OPT Extended to 17 Month for Highly Skilled Foreign Students
On April 4, 2008, the Department of Homeland Security released an interim
final rule extending the period of Optional Practical Training (OPT) from 12 to 29
months for qualified F-1 non-immigrant students. The extension will be available to F-1
students with a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics who are
employed by businesses enrolled in the E-Verify program.
To be eligible for an OPT extension, an F-1 non-immigrant student must:
- Currently be participating in a 12-month period of approved post-completion
OPT;
- Have successfully completed a degree in science, engineering, technology, or
mathematics (STEM) included in the DHS STEM Designated Degree
Program List from a college or university certified by the U.S. Immigration
and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program;
- Be working for a U.S. employer in a job directly related to the student’s
major area of study;
- Be working for, or accepted employment with, an employer enrolled in U.S.
Citizenship and Immigration Services’ E-Verify program. E-Verify is a free,
internet-based system operated in partnership with the Social Security
Administration that helps employers to determine the employment eligibility
of newly-hired employees; and
- Properly maintain F-1 status.
