OPT for Canadian Students: How to Apply After Graduation

What OPT Gives You

Optional Practical Training (OPT) lets you work in the US in a job directly related to your degree for 12 months after you finish your program, without switching out of F-1 status. If your degree is on the STEM Designated Degree Program List and your employer uses E-Verify, your degree adds a 24-month STEM extension, for up to 36 months of work authorization total.

Step 1: Request a Recommendation From Your DSO

Talk to your international student office well before your program ends. Your designated school official (DSO) needs to recommend OPT in SEVIS and issue a new I-20 showing the recommendation before you file anything with USCIS. Ask your school about its internal deadline, since many offices need weeks to process the SEVIS recommendation before your filing window closes.

Step 2: Pick Your Application Window

File Form I-765 as early as 90 days before your program end date and as late as 60 days after it. Filing early reduces the risk of a work gap, since processing takes time and you cannot start working until your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) arrives.

Step 3: File Form I-765

File Form I-765 with USCIS, along with your new SEVIS-recommended I-20, passport photos, copies of your passport and prior I-20s, and the filing fee. Choose your requested start date carefully: it needs to fall within 60 days of your program end date and within the 12-month OPT period.

Step 4: Wait for Your EAD

Processing takes several weeks to a few months. Track your case status online, and do not accept a job start date before your EAD arrives and shows a start date that has passed. Working before your EAD is valid counts as unauthorized employment.

Step 5: Track Your Unemployment Days

Standard 12-month OPT allows a limited number of unemployment days total. Report your employer and any job changes to your DSO through the SEVIS portal your school uses, since gaps beyond the limit terminate your OPT authorization.

Applying for the STEM Extension

If your degree qualifies, apply for the 24-month STEM extension before your initial 12-month OPT expires. You need an employer enrolled in E-Verify, and both you and your employer complete Form I-983, a formal training plan describing how the position relates to your STEM field.

Part-Time Work and Volunteering

Part-time work of at least 20 hours a week in your field counts as employment for OPT purposes and helps you stay under the unemployment day limit. Unpaid work and volunteering count too, as long as the work relates to your field of study and would normally be considered employment if paid.

Health Insurance During OPT

Your school-sponsored health plan usually ends when you graduate, even while your OPT application is still processing. Confirm your coverage gap with your school's health office and your new employer's benefits start date, since a coverage gap of a few weeks is common around graduation and the OPT transition.

Keeping Your Address and Employer Updated

Report your current home address and employer information to your DSO within 10 days of any change while on OPT. Your DSO enters this information into SEVIS, and an outdated record is a common reason OPT students run into problems at their next border crossing or status change.

Grace Period After OPT Ends

F-1 students get a 60-day grace period after their OPT authorization ends, or after their program end date if they never used OPT. Use this window to prepare your next step: starting a new degree, transferring schools, changing to a different status such as TN, or leaving the US. You do not have work authorization during this grace period, even though you remain in the US.

After OPT Ends

Once your OPT period ends, you need a new basis to stay and work in the US, most often a TN job offer under CUSMA if you qualify, or an employer-sponsored H-1B petition. Start this conversation with your employer well before your authorization runs out, since neither option processes instantly.

Common Mistakes

• Filing after the 60-day deadline following your program end date, which forfeits OPT eligibility entirely.

• Working in a job unrelated to your field of study, which puts your OPT status at risk.

• Leaving the US for a long trip while your I-765 is pending, which complicates re-entry before approval.