Finally, the day has arrived- USCIS announced today (April 12, 2021) that USCIS will accept Form I-765 online.

Say goodbye to those days when students had to spend $$ more on top of $$$ OPT filing fee for OPT application shipping fee. What is more, students were waiting nervously for the receipt I-797c to see if their OPT application has reached USCIS safely or not.

Now students can complete the online form and once they submit it, they will receive the pdf file that says USCIS received the application. Without further ado, this blog will provide step by step guide to completing Form I-765 online for OPT and STEM OPT students.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced that F-1 students seeking optional practical training (OPT) can now file Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online if they are filing under one of these categories:

(c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT;

(c)(3)(B) – Post-Completion OPT; and

(c)(3)(C) – 24-Month Extension of OPT for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students.

Newsletter titled F-1 Students Seeking Optional Practical Training Can Now File Form I-765 Online by USCIS

The first step to completing the I-765 online is to create the USCIS account. If you have not created the USCIS account, check out the “Step by step guide to create the USCIS account for OPT online application” post first then come back to this post to complete the I-765 online application.

Contents

• How to file Form I-765 online for OPT, STEM OPT
• Frequently Asked Questions

How to file Form I-765 online for OPT, STEM OPT

1. Create a USCIS online account at  https://myaccount.uscis.gov/. Once you create the account, you will be able to do the following:
   • Submit their forms;
   • Pay their fees;
   • Track the status of their case;
   • Communicate with USCIS through a secure inbox; and
   • Respond to Requests for Evidence.

Related post: Step by step guide to create the USCIS account for OPT online application

2. Sign in to the MyUSCIS and choose “I am an applicant, petitioner, or requestor.”
3. Click “File a form online“

4. Search “I-765” and then select “I-765, Application for Employment Authorization” in the drop-down menu.

5. Getting started: Read through the information and click “Next“

6. Completing your form online: Read through the “Completing your form online” and click “Start.” *Note that the form will save the draft for 30 days. Since students can apply for OPT as early as 90 days from the program end date, it is advised to start completing the application as early as 100~120 days from the program end date.

7. Basis of eligibility: Select your category using the drop-down menu.
   • Pre-completion OPT: (c)(3)(A) Student Pre-Completion OPT
   • Post-completion OPT: (c)(3)(B) Student Post-Completion OPT
   • 24 months STEM OPT: (c)(3)(C)extension: STEM Extension

7. (Continues for STEM OPT only)
   • What is your degree? Refer to your Form I-20 to write your education level and major information. If you have more than one major, choose one that you are going to apply for STEM OPT with. *Note that the program name on your Form I-20 might be different from the program name that you were enrolled in which is not a problem.
   • What is your employer’s name as listed in E-Verify? Reach out to your employer to get the employer’s name as listed in E-verify.
   • What is your employer’s E-Verify company identification number or a valid E-Verify client company identification number? Reach out to your employer to get the E-verify company identification number.

8. Reason for applying: Select your reason for applying.
   • Initial permission to apply to accept employment: Select this if this is your first time applying for OPT OR if you have applied for OPT after you receive Bachelor’s/Master’s and now you are applying for the second OPT based on the most recent degree (next education level like Master’s/Doctoral).
   • Replacement of lost, stolen, or damaged employment authorization document, or correction of my employment authorization document NOT DUE to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) error.: Select this when you are applying for OPT to replace your lost/stolen EAD card.
   • Renewal of my permission to accept employment.: Select this if you are applying for STEM OPT.
   • Have you previously filed Form I-765? Yes or no

9. Preparer and interpreter information: Check “No“

10. Complete the “About you” section including (screenshots of each section can be found below):
    • Your name
    • Your contact information: Provide your phone number and U.S. mailing address which will be the address that USCIS send the EAD card to you. If the mailing address is different from your physical address, you should provide a physical address as well.
    • Describe yourself: Provide your gender and marital status
    • When and where you were born: Provide the town and state of birth as well as your birthday
    • Your immigration information: Provide your…
      • citizenship,
      • I-94 number,
      • last arrival date, place, and status (can be found in the Traveler History),
      • passport number,
      • travel document number,
      • passport expiration date,
      • the country that issued your passport,
      • current immigration status (Search F-1 visa); and
      • SEVIS number.
    • Other information: Provide…
      • A-number (You can check “I do not have or know my A-number”),
      • USCIS online account number (You can check “I do not have or know my A-number”); and
      • Social Security Number (If you have issued SSN, you can provide the number and check “no” to “Do you want the SSA to issue you a Social Security card?“)

