The college years are over. As international students reach the ends of their collegiate careers, it’s time to begin the arduous task of finding work in the United States. Here is a break-down of the process of obtaining work authorization in the United States, to help international students and make domestic students aware of the additional pressures on their international peers.
APPLY FOR OPT
“Optional Practical Training is a work authorization benefit that is given to F1 visa holders for the purpose of gaining practical off-campus work experience,” said Bonnie Decker, assistant director of SCAD’s International Student Services Office (ISSO).
To get OPT authorization, you need to fill out an application that will be sent to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “It takes them about 12 weeks to process that application and provide you with what looks like an ID card, stating that you are now eligible to work in the U.S,” said Decker.
Since most of the students in the U.S are graduating in spring quarter, everyone is submitting their OPT application at the same time.
“So because of this,” said Decker, “the application process can take 14 or 15, even 16 weeks.”
So naturally, Decker advises all international students who intend to work in the U.S. to begin the application process at least 12 weeks before starting their employment.
OPT is a two phases application process.
Phase 1
Reach out to your academic advisor at the very beginning of your last quarter, so they can confirm to ISSO that you are in your final quarter at SCAD. ISSO will contact you soon after, with instructions so you can begin the process of obtaining work authorization.
But this year, because so many international students are graduating in spring, it’s different.
“For spring graduates, we’re actually going to allow phase one to start a couple of weeks before the government tells us that we can actually send your application,” said Decker. “So I am going to allow to students to begin phase one at career fair on Feb. 23.”
At SCAD Career Fair, Decker will give out forms for attending international students to complete, including choosing their employment start date that can fall anytime after the last day of class and sixty days out.
This will allow international students to save time by getting ISSO’s instructions right away since Decker will be available to give that advice on site.
“When I get the students’ start date, what I can do is apply it to their I20 and state that ISSO is recommending the student for the OPT work authorization when that application process opens up for us on March 5.”
Phase two begins once you get that I20.
Phase Two:
“I basically take everything that’s on the government’s website, that is very confusing to read, and I condense into a check list. You’re going to gather all these materials, bring them in and ISSO would go over the materials with you, and make sure everything is correct, and we’ll send your application off to USCIS for processing.”
If students begin their application at career fair, the application process shouldn’t take more than two weeks after March 5 to complete.
What’s a good start date?
Decker recommends choosing your start date carefully. After your official declaration, you can’t go back. The start date must be within sixty days of graduation.
“The government realizes that that doesn’t necessarily mean the exact date you’re going to be hired. It really depends on your industry.”
Decker gave the example of advertising students, recommending an early June start date because most of advertising companies offer internships in early June.
“Research, talk to your career adviser and find out what’s the best date companies look for.”
Once you’re approved for OPT, you’re allowed to accumulate 90 days of unemployment in the year, which explains why some students set their start date in late July.
A little trick just for you: if you are applying online for a job, and one of the questions is “do you need sponsorship (in the upcoming year),” and you’re allowed to say no if you are already sponsored by OPT.
On the other hand, if the question is “would you need sponsorship in the future?” it is required to say yes. It’s really about the phrasing.
About STEM OPT
Some majors are eligible for an extension of your first twelve months of OPT. STEM stands for Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics. In SCAD, those eligible majors are: advertising, animation, branded entertainment, design for sustainability, design management, furniture design, graphic design, motion media, user experience and visual effect.
In Summary
So, in short, this is what there is to do:
– Find a start date
– Fill out the form at Career Fair on Feb. 23.
– Soon after March 5, you’ll receive instructions from ISSO.
– Follow the instructions and make appointments with ISSO.
For more information about working in the U.S. consult this link: http://depts.scad.edu/isso/working-in-the-united-states/work-authorization-for-graduating-students-and-alumni.
Or contact the ISSO at 912.525.7304 or at isso@scad.edu.
You can find workshop dates about OPT and work authorization in the US on http://depts.scad.edu/isso/working-in-the-united-states/career-workshops.
Written by Scarlett Ruggiero.
Scarlett is a writing major, wine lover and cheese enthusiast from Paris, France. When she isn’t busy writing, she likes to wander around District’s quarter in search of new articles to write.
