Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a temporary employment authorization scheme for international students in the United States who hold an F-1 visa. It allows students to gain practical work experience directly related to their major area of study. The program was created by the first Bush administration in July 1992 through a regulatory change by the Department of Justice, establishing a one-year work period for qualifying F-1 visa holders. The underlying purpose is to allow students to apply their academic knowledge in a real-world setting and to attract and retain highly-skilled international talent.
The mechanism is administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Eligible students must have been lawfully enrolled full-time for at least one full academic year at a certified institution. The standard authorization is for up to 12 months of employment, which can be used before (pre-completion OPT) or after (post-completion OPT) completing studies. All periods of pre-completion OPT are deducted from the available post-completion period. The authorization is granted via an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) after the student applies using Form I-765.
A key provision that connects to this is the STEM OPT Extension, which allows students with degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields to apply for an additional 24-month extension of their post-completion OPT, for a total of 36 months of work authorization. This extension replaced the previous 17-month extension in May 2016. OPT is often viewed as a critical bridge to longer-term work visas, such as the H-1B visa. The program is currently facing potential significant changes, as the DHS has confirmed it is re-evaluating the program to address concerns like fraud and the displacement of U.S. workers.