Eligibility

Requirements:

• Maintenance of F-1 status for a minimum of one academic year in a degree program.
• Employment must be directly related to your field of study. This includes volunteering and unpaid internships.
• You must work at least 20 hours per week on average.

Conditions:

• It is not necessary to have a job when you apply for Post-OPT as USCIS does not require proof of employment when you apply for Post-OPT.
• Any approved Pre-OPT will be deducted from your available 12 months of OPT time: accrued at half the rate when used during the semester, in full when used during the summer break when requested at full time.
  • Example: Four months of approved part-time Pre-OPT subtracts 2 months of available OPT while 2 months of approved full-time Pre-OPT subtracts 2 months of available OPT.
• Undergraduate students completing their degree in the fall or spring semesters will use ASU’s Degree Conferral Date as their degree program completion date.  Those students who are completing their degree in the summer or in session A of the fall or spring semesters will use ASU’s Classes End date as their degree completion date.
• Graduate students will review the Graduate Completion Dates webpage with their academic advisor to determine the best program completion date based on their final academic requirements.
• You are not authorized to work or volunteer until you receive your EAD card in the mail and the “Valid From” date printed on your EAD card is valid.
• On-campus student-worker positions end upon completion of your degree program. Any student employment, including assistantships (e.g., TA/RA), after the degree completion date is considered unauthorized, and will affect your immigration status unless you have approved Post-OPT and are hired on as a “staff” or “faculty” member at ASU.
• During OPT, F-1 status is dependent upon employment.  During any initial 12-month period of post-completion OPT, no student may be unemployed for more than 90 total days.
• It is strongly recommended that you obtain health insurance coverage to bridge the gap between the end of your student health insurance and the start date of your employer's health insurance plan or if your employer does not provide health insurance.  Visit ASU Health Services - Health Coverage Options to see when your insurance will end after graduation.
• If 12 months of full-time Curricular Practical Training (CPT) or 12 months of full-time Pre-OPT have been used, you will not be eligible for Post-OPT (including STEM Extension). 

How to apply

To allow for the 7 business day ISSC processing time, 2 to 5 day academic advisor approval process and the 90-day USCIS processing time, ASU ISSC recommends applying for Post-OPT no more than 97 days prior to your completion date. This will maximize your opportunity to receive your EAD card on time.

Post-OPT recommended I-20s will be ready no earlier than the 90th day prior to your completion date.

Applying for Post-OPT

You get to choose the date you would like OPT authorization to begin, within the 60-day period following your program's end date. Use our OPT calculator to help determine your EAD card dates.

Most jobs start on Mondays. Try to select a Monday start day.

Here are some things to consider:

The time you may need to find a job.  If you have a job offer, simply select the day your employment begins. If you don’t, you may want to maximize the time you'll have for job-hunting by choosing the latest possible date. The downside, however, is that you cannot begin employment until the start date on your EAD.

Processing times. The ISSC can take up to 7 business days to process the OPT request once we receive a completed application (including the academic advisor approval). USCIS has an average processing time of 90 days; however, please visit USCIS’s Processing Times website for their most up-to-date processing times.

You can not change your requested start date.  Currently, USCIS does not have a process in place to request a change in your OPT start date while the application is pending.

ISSC processes requests on a first come first serve basis and is unable to expedite requests. If you are interested in expedited processing from USCIS, please visit their Premium Processing webpage for details. 

There is a maximum of 90 days of unemployment. Students on post-completion OPT may have up to 90 days of unemployment. The 90 days starts counting from your approved OPT/EAD start date (this is the date listed on your EAD card) and is cumulative. 

International travel plans.  Once you have completed your program, you will be expected to have your EAD card in hand to re-enter the United States.  For more information visit our travel page.

Use the OPT calculator to help determine your EAD card dates.

The OPT Case Management Payment covers the cost of SEVIS reporting compliance and record management for students on post-completion OPT. While you are on OPT, ISSC will continue to maintain your SEVIS record and provide immigration and advising support.  Support includes biographical changes, address updates, dependent document requests, employer and employment information and updates, travel signatures and I-20 form replacement. 

Pay here

Submit your application materials to the ISSC through the ISSC eForm Portal (not to be confused with the SEVP Portal) NO MORE THAN 97 days prior to your program completion date.  ISSC will release your I-20 on or after the 90th day prior to your completion date.  

Please have the following materials ready PRIOR to submitting the eForm:

• Copy of biographical page of passport (page with your picture on it) valid at least six months into the future (NOT your visa).
• Copy of recent I-94 arrival record (NOT your travel history). 
• 
• Copy of the front and back of prior EAD cards at your current degree program level (if applicable).

Copy of $100 OPT Case Management Payment receipt email notification (NOT a screenshot of your “cart”).

Please allow the ISSC up to 10 days to process your Post-OPT request.

