Everything You Need To Know About Optional Training Program(OPT)
The United States offers a training program that allows international students to work in their country without changing their visa status. It offers an OPTIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM to international students who have completed a full-time academic study in the US. You can go to OPT before or after completing your studies, but you are only allowed to work for 12 total months.
OPT students with certain degrees in Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are eligible for 24 months extension of their post-graduation OPT program. The United States government replaced the old STEM extension of 17 months with the 24 months extension program which is even better now.
You can take your OPT before or after the completion of your studies but I will recommend you to go for it after the completion of your studies as if you belong to the STEM category you will be able to extend your OPT for 24 months that means you can work in the US for 36 total months.
You will get a 90 day period to find an OPT job so you have to be very attentive in that time span because if you fail in doing so you will lose your OPT and F1 visa status. It is good for you to start looking for a job in your relevant field a year before as you will have to market your professional resume for which you will have to consult an agency that can train you professionally. I would like to suggest a good organization for you if you are an OPT candidate or planning for the same. Unitedopt is one of the best places to look for an OPT job as they don’t just share the job links with you but also help you to prepare for the job interview by making a professional resume for you and they will also train you for the placement by providing a professional personal trainer. They are dedicated to serving the OPT students who are looking for a perfect matching job.
OPTIONAL TRAINING PROGRAM is a serious advantage the United States government provides to international students over other destinations. You can also go for higher education programs like PhDs or masters. The majority of the international students have taken some amount of loan to show the funds required for their education visa. So the majority of international students choose to work before or after completing their studies. It is suggested to pay half of your college fees in advance so you can unnecessary trouble.
According to my research, 50 percent of the OPT candidates are STEM graduates. There is one more advantage that OPT STEM candidates can enjoy is their employer can also place them off-site. For example, the candidate who is employed by a California-based entity can be sent to a third-party client in New York for work.
Some Final Tips for International Students
Start networking with alumni and professors. They are usually helpful to students.
OPT is a great way to obtain a work visa in the US and if you plan to return to your home country, your experience in the US market will be extremely valuable.
Start your job hunting by targeting metro areas like Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle as you will have the highest chances of getting a job in any of these cities.
45 percent of international students find a job where their school is located. So keep in my mind that networking is very very important.
Be determined and quick!