Exceeding Unemployment During Post-OPT
If employment is not updated in the SEVP Portal within 90 days of the start date on your EAD card, or you accrue more than 90 days of unemployment during your Post-OPT period, your SEVIS record may be automatically terminated. It is your responsibility to keep a personal record of all OPT activity.
Reporting Requirements
F-1 Students on an approved period of Post-OPT must comply with all reporting requirements. All reporting must be completed within 10-days of the reportable event in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program Portal (SEVP Portal).
You will receive an email with instructions on creating your SEVP Portal once your Post-OPT has been approved and within a few days of the start date on their EAD.
The following must be reported to the SEVP Portal within 10-days of the change or update:
- New employment
- You must report the name of the company, the company’s address (this should be the address from where you are conducting your work), your start and end dates with the company, and a description of how your work is related to your major/program of study
- Changes to your current employment
- This may include ending employment, changing from full-time to part-time employment, change to employer’s address, etc.
- Changes to your address or contact information
- Report your updated address in the SEVP Portal and in OPT Central in myOGS (Post-OPT Address Updates e-form)
- While all changes made in the SEVP Portal will be reflected in SEVIS, updates submitted to myOGS will serve as confirmation that you have reported your updated address to a DSO
- Report your updated address in the SEVP Portal and in OPT Central in myOGS (Post-OPT Address Updates e-form)
If for any reason you are unable to report via the SEVP Portal, you may report your changes/updates and any issues with the SEVP Portal to OGS via the OPT Issue Reporting e-form found in Optional Practical Training Central in myOGS.
Failure to Report
Failing to report Post-OPT employment and/or changes to your employment may result in the automatic termination of your SEVIS record.
Post-OPT Employment
The following criteria must be met for the duration of your Post-OPT period:
- You must work a minimum of 20 hours per week
- This may be with one single employer, or cumulative between multiple employers
- All work must be directly related to your major/program of study
- It is the responsibility of the student to determine if the potential employment is related to their major/program of study and to timely report all employment to SEVP
- You must not exceed the allowed 90-days of unemployment
- Each day (including weekends) during the period of Post-OPT where you do not have qualifying employment counts as a day of unemployment
When considering work opportunities, the following employment types are permissible for OPT:
- Paid or unpaid employment
- Multiple employers: you may work for multiple employers while on Post-OPT
- Work for hire: This is often referred to as 1099 employment. You may contract yourself out to a company (This is similar to working as a freelancer).
- Self-employment/business owner: You may start your own business and report self-employment in the SEVP Portal (Consult with a lawyer in order to find out what is needed to start a company).
- Employment through an agency or consulting firm: You may work for a placement agency or consulting firm (This experience may involve temporary or contract work).
- Volunteering: Students on Post-OPT may work as volunteers as long as the work is related to their major field of study and does not violate labor laws
Guidelines for STEM OPT employers differ; please review our STEM OPT page for more information.
Additional Requirements While on Post-OPT
Please review OGS’ 2025 Current Travel Recommendations prior to making plans to travel outside of the United States.
Students on Post-Completion OPT are still in F-1 status and must maintain all F-1 status documents in order to travel abroad. In order to re-enter the U.S., the following documents are required:
- A passport that is valid for 6 months from the date of your return to the U.S.
- A valid F-1 student visa
- A valid I-20 with OPT recommendation and a valid travel signature on page 2*
- *Travel signatures are valid for 6 months while you are on OPT.
- A valid EAD
- Proof of employment (an offer letter can be used)
- If you are not currently employed, we do not recommend traveling outside of the U.S. as re-entry to the U.S. is granted at the discretion of Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Given the information above, travel before an EAD card has been approved and received is not advisable.
Note: If you depart the U.S. before your OPT application has been filed, received, and receipted by the USCIS, you become ineligible to apply for Post-Completion OPT if your program has ended.
Please see OGS’ page on International Travel for more information
While recreational or avocational study is permissible during the Post-Completion OPT period, students cannot pursue a new degree-seeking program while simultaneously working on Post-Completion OPT. You should speak with a DSO in OGS to see if your studies would qualify. U.S. Federal Regulations state that employment authorization is automatically terminated when a student begins study at another education level or transfers their SEVIS record to another school.
You must submit the Request to Complete SEVIS Record while on Post-OPT e-form in Post-OPT Central with a copy of a flight itinerary indicating you have/will depart the U.S.
You must report this change to the OGS using the appropriate e-form.
- You must update your employment end date in the SEVP portal.
- You must request to have your SEVIS record transferred or request a Change of Degree Level I-20
Unemployment During Post-OPT
You are permitted to have up to 90-days of unemployment during the Post-OPT period (within the dates of authorization on your EAD). These 90 days will start accruing from the start date listed on your EAD and will stop once you begin working and update your employment in the SEVP Portal.
If you are not currently employed, OGS recommends that you do not travel outside of the U.S. as you may be denied entry by Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
If you exceed 90-days of unemployment, then you are considered out of status and your SEVIS record may be autoterminated; there is no additional grace period after these 90 days.
If you are close to exceeding 90-days of unemployment, you may have a few options:
- Leave the U.S. before you have exceeded your unemployment days.
- Apply for and be accepted to a new academic program and request a SEVIS transfer before you’ve exceeded your unemployment days. The new program would need to start within 5 months of the last day of your OPT (based on the transfer out date) in order for you to remain in the U.S. with the same SEVIS record.
- Submit an application to USCIS for a change of status to another immigration status that allows you to remain in the U.S. while the application is pending. The application must be filed before you exceed your unemployment days.
Please contact OGS if you would like to discuss any of these options.
If you are eligible and approved for STEM OPT, any days of unemployment that you did not use during your Post-Completion OPT period may be carried over to your STEM OPT period.
You can learn more about STEM OPT and unemployment here.
Invalidating your Post-OPT
Your Post-OPT will be invalidated/terminated if you:
- Transfer your SEVIS record to a new college or university
- Change your immigration/visa status
- Enter the U.S. using any visa status other than an F-1
- Violate your F-1 student status
- Start a new program of study
- While recreational or avocational study is permissible during the Post-Completion OPT period, students cannot pursue a new degree-seeking program while simultaneously working on Post-Completion OPT.
SEVP Portal
The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Portal is a tool for you as an F-1 student to report your contact information and employer information directly to SEVIS while on Post-Completion OPT. You will be able to see your information in the portal as it is reported in SEVIS and will be able to update it as needed. You will be able to make changes to your address, telephone number, and employer information.
If you experience any of the following issues, you must complete the OPT Issue Reporting section of OGS Post-Completion OPT Central:
- Your SEVP portal is inactive even though your Post-OPT has been approved and you received your EAD
- You are locked out of SEVP Portal
- You are unable to log into SEVP Portal
More Resources
- Access your SEVP Portal
- Learn more about/get help with the SEVP Portal
- If you are on the STEM Extension and need to update employer information, please review the details on this page.