The ISSC cannot process your Post-OPT request until AFTER your academic advisor has approved your completion date. Any delay in your academic advisor’s approval is NOT part of the ISSC’s 10-day processing time; please plan ahead.

• USCIS will reject applications received prior to the 90th day before the student’s program end date. If the ISSC receives your eForm too early, your I-20 will be held and ready at or after the 90th day.  
• You will receive an email notification from the ISSC with your new Post-OPT I-20 and instructions. 
• If you would like a paper copy of your Post-OPT I-20, please review our Receiving Documents webpage for more information.

You must review the information within your I-20 for accuracy, then sign and date in blue ink.

Once the ISSC issues your I-20 with the Post-OPT recommendation, USCIS must receive your application within 30 days of the date your I-20 was issued. Remember, you also must apply before the end of your 60-day grace period (the 60 days following your program end date).

Please Note: These deadlines are critical - applications received by USCIS more than 30 days after your I-20 was issued and/or after your 60-day grace period will be denied by USCIS. These time frames are counted by the day, not by the month. Remember, not all months have the same amount of days, so you must count out the specific days to make sure you are within the correct time frame. The ISSC recommends applying online at least the day before these deadlines to ensure your application is received by USCIS in time. The USCIS application portal does not have the same time zone as Arizona; therefore, depending on when you submit your application, it may be receipted by USCIS the next day.

USCIS recommends applying for Post-OPT through their USCIS online application portal.

For detailed instructions on completing the application with USCIS, please refer to the Self-Guided Post-OPT Packet Review Canvas course.

Disclaimer: The information provided in the Canvas course is general guidance and should not be construed as formal legal advice. ISSC cannot guarantee the approval of your application to USCIS nor be held liable for the outcome of your application.

If you are interested in Premium Processing for your application, please visit the USCIS Premium Processing webpage for details. You can apply for premium processing along with your application to USCIS.

While your application is pending with USCIS

Please remember, USCIS processes and approves your application, NOT ASU. Therefore, you should contact USCIS regarding application issues and/or delays. USCIS cannot change requested start/end dates nor can they change your completion dates.

Once submitted, your requested dates cannot be changed. If you decide to not pursue your Post-OPT application, you may be able to withdraw your application before it has been processed. We recommend consulting with the ISSC before withdrawing your application.

• If you will not graduate as planned, visit or contact ISSC immediately for further immigration advisement.
• The average processing time for Post-OPT applications can vary. We recommend checking the USCIS website for current processing times.
• If your application is still processing after their currently posted processing times, you may submit a case inquiry with USCIS regarding their delay in processing times.
  • If you have not received an answer from USCIS within 30 days, you may submit a case assistance request through the USCIS Ombudsman.

Changing your Address while your Application is Pending:

Changing your address while your Post OPT application is pending with USCIS may cause issues with your EAD card being mailed to you correctly. Even if you follow the procedures to update your address with USCIS, there is no guarantee that information will be processed by USCIS before the approval of your OPT application and your EAD card may still be mailed to your former address.

Therefore, it is recommended to avoid changing your address once your application is pending, if at all possible. If you know you will be moving while your application is pending, we recommend you put the mailing address of a reliable friend or family member on your application.

However, you must change your address while your application is pending, the United States Postal Service (USPS/ “the post office”) will not forward EAD cards. Therefore, to update your new address, do the following:

• File an AR-11 online change of address or update your address through your myUSCIS (preferred)
• Update your Local Address through MyASU.
• Update your address with USPS.

Note: You must update your address with the ISSC within 10 days of moving

Tips for Avoiding Application Rejections, Denials, Delays, and Receiving a Request for Evidence (RFE) from USCIS:

• Do not submit your application to USCIS more than 90 days before the program end date as listed on your Post-OPT I-20.
• USCIS must receive your application within 30 days of the date your I-20 was issued AND before the end of your 60-day grace period. The ISSC recommends applying online at least the day before these deadlines to ensure your application is received by USCIS in time. The USCIS application portal does not have the same time zone as Arizona; therefore, depending on when you submit your application, it may be receipted by USCIS the next day.
  • Please Note: These deadlines are critical - applications received by USCIS more than 30 days after your Post OPT I-20 was issued and/or the end of your 60-day grace period will be denied by USCIS. This time frame is counted by the day, not by the month. Remember, not all months have the same amount of days, so you must count out the specific days to make sure you are within the correct time frame.
  • If you will not be able to submit your application to USCIS within 30 days of receiving your I-20, you must request a new I-20 from the ISSC by completing the Replacement and Travel I-20 eForm through the ISSC eForm Portal, and choosing the “I-20 cannot be submitted after 30th day of issuance” option.
• Print, sign and date your OPT I-20 in blue ink. Do not forget to upload your OPT I-20 as part of your USCIS application or it may result in a delay or denial.
• If for any reason you receive a Rejection, Denial, or a Request for Evidence (RFE) Notice from USCIS, complete the OPT/STEM USCIS Notice Upload eForm for further advisement.