How to write your OPT is “directly related to” major

When international students find employment opportunities through OPT, there’s the most important condition that students need to keep in mind- The position must be directly related to the student’s major area of study. Students are required to update their SEVP portal once they secure the position and there, they need to put employer’s information as well as explain the direct relationship between the practical training and the student’s major.

Writing the relationship is important as it shows if the student is compliant with the immigration regulations. For example, if a student who majored in music works for the restaurant as a musician, it can be said that the student meets the requirement. However, if the student works for the restaurant as a waiter/waitress, it is difficult to define the “direct relationship” between the position and the major.

Sometimes students ask if they are allowed to work for X, Y, Z positions or how can they write the relationship between the position and the major. If you have similar questions, this blog is for you. ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) released the guideline to share some examples of how to write the direct relationship between employment and coursework. This blog post will share three factors that OPT participants can think about when they write how the OPT position is “directly related to the major.”

An eligible student may request employment authorization for practical training in a position that is directly related to his or her major area of study.

8 CFR 214.2(F)(10)

Related blog post 1: Must-know 4 eligibility for student visa OPT
Related blog post 2: 7 Require documents for OPT Application

Contents

• Examples of writing how OPT position is related to your major
• Examples of writing how STEM OPT is related to your major

Examples of writing how OPT position is related to major

First, we will have a look at examples for students who are participating in OPT with a bachelor’s degree. When you look at ICE’s official guideline, three factors stand out:

1. Employer information, position title, and type of employment (full time or part-time)
2. Main responsibility
3. Applicable coursework or theory from the major

Undergraduate level OPT direct relationship example 1. Engineering

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering: I work full time as an Electrical Engineer at ABC Corp., a government contractor. In my job, I analyze client requirements for electrical systems and provide them with cost estimates of such systems. My work requires understanding of electrical circuit theory, which I studied in-depth at the University of ABC.
  • Employer information, position title, and type of employment: Working full time as an Electrical Engineer at ABC Corp.
  • Main responsibility: Electrical system and cost analysis
  • Applicable coursework or theory from the major: Electrical circuit theory

Undergraduate level OPT direct relationship example 2. Business

• Bachelor’s degree in Business: I work full time as a Loan Officer at a mortgage company, Happy Homes, where I meet with clients and evaluate, authorize and recommend approval of loan applications. On a daily basis, I use the knowledge I gained in my credit analysis, sales and marketing classes that I took as part of my major program of study.
  • Employer information, position title, and type of employment: Working full time as a Loan Officer at Happy Homes
  • Main responsibility: Loan application evaluation, authorization, and approval recommendation
  • Applicable coursework or theory from the major: Sales and marketing classes, and credit analysis

To apply what you have learned here, you can find employer information, your position title, type of employment, and main responsibility from the job offer letter. If you can’t think of any coursework or theory that is related to your job, it is a good approach to go over the list of courses that you have taken during schooling. If the job description doesn’t specify how the position has a direct relationship with the major, SEVP recommends obtaining the signed letter by your supervisor/manager/HR that illustrates the relationship.

On top of the aforementioned three factors, graduate students might want to illustrate how the position is related to your research that you worked on to strengthen why you need that practical training.

Graduate level OPT direct relationship example 1. Computer Science

• PhD in Computer Science: I am employed as a Computer and Information Research Scientist at ABC Research Institute. I work as part of a team of scientists and engineers that designs experiments to test the operation of various software systems. My work builds on research in complex algorithms and machine learning, which I studied as part of my dissertation.
  • Employer information, position title, and type of employment: Working as a Computer and Information Research Scientist at ABC Research Institute.
  • Main responsibility: Design experiments regarding the software systems.
  • Applicable coursework or theory from the major (research): Complex algorithms and machine learning that the student researches as a part of the dissertation.

Graduate level OPT direct relationship example 2. Kinesiology

• Master’s degree in Kinesiology: I am working 25 hours a week in a health food store as a consultant for self-Made Inc., designing and teaching exercise classes that are incorporated into a customer’s overall nutrition and exercise plan. My designs and customer instruction draw upon my studies and classwork in exercise therapy and physical reconditioning.
  • Employer information, position title, and type of employment: Working 25 hours weekly for self-Made Inc. as a consultant.
  • Main responsibility: Designing and teaching exercise classes.
  • Applicable coursework or theory from the major: Student’s studies and some class works.

Examples of writing how STEM OPT is related to your major

Unlike OPT, STEM OPT applicants should illustrate how the position is directly related to the major in greater detail when they apply for a 24 month STEM OPT extension. The training form I-983, which is one of the required documents to apply for STEM OPT, ask the following questions;

• Describe the student’s role with the employer and how that role is directly related to enhancing the student’s knowledge obtained through his or her qualifying STEM degree.
• Describe how the assignment(s) with the employer will help the student achieve his or her specific objectives for work-based learning related to his or her STEM degree.

Students can put three factors- employer information, position title, employment type, main responsibility and applicable coursework or theory -into account when they work on completing the Form I-983. If the relationship between the position and major is not clear, DSO (Designated School Official) might request additional documents to prove it.

…science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) OPT extension opportunities … students are responsible for providing a description of how their job relates to their job relates to their major area of study, which the DSO must review and retain.

HTTPS://WWW.ICE.GOV/DOCLIB/SEVIS/PDF/OPTDIRECTLYRELATEDGUIDANCE.PDF

To sum, OPT and STEM OPT participants should work in a position that is directly related to the major. When the OPT participants update the SEVP portal and when the STEM OPT applicants work on the Form I-983, they need to illustrate how practical training is related to the major area of study. The following three factors, which could be found in the ICE’s official guideline, will help students to write the relationship.

• Employer information, position title, and type of employment
• Main responsibility
• Applicable coursework or theory from the major

Related blog post: Important STEM OPT reporting requirements

Important other OPT updates and OPT case studies can be found on the OPT page. For STEM OPT and H-1B information, click the STEM OPT/H-1B page.