In the United States, Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a period during which undergraduate and graduate students with F-1 status who have completed or have been pursuing their degrees for one academic year are permitted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to work for one year on a student visa towards getting practical training to complement their education. Foreign students currently enrolled at a U.S. university can receive full-time or part-time work authorization through Curricular Practical Training. In 2022, there were 171,635 OPT employment authorizations. In 2021, there were 115,651 new non-STEM OPT authorizations, a 105% increase from a decade prior.
During the 2021-2022 school year, the two nations with the highest number of OPT students were India and China. There were 68,188 Indian OPT students and 51,199 Chinese OPT students. According to Pew Research, there were 441,400 OPT approvals from India and 313,500 from China between 2004-2016. The University of Southern California was the largest OPT participant between 2003 and 2017, with 30,720 approvals.
On April 2, 2008, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Michael Chertoff announced a 17-month extension to the OPT for students in qualifying STEM fields. To be eligible for the 12-month permit, any degree in any field of studies is valid. For the 17-month OPT extension, a student must have received a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics degree as defined by USCIS.
On March 11, 2016, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule allowing certain F-1 students who receive STEM degrees and who meet other specified requirements to apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion OPT, giving STEM graduates a total of 36 months of OPT. The 24-month extension replaces the 17-month STEM OPT extension previously available to STEM students (see 73 FR 18944). Eligible students could apply for a 24-month STEM OPT extension starting on May 10, 2016.https://www.uscis.gov/working-united-states/students-and-exchange-visitors/students-and-employment/stem-opt In 2019, there were 72,116 new STEM OPT authorizations. Compared to a decade prior, it is an 1108% increase. In the same year, there were 78,000 STEM OPT workers from India and 30,000 workers from China.
There also exists a post-completion Practical Training option for students on M-1 visas, but it is significantly more restrictive than that for F-1 students. Unless otherwise specified, Optional Practical Training is understood to refer to Optional Practical Training for F-1 students.
Program Structure
OPT Requirements Any F-1 visa international student who graduates from a U.S college or university qualifies for OPT. Additionally they must work either part-time (20 hours a week or more) or full time. A student who has completed more than a year of full-time Curricular Practical Training is not eligible for Optional Practical Training.
For the STEM OPT extension, there are additional requirements:
The student must have studies in a STEM field. The Department of Homeland Security bases its definition of "STEM field" on the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). DHS frequently updates a list of study programs that count as STEM. There are currently 540 STEM field majors. The last update was on January 21, 2022. Employer that is enrolled in or uses E-Verify.
OPT Application In order to apply for Optional Practical Training, a foreign student must reach out to the designated school official (DSO) at the college or university to endorse Form I‑20, Certification of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status. Afterwards, the student must fill out a Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. The filing fee for the form is $410. OPT application approval takes three to five months to receive an approval and start date.
Job Requirements OPT employment must be in the participant's field of study. OPT jobs can be both unpaid and paid, and entrepreneurship related to one's field is also allowable. For STEM OPT, an employer, along with the worker, must fill out Form I-983.
International startup founders often seek to use the OPT period for achieving funding and growth milestones which qualify them for "extraordinary ability" visas, such as the O visa.
OPT Statistics One place to look for statistics on yearly OPT authorizations is Immigration and Customs Enforcement. In 2021, there were 115,651 new OPT authorizations, a 105% increase from a decade ago. +OPT Employment of Foreign Graduates between 2007-2022YearNumber of Foreign Students on OPT200724,838200845,357200946,198201051,080201156,421201262,628201367,740201477,619201599,3232016137,5702017152,6812018145,5642019138,8982020122,6992021115,6512022117,301 In 2019, there were 72,116 new STEM OPT authorizations. Compared to a decade prior, it is an 1108% increase. +STEM OPT Authorizations of Foreign Graduates between 2007-2022YearNumber of Foreign Students on STEM OPT2007220082,12820095,86920109,356201113,504201215,937201318,782201421,456201527,493201641,782201764,481201869,650201972,116202063,906202161,543202264,844 +2019 Top 10 Employers of OPT and STEM OPT GraduatesCompanyNumber of Foreign Students on OPT or STEM OPTAmazon2,813Google1,123 AZTech Technologies LLC 1,057Deloitte 822 Microsoft 817Intel Corporation790Integra Technologies LLC721Facebook708Apple, Inc 463Walmart441
OPT Approvals & Denials from 2008-2013
The Government Accountability Office published a report in 2014 with information on OPT approvals and denials from fiscal year 2008-2013. Note that the counts here are of receipts, approvals, denials or revocations that happened in the fiscal year, regardless of when other activities surrounding that application occurred. For instance, if an application was approved in Fiscal Year 2009 and revoked in Fiscal Year 2010, the revocation would be counted in 2010 rather than 2009. Thus, the number of receipts for a given year need not equal the sum of the number of approvals and denials for that year. The approval rate for OPT petitions between 2008 and 2013 was 96%.
