The
USCIS has new serious penalties, which apply to individuals who
“overstay” this date and remain in the U.S. unlawfully.
If you need information, contact us!
OPTION
3
Spend
some of the sixty days sightseeing the U.S. -- pack up, return home and
start your career back at home!
WHILE YOUR OPT APPLICATION
IS PENDING AT THE USCIS
I have sent my OPT application to the
USCIS Service Center. Can I travel outside the U.S. while I wait for my
EAD card to arrive?
YES. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently rendered a
new interpretation of F-1 regulations relating to travel during
post-completion OPT. If you travel outside the U.S. and your request for
OPT is still pending at the Service Center, you may re-enter the
U.S. to search for employment.
I have a tourist visa (B–2)
that is valid for 10 years. Can’t I just reenter the U.S. on my tourist
visa while waiting for the EAD card and then start to work with the card
once I get it?
NO!! If you leave the U.S. and re-enter on a
tourist visa, you will not be in F-1 student status or eligible for F-1
benefits. Therefore, if you reenter the U.S. in B-2 status, your OPT
application and EAD card will not be valid for work authorization.
AFTER YOUR OPT APPLICATION
HAS BEEN APPROVED
My OPT application has been
approved by the USCIS Service Center. Can I travel and then re-enter the
U.S.?
ONLY IF YOU HAVE A JOB OR A JOB OFFER!!!
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security recently rendered a new
interpretation of F-1 regulations relating to travel during
post-completion OPT:
-
If your OPT has been approved and you depart the U.S. before you
get a job, your OPT ends and you cannot reenter.
-
If your OPT has been approved and you have a job or a job offer,
you may travel and reenter the U.S. to continue working at the same
job.
What
documents will I need to reenter the U.S.?
-
A letter from your employer verifying that you are employed
under OPT or a letter from an employer offering you a job
-
Your SEVIS I-20 with an OISS Advisor’s signature on page 3.
The signature must not be more than six months old.
-
Your valid Employment Authorization Document (EAD card)
-
Your valid passport
-
A valid F-1 visa (except for re-entry from Canada, Mexico
and contiguous territories after short trips of < 30 days).
PLEASE NOTE: Citizens of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan
and Syria may not reenter the U.S. with an expired visa. Also,
individuals who have a U.S. visa application pending at a U.S.
Embassy or Consulate will not be able to reenter the U.S. Last,
individuals whose U.S. visa application was denied will not be able
to reenter the U.S.
The completion date in
section 5 (page 1) of my I-20 is my graduation date and that date has
passed. Is this a problem for me if I have a valid EAD Card?
NO. When you have an EAD card, the “validity” of your I-20
is automatically extended until the ending date of your OPT period.
Therefore, with proof of employment, and your EAD card, you may
travel with your I-20 even if the completion date in Section 5 (page 1)
has passed.
Do I still
need to get my I-20 signed by OISS during my year of OPT?
During your OPT year, you need to have your
I-20 signed once for travel outside the U.S.
The F-1 visa in my passport
has expired, but I want to travel outside the U.S. while on OPT. Do I
need to get a new visa to return to the U.S.?
If you are visiting Canada or Mexico and staying less than
30 days (and you are not a citizen of Afghanistan, Cuba, Iran,
Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Sudan or Syria) …
NO, you
do not need a new F-1 visa. You may re-enter the U.S. with your
expired F-1 visa, letter from your employer verifying your
employment, valid passport, valid EAD card and your I-20 (which must
have a DSO signature on page 3, signed within the past 6 months).
If you will travel elsewhere …
YES, you will need a new F-1 visa. You will need to go to a U.S.
Embassy or Consulate and obtain a new F-1 visa to be eligible to reenter
the U.S.
In what ways is
my application for a new F-1 visa affected by being on OPT?
While on OPT, you are still considered to be in F-1 student status
and can apply for an F-1 visa .
However, while on OPT, the risk of
denial of your application may be higher than when you were a student.
This is because the Consular Officer may think that your OPT is an
avenue for you to immigrate to the U.S. You must prove non-immigrant
intent to qualify for an F-1 visa. If the Consular official is not
convinced of your intention to return home, your F-1 visa application
may be denied.
What documents
do I need to show at the U.S. Consulate for a new F-1 visa while on
OPT?
An official letter offering employment and showing salary,
location, job duties and beginning date. The letter should indicate that
you will be working only during your OPT period and that you will stop
working on your OPT ending date.
OPT
APPLICATION PROCEDURES
Traditionally, we make the OPT application together in the OISS - you
will need an appointment and the majority of the students apply early in
the Spring semester before they graduate. February or March -
watch emails for more information.
During your
one-hour appointment we (together) will
assemble the following:
- $340
fee in the form of a check or money order made to "U.S.
Citizenship & Immigration Service"
- I-765
completed and signed
- photocopy
of SEVIS I-20 with OPT recommendation on page 3
- photocopy
of all previous I-20s including
endorsement page to prove whether OPT was recommended in the past.
- photocopy
of any previous Employment Authorization Documents (EADs)
- photocopy
of biographical page(s) of passport
- photocopy
of most recent visa
- photocopy
of I-94 card (front and back)
- two
recent photos according to USCIS specifications
NSEERS
(special registration) registrants must include proof of registration*
With
all that in mind, an F-1 student applying for Optional Practical
Training should send to the Vermont Service Center:
TRAVEL WITH AN EXPIRED F-1
VISA
Yes, there are some options for those of
students whose visa has expired. Most students are unaware of two
facts. You can stay in the U.S. with an expired visa, as long as
you have the other supporting documents for your status (current I-20,
I-94, passport and attending school as required. The other is
automatic revalidation if your travel is less than 30 days and you visit
one of the following countries.
(click
here) |