11. Evidence (screenshots of each section can be found below)
    • 2 x 2 photos of you: Make sure you follow the photo size requirement!
    • Form I-94
    • Employment Authorization Document: If you have previously issued an EAD card. Previously EAD-issued students are also encouraged to upload scanned copies of their passports, and visas here. *Students who were not issued an EAD before can submit scanned copies of passports, and visas here as well.
    • Previously authorized CPT or OPT (If you have any previously authorized CPT or OPT)
    • Form I-20: Upload the Form I-20 with OPT request here. It doesn’t say to upload your previous I-20s but if you would like to, you can also add previous I-20s here as well.
    • [STEM OPT] College degree: Upload your degree that shows the STEM OPT qualifying degree
    • [STEM OPT] Institutional Accreditation: This is only for STEM OPT applicants who apply for STEM OPT based on a previously earned STEM degree. Therefore, if you are applying for STEM OPT based on the most recent degree that you earned, you don’t have to add any document here. If you are applying for STEM OPT based on a previously earned STEM degree, contact your school for the document.

12. Additional information: You can choose to provide additional information that can be helpful for the application.

13. Review and Submit (screenshots of each section can be found below)Review your application
    • Review your application
    • Your application summary
    • Your statement
    • Your signature
    • Pay and submit: *Once you make a payment, you cannot make changes

Once you submit the application, you will receive a PDF copy. Also, when you check case status online, it will say “case received” How fast and convenient!!

Frequently Asked Questions

Below is the answer for frequently asked questions about online I-765 filing from Ombudsman and USCIS webinars as well as Emma (e-chat function of USCIS):

1. How long the draft lasts?
   • The draft lasts for 30 days.
2. Will online filing be processed faster than paper filing?
   • No, the only difference between filing online and filing by mail is that we (USCIS) receive the application faster. They have the same processing time regardless of how they are filed.
3. What’re the benefits of filing Form I-765 online?
   • It lowers the chance of filing incomplete applications as the system is designed to give applicants alerts for incomplete fields.
   • Also, applicants can get the receipt number immediately.
   • When the applicant is issued a Request For Evidence (RFE), he or she can submit the additional evidence directly to the portal to respond to the RFE.
4. Can any category apply for Form I-765 online?
   • No, please remember that as of April 2021, USCIS will deny the application and retain the fee, “if an applicant submits Form I-765 online to request employment authorization on or after April 15, but is eligible for a different employment authorization category.”
5. Can students complete the online Form I-765 abroad?
   • No, the student should be in the United States until there’s a further notice.
6. I found a typo in my application after I clicked the pay and submit button. What should I do?
   • If there’s any typo, applicants cannot revise the issue but they can add a letter that has clarifying notes as unsolicited evidence.
7. I have filed the paper Form I-765 but can I file the online application as well?
   • No, however, applicants will be able to link their paper applications to their online accounts as if they completed the form electronically. When USCIS receives the paper applications via mail, applicants will receive the receipt that has the online access code. This code is valid for 90 days. By entering this code into your USCIS account, OPT applicants can link their paper applications. If 90 days have passed, OPT students can contact the help desk to create the ticket.

Online filing allows applicants to submit forms electronically, check the status of their case anytime from anywhere, and receive notices from USCIS online instead of waiting for them in the mail.

Newsletter titled F-1 Students Seeking Optional Practical Training Can Now File Form I-765 Online by USCIS

This post provides how to complete Form I-765 step-by-step. Go to The best way to track OPT/STEM OPT case status to learn the best way to track your OPT/STEM OPT case status.

To learn more about OPT eligibility, and when to file the OPT, click the related blog posts below. All other OPT/ STEM OPT case studies can be found on the OPT and STEM OPT pages respectively. Please make sure you read them to not miss any important OPT rules and updates! Also, international students who would like to see how long it takes to hear back from USCIS after the Form I-765 submission can go to OPT/STEM OPT Forum.

Related blog post 1: Must-know 4 eligibility for student visa OPT
Related blog post 2: STEM OPT eligibility, process, required documents
Related blog post 3: Best OPT start date: Remember the 90, 60, 30 rule