Fiscal Year Receipts Approvals Denials Revocations 2008 38,730 28,497 360 1 2009 87,636 90,896 2,125 71 2010 99,876 96,916 1,731 57 2011 109,895 105,357 2,226 67 2012 117,141 115,303 2,801 71 2013 128,591 123,328 3,400 77 Total 581,869 560,297 12,643 344
Number of OPT Students by Country
Another place to find statistics on optional practical training is from the Institute of International Education. The organization maintains data on the number of international students as part of its Open Doors project, supported from a grant by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the U.S. Department of State. The data is collected through surveys of over 3,000 accredited U.S. higher education institutions, and does not rely on any privileged access to government data. Institutions not included in the survey (such as high schools that issue student visas, and non-accredited institutions that are SEVP-certified) may be omitted from the statistics. Since the 2006–2007 academic year, these surveys have included data on usage of the Optional Practical Training program.
Since the Optional Practical Training program duration is a year for most people (though the STEM extension and cap gap allow for longer OPTs under some circumstances), the number of approvals in a given year should roughly match the number of students on Optional Practical Training. However, because of various mismatches such as that between the fiscal and academic year, and between the date of approval and the start date, and the fact that the Open Doors survey does not cover all SEVP-certified institutions, the numbers may not exactly match those from the GAO table.
The data below summarizes both total OPT usage and the usage based on country of origin for the top countries of origin. More detailed data is available at the IIE website.
Year Total use of OPT Mainland China India South Korea ROC Canada Japan 2006-07 48,387 7,171 10,703 4,497 2,993 1,653 2,350 2007-08 56,766 7,718 10,846 4,965 3,178 1,869 2,459 2008-09 66,601 8,212 14,886 5,134 3,444 1,778 2,237 2009-10 67,804 11,003 19,657 5,862 3,569 1,969 2,068 2010-11 76,031 13,268 24,665 6,026 3,737 2,204 1,820 2011-12 85,157 18,394 26,742 5,807 3,377 2,140 1,593 2012-13 94,919 23,968 27,831 6,268 3,417 2,333 1,630 2013-14 105,997 33,401 27,696 6,639 3,540 2,568 1,458 2014-15 120,287 43,114 29,388 6,635 3,622 2,683 1,285 2015-16 147,498 52,193 42,328 7,039 4,017 2,897 1,416 2016-17 175,695 59,835 57,132 7,784 4,223 3,139 1,447 2017-18 203,462 65,680 75,390 7,714 4,496 3,225 1,5012018-2019223,0852019-2020223,5392020-2021203,8852021-2022184,759
OPT Demographic Statistics
Global Geographic Statistics
Between 2004 and 2016, there were 441,400 OPT approvals from India and 313,500 from China. India and China received 30% and 21% of all OPT approvals. 74% of approved OPT graduates were from the Asia-Pacific region between 2004 and 2016. Europe and Latin America/Caribbean tied with 8% each.
U.S. Geographic Statistics
The New York metropolitan area had the most OPT approvals during the same time frame, with 218,400 OPT approvals, followed by Los Angeles and Boston. California has the highest percentage of OPT workers, with 20.8%.
Education Statistics
The University of Southern California was the biggest OPT participant between 2003 and 2017, with 30,720 approvals. 70% of OPT participants in the U.S. graduated with a master's degree. The most common field of study for OPT majors is computer science and business administration and management, both at 8.6%.
History 1947: Student practical training Since before Congress enacted the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (INA), the executive branch under every president from Harry S. Truman onward has interpreted enduring provisions of the immigration laws to permit foreign visitors on student visas to complement their classroom studies with a limited period of postcoursework Optional Practical Training (OPT). A 1947 rule allowed foreign students "admitted temporarily to the United States … for the purpose of pursuing a definite course of study" to remain here for up to eighteen months following completion of coursework for "employment for practical training" as required or recommended by their school "for a six-month period subject to extension for not over two additional six-month periods". (Aug. 7, 1947)
1992: Creation of OPT The first Bush administration created Optional Practical Training with an interim rule on July 20, 1992. (July 20, 1992) The Immigration and Naturalization Service created the program without prior public comment or notice. The 1990 Immigration Act originally created a time-limited employment pilot program for foreign students on visas.
2008: Introduction of the STEM OPT Extension
The STEM extension was announced in an interim rule by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on April 2, 2008, published in the Federal Register issue of Tuesday, April 8, 2008. The STEM extension appears to be directly attributable to Congressional testimony by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, March 12, 2008. This policy changes shaped foreign students' decision to decide and obtain a STEM degree. In addition, foreign students were 18% more likely to have a STEM field degree following the 2008 policy change. In addition, the likelihood that a foreign student completes a STEM master's degree rose 33%.
2008: Challenge from Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI)