OPT ONLINE COURSE

▪ REQUIRED APPLICATION DOCUMENTS▪ CHOOSING YOUR START DATE▪ COMPLETING FORM I-765

LESSON 2

Bentley University Center for International Students and Scholars175 Forest Street, Student Center, Room 310Waltham, MA 02452 781 891-2829bentley.edu/ciss GA_CISS@bentley.edu

Presentation by Cara FrankowiczApril 21, 2016

In this lesson, you will be completing your required application documents and assembling your application packets.

The list of required application documents can be found on the Optional Practical Training section of the website by clicking here.

For simplification, in this lesson the list of documents to apply for OPT is placed into an Application Checklist:

At the end of this lesson, you’ll have all the documents you need for a complete OPT application.

We’ll start with the Post-Completion OPT Acknowledgement Form.

Application Checklist Post Completion OPT

Acknowledgement Form Status Letter (Registrar) Two Color US Passport Photos Form G-1145 Form I-765 Copy of Passport Bio and

Expiration pages Copy of F-1 visa in your passport I-94 Information Printout Copy of ALL previously issued I-

20s (IF APPLICABLE) copy of

previously issued EAD

OPT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

This form acknowledges that you understand the F-1 regulations during OPT, which you learned about in Lesson 1.

Fill out all of the information, and sign/date on the back at the bottom. Keep a copy of this form for your future reference, as it lists all of the regulations you must follow during your OPT period.

OPT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

Fill out all of the information, and sign/date on the back at the bottom.

You may choose your request EAD start date, or wait for OPT Intake Meeting if you need advice.

Keep a copy of this form for your future reference, as it lists all of the regulations you must follow during your OPT period.

OPT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORMThe Requested start of your OPT must be:

Within 60 days of the end date on your I-20

We will review more information about choosing your start dates later on in the lesson.

OPT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM:COMPLETE

Application Checklist Post Completion OPT

Acknowledgement Form Status Letter (Registrar) Two Color US Passport Photos Form G-1145 Form I-765 Copy of Passport Bio and

Expiration pages Copy of F-1 visa in your passport I-94 Information Printout Copy of ALL previously issued I-

20s (IF APPLICABLE) copy of

previously issued EAD

STATUS LETTER FROM THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE

STATUS LETTER FROM THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE

You must request an OPT Status Letter by completing the purple form at the Office of the Registrar. This letter takes 5 business days to be issued.

Click here to access the Registrar’s website

PASSPORT PHOTOS

PASSPORT PHOTOS

Submit two color US passport photos, taken in the last 6 months.

It is very important that your passport photos meet the USCIS photo requirements. Guidelines for acceptable photos can be found on the US State Department’sphoto composition guide.

Each country has different requirements for passport/immigration document photos. The photos you had taken in your home country may not meet the specific requirements of USCIS.

You can have US passport photos taken at many US Post Office locations, CVS, Walgreens, etc. Unacceptable photos could result in a delay in receiving your EAD or denial of your application.

PASSPORT PHOTOS

(OPTIONAL) FORM G-1145

This form gives permission to USCIS to notify you via text or email when your OPT application is received at the lockbox facility. Further communication about your OPT application will only be through regular US mail.

If you do not wish to submit this form, cross it out on the Application Checklist.

Download Form G-1145 from the Resources section in Blackboard (or click here).

(OPTIONAL) FORM G-1145

FORM G-1145:COMPLETE

FORM I-765

FORM I-765

Download Form I-765 from the Resources section in Blackboard (or click here).

We recommend that you complete this form on your computer, then print it and sign it.

HOW TO COMPLETE

FORM I-765

This section of the presentation explains each field that you need to fill in on the Form I-765. Complete your Form I-765 as you progress through this section.

You only need to complete the questions that are covered here; everything else should be left blank.

I AM APPLYING FOR:

Check this box

QUESTION 1

1. Write your FULL LEGAL NAME exactly as it appears in your passport.

2. Only use the Other Names Used field if you have legally changed your name in the US.

QUESTION 3

3. The address you write here is where your EAD and all USCIS correspondence relating to your OPT application will be mailed.

This must be a US address. You may use your US address, or Bentley’s CISS address.

QUESTION 3

Which address should you choose?

USE YOUR HOME ADDRESS IF:▪you are sure you will be living at that address at least 90 days after you mail your application to USCIS.

▪you have no problems with receiving mail at your address.

USE THE CISS ADDRESS IF:▪you will be moving after you mail your application to USCIS

▪you will be out of town/out of the country while your OPT application is in process with USCIS

▪you are unsure where you will be living approximately 90 days after you mail your OPT application to USCIS

QUESTION 3

If you use the CISS address:write it exactly as shown here, using the “Other Names Used” field (2) and “U.S. Mailing Address” field (3).

QUESTIONS 4–6

4. Enter your Country of Citizenship

5. Enter your Town/City of Birth, and Country of Birth (citizens of Canada should also write the Province)

6. Enter your date of birth

QUESTIONS 7–9

8. Check the appropriate boxes for gender and marital status

9. If you have an SSN, enter it here. If you do not have an SSN, leave this field blank (an SSN is not necessary to apply for OPT.)

7. +

The next few questions require information from your I-94 and entry stamp:

make sure these dates

match

date of entryplace of entry

QUESTION 10

10. Refer to your I-94 Information printout. Enter the Admission Record Number here.

QUESTION 11

11. Check “Yes” if you have been granted OPT in the past, at any school or education level.

(If you check “Yes,” your application packet must also include a photocopy of the front and back of your previously-issued EAD)

QUESTION 12

12.Enter the “Most Recent Date of Entry” shown on your I-94 Information printout.

