Every OPT deadline that can break your status — calculated to the day.

How OPT and STEM OPT timing works

Post-completion OPT gives F-1 graduates 12 months of work authorization. A STEM-designated degree can add a 24-month STEM extension, for 36 months total. You can apply for initial OPT from 90 days before your program end date up to 60 days after — file later than 60 days and USCIS rejects it. The EAD takes roughly 3–5 months to arrive, and you can only start work after the EAD start date.

The unemployment limit is the silent status-killer

You may be unemployed for a maximum of 90 days during initial OPT. The STEM extension adds 60 more, for a cumulative 150-day cap across both periods. The clock starts on your OPT start date, not when you begin job-hunting, and time spent abroad while unemployed can still count. Cross the limit and SEVIS termination can be automatic — even if it was unintentional. Volunteer or unpaid work of 20+ hours a week (and self-employment on initial OPT) can stop the clock.

The STEM filing window

You apply for the 24-month STEM extension up to 90 days before your initial OPT end date, and the I-765 must reach USCIS no later than your OPT end date. STEM requires an E-Verify-enrolled employer and a signed Form I-983 training plan. If you file on time, you keep working while it's pending even if the EAD lapses (up to 180 days). The I-765 fee is $410.

Cap-gap: the bridge to H-1B

If your employer files a timely cap-subject H-1B change-of-status petition while your OPT (or grace period) is valid, cap-gap automatically extends your F-1 status — and your work authorization if your OPT was still active — until the H-1B start date (October 1) or April 1, whichever applies. If the H-1B is denied, withdrawn, revoked, or not selected, cap-gap ends and you get the standard 60-day grace period to depart. Cap-gap applies only to cap-subject petitions.