Optional Practical Training & Travel Issues

1. Now that I've turned in my OPT application, can I travel outside the U.S. while I wait for the card to come?

Officially, if you have an Optional Practical Training application pending with USCIS, you are not supposed to leave the country. If you do, USCIS may consider this departure as an abandonment of the application. Therefore, ISSS's official recommendation is that you DO NOT travel outside of the US while your OPT application is pending.

2. What if I have to travel out of the country for an emergency?

It does happen that students do indeed leave the country during this time period. The most common arrangement is that they ask a trusted friend or relative in the U.S. to pick-up the card for them at the ISSS and mail it to them by courier, so that the student can re-enter the U.S. with all of the required documents. If you are considering this path, consider that there are risks involved in this scenario: Your card could get lost in the mail or USCIS could send back your application due to some minor technicality (i.e. pictures, you forgot to sign a form, etc.), and if you are not in the country, it will slow the entire process even more.

3. What documents do I need to re-enter the U.S. while on OPT?

You will need your I-20 that has been recently endorsed on the travel line by ISSS; the Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) from the USCIS, your valid passport, and a current visa stamp. It might also be a good idea to carry your Offer of Employment letter with you as well. Please note that the ISSS cannot sign the back of your I-20 for travel while your EAD is pending with USCIS. Once the OPT is approved and you have received the EAD card, we will sign your I-20 for travel.

4. What if I still have some time left on my student program? Can I travel during that time, even though my I-20 shows that I've been recommended for OPT but it is still pending with INS?

Yes. You must be returning as a student to complete academic requirements. For example, a student who has applied for OPT in May, is enrolled during the summer, but who doesn't graduate until August, may still travel as a student until their graduation date by re-entering the U.S. with a valid passport, current visa stamp, and the I-20 endorsed by ISSS. We recommend that you carry with you a Letter of Good Standing which can be obtained from the Registrar's Office.

5. The visa stamp in my passport has expired, but I need to travel outside the U.S. while on OPT. Do I need to get a new visa stamp at an embassy?

If you are going to Canada or Mexico or other contiguous territories (except for Cuba), and staying for less than 30 days, you could re-enter the U.S. on your expired F-1 visa stamp, with a valid passport, your EAD card and an I-20 that has been recently signed by the IO. Be sure NOT to turn in your I-94 card. You must keep it in your passport to re-enter the U.S. on an expired visa. If you are traveling elsewhere, you will need to go to a U.S. embassy or consulate and seek a new visa stamp. See our Visa website for more information.

6. In what ways is my application to the embassy for a new visa stamp affected by being on Optional Practical Training?

The risk of denial for a F-1 visa renewal when you are on OPT is higher than while you are in your active student program, as the fact that the focus of your stay in the U.S now is that of working rather than going to school, it may be seen as an avenue for adjustment of status to permanent residence. The F-1 student visa requires that the applicant must intend to return to the home country at the end of the program, and if the embassy official is not convinced of your intention to return home, the visa application could be denied.

7. What documents do I need to show at the embassy for a new visa stamp under OPT?

You need to take a valid passport, your I-20 recently endorsed by a student immigration advisor in ISSS, your EAD card, and if you have already have employment, you would be well-advised to take an official Offer of Employment letter showing your salary, location of where you will be working, job duties, and beginning date. You should only take a letter if the job is truly temporary and will end before or by the end of your practical training time. You should also be prepared to discuss how this job experience will apply to the job market in your home country, and how you intend to apply it there.

8. Do I still need to get the travel line on my I-20 signed by an immigration advisor at ISSS during the period of my OPT?

Yes, during your OPT, if you need to travel outside the U.S., you need to have a recent signture of the back if your I-20. If you are not located in Austin, mail the original I-20 to ISSS for the travel endorsement well in advance of your departure date from the U.S. It is advised that you send the I-20 through express mail and enclose a self-address, pre-paid express mail envelope for ISSS to return your I-20.

Mailing Address (for regular mail):

Immigration Advisor

International Office

UT-Austin

P.O. Box A

Austin, Texas 78713-8901

Mailing Address (for express mail):

Immigration Advisor

International Office

UT-Austin

600 West 24th Street

Wooldridge Hall

Austin, Texas 78705

9. I want to leave the U.S. for a little while during the time my OPT application is in process, but I need to return to the U.S. before the card arrives. I have a tourist visa that is valid for 10 years. Can't I just enter the U.S. on my tourist visa (or another visa) while I'm waiting to get the EAD card, then start work with the card once I get it?

If you leave the U.S. and re-enter with a B visa or another type of visa, you will have an I-94 card that shows that you have been admitted under that particular visa status. This means that you have lost your F-1 status. Hence, your OPT application and card will be invalid.

Without the EAD card you will not be able to re-enter the U.S., as the OPT has been recommended on the back of your I-20. This recommendation indicates to the Port of Entry officer that you should be carrying an OPT card with you. Please note: students who are still enrolled (see #4) are allowed to re-enter the U.S. even if their card has not yet been approved.

Adapted from Cornell University website.