留学生毕业后合法工作靠OPT：每个学位层级12个月、STEM专业可再延24个月，先拿DSO推荐再向移民局递I-765
美国国土安全部的 Study in the States 指南把 OPT（选择性实习训练）说得很清楚：这是 F-1 学生与所学专业直接相关的工作许可。每个更高的学位层级有12个月常规 OPT，本科毕业有12个月，读完硕士再有12个月。用在毕业前的叫毕业前 OPT，可以兼职或全职；用在项目结束日之后的叫毕业后 OPT，必须是每周至少20小时或全职。
申请的顺序不能反。先由学校的指定校方代表（DSO）在 SEVIS 系统里做 OPT 推荐并发新的 I-20，学生再向移民局（USCIS）递交 I-765 表申请工作许可。I-765 必须在 DSO 推荐后的30天内送到移民局，提前递或逾期递都会被拒，申请费也不退。批准后移民局寄出工作许可卡（EAD），卡上的开始日期之前绝不能开工。还有一条红线：在同一层级用满12个月全职 CPT（课程实习训练）的学生，就不再有 OPT 资格。
STEM 专业多一条路：在国土安全部认定的 STEM 学位名单上、雇主参加联邦 E-Verify 的毕业生，可以在常规 OPT 之上再申请24个月的 STEM OPT 延期，前后合计最长36个月；雇主已经替学生递交了符合条件的 H-1B 抽签类申请的，还有衔接用的 Cap-Gap 延期。在 OPT 期间上班后，要把雇主信息报给 DSO，姓名、住址和就业信息有变化也要在10天内报告。
国土安全部2026年10月曾就 OPT 收费发布过一份拟议规则征求意见，那是提案不是现行规定，目前执行仍以本篇所述的现行流程为准。打算毕业后留美工作的学生，提前一学期就该和学校国际学生办公室把时间表排好。（来源：美国国土安全部）
OPT Is How F-1 Students Work After Graduation: 12 Months per Degree Level, 24 More for STEM, a DSO Recommendation First and Then Form I-765 to USCIS
The Department of Homeland Security's Study in the States guidance describes Optional Practical Training (OPT) as the work permission that lets eligible F-1 students get real-world experience related to their field of study. Twelve months of regular OPT are available for each higher level of study, so a student may have 12 months for a bachelor's degree and another 12 months for a master's degree. OPT used before the program end date is pre-completion OPT and may be part-time or full-time; OPT used after the program end date is post-completion OPT and must be at least 20 hours per week or full-time.
The order of steps matters. A designated school official (DSO) first recommends OPT in SEVIS and issues an updated Form I-20; only then does the student apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Form I-765. The application must reach USCIS within 30 days of the DSO's recommendation: filing before the recommendation or after the 30-day window means denial and a lost fee. Once USCIS approves, it issues an Employment Authorization Document (EAD), and the student must not begin working before the start date printed on the EAD. One more line is firm: a student who has been authorized for 12 months or more of full-time Curricular Practical Training at the same level is no longer eligible for OPT.
STEM graduates have an additional path. Students who majored in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics degree designated by DHS can apply for a 24-month STEM OPT extension on top of regular OPT, up to 36 months in total, and students whose prospective employers filed a qualifying H-1B cap-subject petition may be covered by a cap-gap extension. While on OPT, students report employer information to their DSO and must report any change in name, address or employment within 10 days.
DHS published a proposed rule on OPT fees for public comment in October 2026; a proposal is not the current rule, and the process described here remains the one in force. Students planning to work in the United States after graduation should map the timeline with their school's international office a semester ahead. (Source: U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
来源：美国国土安全部
发布：GSM·美国（发布链接）
图片来源：Wikimedia Commons 摄影，CC BY-SA 4.0：学生在北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校校园里（示意：留学生校园生活）
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