International Student Services WVU Tech

Practical Training Instructions for F-1 Students

What is Practical Training?

 Practical Training is defined as a practical work experience that is directly related to your field of study and commensurate with your level of study.

 What Types of Practical Training are there?

 There are two types of Practical Training – Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Curricular Practical Training is work experience which is either required of all students in a specific degree program or, alternatively, which is listed in the course catalog as offering credit that will count towards a student's degree requirements. 

Optional Practical Training is any other practical work experience related to your degree studies.  It can be authorized in any combination of the following ways:  (1) full or part-time during school vacation periods; (2) part-time only, i.e., a maximum of 20 hours per week, while school is in session; (3) full or part-time after completion of all course work but prior to completion of a thesis, project, or the equivalent; or (4) full time after completion of all requirements for a degree program.

 How Much Time Am I Allowed on Practical Training?

 There is no time limitation for Curricular Practical Training, but a student who participates in full-time CPT for 12 or more months is not eligible for OPT.

 Your are allowed a maximum of 12 months of full-time Optional Practical Training (if you have not already used 12 months of full-time CPT) during each degree level.  Part-time OPT (maximum 20 hours per week) counts at only 50 %, e.g., 6 months of part-time OPT counts as only 3 months of the total of 12 months you are allowed.  You are eligible for 12 months of OPT for each degree level.

 How Do I Know if I'm Eligible for Practical Training?

 You are eligible for practical training if you

·         Are in good academic standing

·         Have been in F-1 status for at least one academic year

·         Are in valid status, that is

·         Your passport is valid at all times

·         You have been authorized by the INS to attend West Virginia University Institute of

        Technology

·         You continuously pursue a full course of study

·         You follow INS procedures for moving from one educational level to another (e.g., from Bachelor's to Master's) and for transferring from one school to another

·         You limit authorized employment to 20 hours per week while school is in session, and

·         You refrain from off-campus employment without authorization.

How Do I Apply for Practical Training?

Complete the following steps:

1. Attend a workshop on Off-Campus Employment at International Student Services or make an appointment with the Foreign Student Advisor

2. Complete all INS forms that are handed out during the workshop or in the Foreign Student Advisor's office, and gather all supporting documents for your application. (For OPT only, include photographs conforming to the description on the following page.)

3. Make an appointment with your foreign student advisor.

4. Bring all of the following documents with you when you meet with the foreign student advisor. (Your foreign student advisor will not review your application if it's missing any of these documents.)

Your "Academic Official's Certification"
Note: This certification is different for CPT than it is for OPT. Be sure you have the
correct Academic Official's Certification for the type of application you are submitting.
Employer's Letter
Required for CPT
Required for OPT prior to completion of studies
Not required for OPT following completion of studies
An unofficial transcript (available from Records, Room 127 Old Main)
Passport
Current I-20 and all previous I-20's
I-94

Additional documents your must bring only if applying for OPT:
A completed Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization Document, completed with code (c)(3)(i)
Filing fee of $120 for I-765 (check or money order)
I-765 "Signature Card" available in 314 Old Main on the day of your appointment
Two photographs of you which conform exactly to the following instructions. The pictures must:
-Have a white background
-Have been taken no earlier than 30 days before you send in your application
-Be unmounted; printed on thin paper; glossy, and unretouched
-Show a three-quarter front profile of the right side of your face, with your right ear
visible. Your head should be bare unless you are wearing a headdress as required by a
religious order to which you belong
-Not be larger than 1 ½ x 1 ½ inches, with the distance from the top of the head to just
-below the chin about 1 ¼ inches
-Bear your name printed LIGHTLY in PENCIL on the back of BOTH photographs

Note: Photographs can be obtained from a passport photographer, but are not the same as
passport photos. Be sure to give this description to the photographer BEFORE your
picture is taken.

5. Complete only one of the following procedures (A or B), depending on the type of application you are submitting:

A. For Curricular Practical Training: If all your papers are in order, your foreign student adviser will evaluate your application and, if he or she approves it, will authorize your CPT on the employment page of your Form I-20.

B. For Optional Practical Training: If all your papers are in order, your adviser will evaluate your application and, if he or she approves it, will recommend your OPT on the employment page of your Form I-20 and will return to you all your original documents. The Foreign Student Advisor will submit the documents to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.

IMPORTANT REMINDER: KEEP YOUR F-1 STATUS VALID AT ALL TIMES!!!
Extend your F-1 status (renew your F-1 visa certificate or I-20) if your studies cannot be completed by the expected completion date listed on the current I-20 and register until you have completed your studies, even if you hold optional practical training employment authorization

IMPORTANT NOTE: APPLICATION DEADLINE!
Optional Practical Training applications must be filed with the INS PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF ALL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE. Applications filed after the completion of degree requirements will not be accepted by the INS!!

TRAVEL WARNING!
If you leave the U.S. any time between the submission of your application for Practical Training and receipt of your employment authorization card, YOU WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO RETURN TO THE U.S. IN F-1 STATUS

Note: Sample document DO NOT print.

For Word document click here.

International Student Services WVU Tech.