How to Apply for OPT in 2020 — Checklist for International Students

How to apply for OPT in 2020? To be clear, your college’s international student office will always have the latest information. But today, I want to share what I wish I had known!

In this video, I walk you through the complete checklist of every document and cost you need to prepare for before you can even submit the application for post-completion Optional Practical Training.

Even if you’ll only be applying for OPT one or two years from now — and even if you’re not sure whether you even want to apply for OPT yet — it’s important to take note of everything you need as early as possible so that you can have enough time to get it done.

For example, did you know it costs $550 to apply for OPT? Finding out about this only two months before I needed to apply added so much necessary stress to my senior year, which is already a very stressful time. If I had learned how to apply for OPT much earlier, I could have saved myself a lot of time and money. I could have been much more prepared for the OPT application process.

Are you thinking about working in the US after graduation? Is there anything you still don’t know about the OPT application process? Let me know in the comments below.

While I can answer your questions as best as possible based on my experience, I recommend that you reach out to your school’s international student office to confirm that you have all the right information you need. They are the best source.

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ACRONYMS USED IN THIS VIDEO:
• OPT — Optional Practical Training
• EAD — Employment Authorization Document
• USCIS — United States Citizenship for Immigration Services

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WHAT TO WATCH NEXT:
How I Got My Driver’s License in the US — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTpD6C8Ih60
How to Find a Job in the US in 2020 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1nHIt74gE0
Resume Tips for International Students — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFblqO7F8es&t=11s
3 Tips to Secure Your CPT Internship — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VV9jjBlKyQ&t=4s
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SOUND CREDITS:
"Bell, Counter, A.wav" by InspectorJ (www.jshaw.co.uk) of Freesound.org
"Swipe Whoosh" by qubodup (https://qubodup.github.io/) of Freesound.org