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REMINDER FOR STUDENTS ON OPT
As a student on OPT, you are still an F-1 student and you still report to the USCIS through UGA.
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During any 12-month period of standard post-completion OPT, no student may be unemployed for
an aggregate of more than 90 days.
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If you have chosen to receive your OPT/EAD card directly to your home address, you still need
to send us a copy of this card for our records.
You must email us at OPT@uga.edu with your employment information (employer name and address). Failure to do so may result in a violation of you status.
Students authorized for OPT (Optional Practical Training)
OPT is not a status. Optional Practical Training is work permission authorized by
immigration for an eligible F-1 student. While authorized for OPT work permission, the person
holds and must continue to maintain an F-1 student status. This can be confusing because in
most cases the F-1 student has already graduated with their degree. In some cases, the F-1
student may still need to defend a dissertation or thesis in order to graduate although they
have been authorized for “pre-completion” OPT. Students authorized for pre-completion OPT
(work permission that begins before graduation) must remember to keep a valid/unexpired I-20.
What is different when I am “on OPT”?
An F-1 student who has been authorized OPT permission is still required to
notify the international student advisor of changes in any information tracked
in SEVIS. This would include:
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Prospective Students
Students on OPT