7 types of eligible F1 visa OPT works

An international student whose OPT application is approved can start working from the OPT start date which can be found on the EAD (Employment Authorization Document) card (To learn more about the EAD card, click the first related blog post below). In addition, from the OPT start date, OPT participants should not accrue more than 90 days of unemployment days. To avoid exceeding 90 days of unemployment days, students should find allowable employment opportunities. This blog post will introduce 7 types of eligible F1 visa OPT works based on the OPT policy guideline from the SEVP which is one of the U.S. government agencies.

Related blog post 1: All about EAD card; EAD address change, late delivery
Related blog post 2: F1 OPT freelance work requirements

Contents

1. Regular paid employment
2. Multiple employment
3. Multiple short term employment
4. Contract-based employment
5. Self-employed
6. Employment through an agency
7. Volunteers or unpaid interns

Regular paid employment

There are two important things to keep in mind when you consider Post-completion OPT jobs. First, OPT students must work more than 20 hours per week. Second, the position should be directly related to your major. To see how to determine the direct relationship between the OPT position and major, click the second related blog post.

It is worth noting that during the pandemic, OPT opportunities don’t have to meet the “at least 20 hours per week” requirement. SEVP noted on the Frequently Asked Questions for SEVP Stakeholders about COVID-19 that “For the duration of the COVID-19 emergency, SEVP considers students who are working in their OPT opportunities fewer than 20 hours a week as engaged in OPT.” Other updates on CPT, OPT, and I-20 can be found on the first related blog post below.

A student may work part-time (at least 20 hours per week when on post-completion OPT) or full time.

SEVP’s OPT policy guideline

Related blog post 1: Work from home OPT, CPT and electronic I-20
Related blog post 2: How to write your OPT is “directly related to” major

Multiple employment

As long as jobs are directly related to the student’s program of study, the student can work for multiple employers. Students who are engaging in pre-completion OPT (Pre OPT) should be mindful to not exceed the allowed working hours in total. For example, Part-time Pre OPT students can work up to 20 hours and Full-time Pre OPT students can work up to 40 hours.

A student may work for more than one employer, but all employment must be related to the student’s degree program and, for pre-completion OPT, can not exceed the allowed per week cumulative hours.

SEVP’s OPT policy guideline

Related blog post: Pre OPT: The only way to work off-campus before graduation

Multiple short term employment

It is also possible for students to work for multiple short term employers. This type of employment would be more common for students who studied music or performing arts. In this case, SEVP advises students to maintain a list of all employers, dates and duration.

A student, such as a musician or other type of performing artist, may work for multiple short term employers (gigs). The student should maintain a list of all gigs, the dates and duration.

SEVP’s OPT policy guideline

Contract-based employment

Similar to the multiple short-term employment, OPT participants can seek freelancing opportunities that are contract-based employments. SEVP explains that this type of employment asks workers to file Form 1099.

Students who engage in contract-based OPT jobs should keep the name and address of the contracting company as well as the duration of the contract period.

This is also commonly referred to as 1099 employment, where an individual performs a service based on a contractual relationship rather than an employment relationship. If requested by DHS, the student must be prepared to provide evidence showing the duration of the contract period and the name and address of the contracting company.

SEVP’s OPT policy guideline

Self-employed

If you are an entrepreneur, you might want to know if you can be self-employed through the OPT. The short answer is yes, but the process might not be short and easy. SEVP states that self-employed business owners should prove two things: the proper business license and that the business is directly related to their degree program.

A student on OPT may start a business and be self-employed. The student must be able to prove that he or she has the proper business licenses and is actively engaged in a business related to the student’s degree program.

SEVP’s OPT policy guideline

However, please remember that OPT students should not accrue more than 90 days of unemployment which means self employed students should obtain the license within 3 months. Therefore, even for aspiring entrepreneurs, it is good practice to look for jobs while working on getting the license so that he or she doesn’t have to depart the country in case the license is not ready in 3 months.

Employment through an agency or consulting firm

An international student could work for an agency and he or she is required to work more than 20 hours per week. (Students can work fewer than 20 hours per week during the pandemic.)

A student on post-completion OPT must be able to provide evidence showing he or she worked an average of at least 20 hours per week while employed by the agency.

SEVP’s OPT policy guideline

Volunteers or unpaid interns

Although engaging in paid jobs is the best scenario, students might consider volunteering or interning if they would like to stop the unemployment click from ticking. This can be interpreted that OPT jobs can be paid or unpaid as long as the work is directly related to the student’s program of study and work hours are more than 20 hours per week.

A student may work as a volunteer or unpaid intern, where this practice does not violate any labor laws. The work must be at least 20 hours per week for a student on post-completion OPT. A student must be able to provide evidence acquired from the student’s employer to verify that the student worked at least 20 hours per week during the period of employment.

SEVP’s OPT policy guideline

In this blog post, I outlined 7 types of F1 visa OPT works that international students can work through the OPT program. Hope this helps to identify eligible employment types for international students.