F-1 students seeking OPT can now file Form I-765 online

F-1 Students Seeking Optional Practical Training Employment Authorization Document Can Now File Form I-765 Online

On April 12, 2021, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that F-1 Students Seeking an Optional Practical Training (OPT) Employment Authorization Document (EAD) may now file their Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, online under any of the following categories:

• (c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT;
• (c)(3)(B) – Post-Completion OPT; and
• (c)(3)(C) – 24-Month Extension of OPT for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students.

Note that I-765 applications filed under any other categories are not eligible for online filing. Rather, these applications must still be submitted on paper to the appropriate USCIS service center.

OPT EAD applicants who use USCIS’s online filing system will be able to check their case status online and will be eligible to receive agency correspondence electronically rather than via mail.

Interested applicants must first create a USCIS online account at https://myaccount.uscis.gov/. Once registered, applicants can complete and submit the I-765 online and also pay the required filing fee.

If you have questions about a Form 1-765 filing or any other immigration related issues, please contact a member of the Outside GC Immigration Team: Lori Geisinger at lgeisinger@outsidegc.com or Ed Farwell at efarwell@outsidegc.com.