You are expected to be employed in your field of study during OPT, and you are required to submit employer information to the SEVP Portal. OPT authorization begins on the employment start date shown on the student’s EAD.
You will find more information below about types of allowable employment and how to report your employment to successfully maintain F-1 status during OPT.
Employment Requirements:
To be considered employed full-time for Post-Completion OPT purposes, you must work more than 20 hours per week.
Types of Employment allowed During Post- Completion OPT
- Paid employment: Employment must directly relate to your major. Positions are considered part time if they are less than 20 hours per week, or full time if 20 or more hours per week.
- Multiple employers: It is possible to work for more than one employer, but all employment must be related to your major. If you have multiple part-time positions to fulfill the overall requirement of pursuing at least 20 hours per week of work, that would be considered fully employed.
- Short-term multiple employers (performing artists): If you are pursuing work that is many short-term positions it is possible to work in multiple short-term employers (gigs). We highly recommend you maintain a list of all gigs, the dates and duration.
- Work for hire: Work for hire means that an individual performs a service based on a contractual relationship rather than an employment relationship. If requested by DHS, you must provide evidence showing the duration of the contract periods and the name and address of the contracting company.
- Self-employed business owner: You may start a business and be self-employed during Post-Completion OPT. You must be able to prove that you have the proper business licenses and are actively engaged in a business related to your degree program.
- Employment through an agency: You must provide evidence showing you worked an average of at least 20 hours per week while employed by the agency in a job that is directly related to your major/field of study.
- Unpaid employment: You may work as a volunteer or unpaid intern in your major, where this does not violate any labor laws. You must be able to provide evidence from the employer that you have worked at least 20 hours per week during the period of employment.
Unemployment Time During Post-Completion OPT
- The maximum period of unemployment is 90 days
- Each day (including weekends) during the period when OPT authorization begins and ends that you do not work at least 20 hours per week counts as a day of unemployment.
- If you have OPT extended for a cap gap, you will continue to accrue unemployment time and are subject to the 90-day limitation of unemployment while Post-Completion OPT continues.
- If you have a job offer that begins more than 90 days after your OPT begins, you will exceed your allowable unemployment time. Receiving a job offer within the 90 days is not sufficient, you must be employed in one of the employment types listed above.
- If you travel outside of the United States while unemployed, the time spent outside the United States will count as unemployment time.
- Permanently leaving the U.S. without notifying the International Center result in the accidental accrual of unemployment. If you plan to end OPT early, you must update the International Center.
- If you accumulate 90 days of combined unemployment, you have the following options:
- Leave the U.S.
- Transfer your SEVIS record to another SEVIS approved school. These events must occur prior to accumulating 90 days of aggregate unemployment.
- Change status to another legal status (if appropriate).
How To Report Employment
You are required to report new employment or changes to employment within 10 days in your SEVP Portal of the change to maintain F-1 status reporting requirements. Below you will find and what items are required to update employment during your OPT period.
All of the updates below will require a detailed description of how your employment relates to your major.
Create Your SEVP Portal Account
On or before the first day of the date of your authorized OPT period, you will receive an automated email from SEVP to create an SEVP Portal account. All information reported in the SEVP Portal will directly reflect in your SEVIS record and maintain your status requirements during Post-Completion OPT.
In the SEVP portal you will be responsible for reporting any of the following changes within 10 days:
- local address
- email address
- new/change in employment status
- change in employer information
- loss of employment
If you have any technical issues with your SEVP Portal, please email internationalcenter@uci.edu with your issue for further assistance.