QUESTION 13

13. Enter the 3-letter airport code under the word “Admitted” in the most recent entry stamp in your passport.

QUESTION 14

14. Enter the visa status written in the stamp.

QUESTIONS 15–16

15. Your current immigration status is most likely the same as what you wrote in question #14.

If you have changed your visa status since your last entry (for example, from H-4 to F-1), your answers to questions 14 and 15 may be different.

16. Eligibility category:( c ) ( 3 ) ( B )

CERTIFICATION

If you are completing the I-765 on your computer: Type in the date and your

phone number Save the PDF and print it

out

Sign using BLUE INK PEN

Make sure your signature stays inside the area indicated by the red dashed box.

CERTIFICATION

Your OPT application is scanned into the USCIS system, and the signature on your EAD is taken from your Form I-765. If your signature strays over the line, it may cause an error and delay your application.

Make sure you sign the I-765 using BLUE INK PEN. Black or other ink color is not acceptable for the signature.

Your Signature Here

FORM I-765:COMPLETE

PASSPORT

PASSPORT

Make two photocopies of your passport biographical / expiration date page(s).

Make sure your photocopies are clear.

Color or black + white are both acceptable.

You do not need to submit copies of any expired passports.

F-1 VISA

F-1 VISA

Make two photocopies of your most recent F-1 visa.

Make sure your photocopies are clear.

Color or black + white are both acceptable.

It is okay if your most recent visa has expired – just remember that you will need to apply for a new F-1 visa in your home country if you plan to travel outside the US and re-enter during your OPT period.

I-94

I-94

Look up your I-94 information on the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) website:

1. Go to cbp.gov/i942. Click on “Get I-94 Number Now”3. Enter your passport information4. Click “Get Most Recent I-94”

Download it and print 2 copies.You do not need to print out your Travel History.

I-94

If your most recent entry to the US was on a passport that has since expired, you will need to enter your expired passport information in order to retrieve your I-94 information.

Contact CISS if you cannot retrieve your I-94 information.

I-20

I-20

You need 2 copies of ALL of your I-20s from the entire time that you have been in the US. Yes – every I-20 you have ever had.

Copy pages 1 + 2 of "new format" I-20s; pages 1 + 3 of "old format" I-20s. Examples are on the following slides.

Double-sided copies are fine. If you make single-sided copies, do NOT staple the pages together.

(IF APPLICABLE) PREVIOUS EAD

(IF APPLICABLE) PREVIOUS EAD

If you answered “Yes” to question 11 on the Form I-765, submit 2 photocopies of the front and back of your previously-issued EAD.

DOCUMENT CHECKLIST

USCIS PROCESSING FEE- To complete your applicationYou must submit the USCIS processing fee along with your OPT application.

The fee is $410.

Payment can only be made by check or money order, payable to Department of Homeland Security.

If you write a check, it must be from a US bank account.

If you do not have checks, you can get a Money Order from a bank or the Post Office.

USCIS PROCESSING FEE

USCIS PROCESSING FEE

410.00

CHOOSING YOUR OPT START DATE

F-1 regulations state that OPT authorization must begin within 60 days of the Program End Date on your I-20.

CHOOSING YOUR OPT START DATE

Your I-20 Program End Date must match the date that you complete your program of study. Typically, this date will be the last day of finals of your final semester.

Check with CISS if you are unsure of your I-20 Program End Date.

The start/end dates that you select will be entered into SEVIS and appear on page 2 of your new OPT I-20.

Once the dates are entered into SEVIS, they cannot be changed.

THINGS TO CONSIDER…

The typical amount of time it will take for USCIS to process your OPT application is 90 days.

It is not possible to expedite an OPT application with USCIS, or accurately predict how long it will take for it to be processed.

THINGS TO CONSIDER…

There are many variables that could affect the speed at which your application is adjudicated.

If your application is delayed, USCIS has the authority to shift your selected start date to ensure that you receive the full amount of your OPT benefit.

However, USCIS cannot move the start date more than 60 days past the Program End Date on your I-20. F-1 regulations mandate that OPT must end no later than 14 months past the I-20 Program End Date.2 months grace period + 12 months OPT = 14 months

PRINT THE FORM BELOW AND FILL IT OUT TO HELP YOU CALCULATE!

This is a timeline showing how the USCIS processing time affects when you can begin working.Here, notice that the application is mailed well before the I-20 program end date (end of the semester), resulting in receiving the EAD before the selected OPT start date.

This student can start working on their selected OPT start date.

However, if the application is mailed late in the semester, the 90 days of USCIS processing time extends past the student’s selected OPT start date.

Even if USCIS moves the start date to the latest possible date, this student will lose some OPT time because: you cannot begin working until you receive your EAD OPT authorization must end no later than 14 months after the I-20

program end date

This one of the reasons why you cannot begin working until you receive your EAD, as the start date on the EAD may be different from the start date that you requested.

(Remember: once you have your EAD, you cannot begin working until the start date indicated on the card.)

NEXT STEP: 1. TAKE QUIZ #2 TO COMPLETE ONLINE COURSE2. ARRANGE APPLICATION DOCUMENTS3. SCHEDULE OPT INTAKE APPOINTMENT WITH CISS

4. Review Applicatio

n Materials with an Advisor

5. Pick up new I-20 and mail

Application to

USCIS

6. Receive EAD

COMPLETE QUIZ #2THEN YOU MAY APPLY

FOR OPT!