Form I-765
OPT EAD Eligibility Check
Answer a few questions about your F-1 status, school, work, and filing dates. We will show the category that fits your answers or flag what needs review.
- Free
- 2 minutes
- No signup required
The short answer
Who can request F-1 work authorization?
F-1 students may request Form I-765 work authorization under different categories. Pre-completion OPT and post-completion OPT depend on qualifying study, work related to the major, and a DSO recommendation. Post-completion OPT has a filing window from 90 days before through 60 days after program completion and a separate 30-day DSO recommendation limit. A 24-month STEM extension has degree, employer, training-plan, and filing-date requirements. International organization employment and severe economic hardship have separate rules. This check asks which category and facts apply to you.
What USCIS asks for
What USCIS asks for
- Maintained F-1 status and a qualifying category on Form I-765
- A DSO recommendation or certification when your category requires it
- The category-specific school, degree, employer, or hardship evidence
- An application filed within the dates that apply to your category
The check
What this eligibility check covers
- Your selected F-1 category and current status
- Program completion, current EAD, and DSO dates where relevant
- Prior CPT, OPT, or STEM authorization where relevant
- STEM degree, employer, and training plan, or the evidence for another selected category
- Facts that need review, including a status problem, Special Student Relief, cap-gap, thesis-only STEM, or unusual employment
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The result may say 'Not yet ready' and name the missing recommendation or certification. Do not file until your category's school step is complete.
No. A job offer is not a general prerequisite for pre-completion or post-completion OPT. STEM OPT requires a qualifying employer and training plan. International organization employment requires a qualifying organization's offer.
No. It is relevant to the ordinary OPT categories and severe economic hardship. International organization employment has no one-academic-year requirement.
Enter the dates shown by your school or current EAD. We check the applicable filing window. Unknown or unusual dates produce a 'Needs review' result.
The check flags that fact for review. Talk with a qualified immigration attorney before relying on a short eligibility result. Immiva is software, not a law firm.
No. The check uses the facts you provide and cannot decide the application for USCIS. You must review the finished form and evidence before filing.
Next
Where to go from here
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