OPT Application Guide: How to File Form I-765 for OPT

For a post-completion OPT application, ask your DSO to recommend OPT in SEVIS and issue an updated Form I-20, then file Form I-765 with USCIS within 30 days of that recommendation. Your filing must fall between 90 days before and 60 days after your program end date. The I-765 fee is $470 online or $520 on paper. Once approved, you may work up to 12 months and be unemployed for no more than 90 days in total.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. The proposed $70,000 OPT fee is not in force; see below.

OPT application key facts

New to the difference between training types? Read CPT vs OPT first.

OPT application step by step

1. Request OPT from your school. Use your international office’s OPT request process (each school has its own form).
2. DSO recommendation. Your DSO checks eligibility, enters the OPT recommendation in SEVIS, and issues a signed Form I-20 showing the recommendation.
3. Sign the new I-20. Check your name, SEVIS ID, program end date and requested OPT dates.
4. Choose your start date. It must be on or after your program end date and no more than 60 days after it.
5. File Form I-765 with USCIS. Do it within 30 days of the DSO recommendation and within the 90-days-before to 60-days-after window. Include the fee and supporting documents the form instructions list.
6. Watch for a Request for Evidence. If USCIS sends one, reply by the stated deadline.
7. Receive your EAD. If approved, USCIS issues an Employment Authorization Document.
8. Start work only on or after the EAD start date. Then report your employer to your DSO or through the SEVP Portal.

Study in the States lists these same steps. The USCIS Policy Manual confirms the filing window and the 30-day rule.

The filing window: 90 days before to 60 days after

Two clocks run at once, and you must satisfy both:

• Program-end clock: USCIS must receive your I-765 no earlier than 90 days before your program end date and no later than 60 days after it.
• DSO clock: USCIS must receive it within 30 days after your DSO enters the recommendation in SEVIS.

Study in the States warns that early or late filings are denied and the fee is lost. A practical example: if your program ends on 15 May 2027, the window opens around mid-February 2027 and closes around mid-July 2027. If your DSO recommends OPT on 1 March 2027, you must file by about 31 March 2027. Count the days exactly on a calendar for your own dates.

Why file early: you cannot work until the EAD arrives and its start date is reached. Filing near the start of the window gives USCIS more time before your planned job start.

How much does OPT cost in October 2026?

The Form I-765 fee is set in the USCIS fee regulation. 8 CFR 106.2(a)(44) sets it at $520, and 8 CFR 106.1(g) makes online filings $50 cheaper. That gives:

• Online: $470 (about Rs 71,553).
• Paper: $520 (about Rs 79,165).

What about the October 2026 fee increase? USCIS’s FY 2027 inflation adjustment, effective 16 October 2026, raised initial EAD fees only for asylum applicants, parole and TPS (from $560 to $570). The Federal Register notice does not list F-1 OPT categories. Our USCIS fee increase explainer has the full list. Always check the fee on the USCIS Form I-765 page on the day you file, because USCIS rejects filings with the wrong fee and fees are non-refundable.

The proposed $70,000 OPT fee is not in force

On 8 October 2026, DHS published a proposed rule (docket ICEB-2026-0100) that would make schools pay $70,000 for a student’s first OPT recommendation and $30,000 for any later one, including STEM OPT. Comments are open until 9 November 2026. A final rule would take effect 60 days after it is published, and the fee would apply to recommendations dated on or after that date.

Today, nothing has changed. If you are eligible now, talk to your DSO about your timing under the current rules. Do not pay anyone who claims to collect a “new OPT fee”.

The 90-day unemployment limit

Under 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii)(E), as published on ICE’s SEVP regulations page, you may not accrue more than 90 days of unemployment in total during post-completion OPT. Study in the States says SEVP can terminate students who go over the limit.

• Work must be at least 20 hours a week and directly related to your major to count as employment.
• The limit is a total. Gaps between jobs add up.
• If you move to the STEM extension, extra unemployment days apply. See our STEM OPT extension guide.

What counts as OPT employment?

The USCIS Policy Manual defines practical training as employment directly related to a student’s major area of study. For post-completion OPT, Study in the States says the work must be at least 20 hours a week. You should be able to explain in a sentence or two how your daily duties use what you studied. Write that explanation down when you start each job and keep it with your offer letter. If a DSO, a future employer or a visa officer later asks how your OPT job related to your degree, you will have a clear, consistent answer.

Reporting while on OPT

Study in the States says students on OPT must report name changes, address changes and employment changes to their DSO within 10 days. You can enter employer information yourself through the SEVP Portal. Keep a simple record of each job: employer name and address, start date, hours, and how the job relates to your degree.

For Nepali students

• Talk to your DSO before any trip home while OPT is pending or after you graduate, and ask what documents you need to return.
• Use a US address you can trust. USCIS mails the EAD card. A missed card can cost weeks.
• Plan money for the gap. Between graduation and your first paycheque you may need two or three months of rent and food. Our student budget guide helps.
• Taxes continue on OPT. See our F-1 student taxes guide.
• Thinking about H-1B? See the H-1B lottery explained and the cap-gap extension.

Common mistakes

• Filing more than 30 days after the DSO recommendation.
• Filing before the DSO recommendation is in SEVIS.
• Starting work before the EAD start date, even for a “trial week”.
• Paying the wrong fee or an old fee.
• Forgetting to report employer details, so SEVIS shows you as unemployed.
• Letting the request sit: SEVIS auto-cancels an OPT request still in “Requested” status after 180 days.

Frequently asked questions

When can I apply for OPT after graduation?
From 90 days before your program end date until 60 days after it, and within 30 days of your DSO’s recommendation in SEVIS.

What is the OPT application fee in 2026?
$470 if you file Form I-765 online and $520 on paper. The October 2026 inflation increase did not change this fee.

Is the $70,000 OPT fee in effect?
No. It is a proposed rule published on 8 October 2026, with comments open until 9 November 2026.

How many days can I be unemployed on OPT?
No more than 90 days in total during post-completion OPT.

Can I work while my OPT application is pending?
No. You can start only on or after the start date on your EAD.

Related guides

• US Visa Interview Day at the US Embassy Kathmandu
• US Driving License for International Students: F-1 Guide
• H-1B Lottery Explained for F-1 Students (2026 Rules)
• DS-160 Form Guide for F-1 Students from Nepal (2026)
• Form I-20 Explained: What Nepali F-1 Students Must Check

Sources

• USCIS Policy Manual, Volume 2, Part F, Chapter 5: Practical Training
• Applying for practical training – Study in the States (DHS)
• F-1 Optional Practical Training – SEVIS Help Hub (DHS)
• SEVP governing regulations, 8 CFR 214.2(f) – ICE
• 8 CFR 106.2, USCIS fees – Legal Information Institute
• 8 CFR 106.1, online filing discount – Legal Information Institute
• Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization – USCIS
• FY 2027 inflation increase for certain fees – USCIS
• Optional Practical Training Fees, proposed rule – Federal Register

Last checked: 20 October 2026. This is general information, not legal or immigration advice.