Can I Travel With Opt Status?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Students who have exceeded the maximum days of unemployment while on their OPT are considered out-of-status. While on post-completion OPT, you are permitted to have

no more than 90 days

total of unemployment.

Can OPT students travel to USA from India?

The requirements related to the Indian travel ban are met by OPT students, because they are treated as returning students, who can travel like other continuing students no earlier than 30 days before August 1, 2021. The second set of requirements is common to all OPT holders: You must have a valid passport and F-1 visa.

Can I travel after applying OPT?

Traveling after OPT is approved:

Students who have their OPT approved and are working should carry the following while traveling:

Passport that is valid for at least 6 months

.

F-1 visa in passport

(go to visa interview if necessary and carry I-797 change of status approval notice from USCIS.

Can you travel during OPT grace period?

Can I travel abroad and reenter during the 60-day grace period after completing F-1 study or OPT? If you will not apply for OPT, a STEM OPT extension or a change of status to another nonimmigrant category,

you will not be able to travel abroad during the 60-day grace period

and be readmitted in F-1 status.

Can I travel to Canada while on OPT?


Travel to Canada while on Post-Completion OPT or the OPT STEM Extension is permitted

. Please review our travel information for students on OPT to learn more.

Can I travel with employment authorization card?

This card authorizes parole, not admission, to the U.S. Parole is not an admission or “entry”. If you obtain this card,

you may use it to travel abroad and return to the U.S.

Upon arriving at a port-of-entry, you should present the card to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officer to request parole.

Can I work remotely on OPT?

Students currently participating in OPT, including STEM OPT,

may work remotely if their employer has an office outside the United States or the employer can assess student engagement using electronic means

. Students participating in STEM OPT do need to submit an updated Form I-983 to report remote work.

Can I travel before OPT?


International Travel is NOT recommended before the OPT is approved and before you have received your EAD card

. If your OPT application is rejected or denied while you are outside of the U.S., you will not able to re-enter the U.S. in F-1 status.

Can I travel while my EAD is pending?

Can I travel While H4 EAD is pending?

You can travel out of the country while your standalone H4 EAD application is pending with USCIS

. Note that H4 EAD can be denied if your H4 COS or an extension is also pending with the EAD application.

Can I renew my f1 visa on OPT?

Can I renew my F-1 student visa while on post-completion OPT or the STEM OPT Extension?

Yes. Students who are on OPT may apply for an F-1 student visa.

Can I go to Mexico on OPT?

The best case scenario for traveling abroad while on OPT is that

you have a valid passport, valid F-1 visa, valid EAD, and I-20 with a recent travel signature

, and you are coming back to work on your OPT.

Can I travel on CPT?

CPT is authorized with the understanding that you will be working during the entire listed employment period, therefore

it is best to limit travel to before or after your CPT dates

. Before traveling outside the U.S. you should discuss your travel plans with your employer.

Can I travel during H-1B processing?


You must not travel outside of the U.S. while the petition is pending

. Leaving the country while USCIS is reviewing your petition will cause USCIS to consider your petition for a change of status to be abandoned.

Can I travel while H-1B is pending?


You can travel outside the US while H1B change of status is pending

. The risk of travel is that USCIS will automatically abandon your Change of status request. You will have to get the hard copy of your approved H1B’s i797 and apply for an H1B visa at the US embassy before you can enter the USA with an H1B visa.

Can I travel while my i 765 is pending?

It may take up to three months for USCIS to approve the I-131 and I-765 applications.

Nonimmigrants holding H or L status do not need advance parole authorization to travel outside the United States while their AOS application is pending

.

Can stem OPT students travel to India?

If students, including those on F-1 OPT/STEM OPT or J-1 Academic Training, who have been physically present in China, Iran, Brazil, South Africa, or India want to enter the U.S. before August 1, 2021, they would need to travel to another country not subject to the travel restrictions for at least 14 days before …

What if f1 visa expires before OPT?

You are certainly not required to renew your entry visa in order to maintain status within the United States. However, if you travel outside the United States after your F-1 visa expires, but haven’t completed your studies,

you will need to apply for a new visa stamp before you can reenter in F-1 status

.

Can I work for more than 40 hours on OPT?

For pre-completion full-time OPT, you can work for more than 20 hours a week but

not more than 40 hours a week

. You need not have a job offer in hand while applying for an EAD card for a pre-completion job.

What happens after 90 days of unemployment on OPT?

If you exceed the 90 days of unemployment,

you will no longer be in a valid immigration status

, and this can both affect your ability to remain in the US, and may mean ineligibility for future immigration benefits (such as a change of status to H-1B), or denial of a future visa application.

Can F-1 students work at home country?

This question lies squarely at the intersection of immigration & tax law, and the short answer is

no, except for nonimmigrants in the F-1 (Academic Students), J-1 (Exchange Visitors) & Q (Cultural Exchange Participants) visa categories.

Timothy Chehowski
Author
Timothy Chehowski
Timothy Chehowski is a travel writer and photographer with over 10 years of experience exploring the world. He has visited over 50 countries and has a passion for discovering off-the-beaten-path destinations and hidden gems. Juan's writing and photography have been featured in various travel publications.