When should graduating students file for Optional Practical Training or Academic Training?
USCIS must have the Optional Practical Training requests for graduating F-1 students by the completion of studies date. To make certain that all paperwork is properly processed, we require graduating students to file their Optional Practical Training requests by May 1. However, students may want to file earlier because it may take the USCIS 90 days or more to process the application. Q: I reported my new address to Georgetown, but I still have not received any correspondence about my Optional Practical Training from the USCIS. Didn’t Georgetown tell the USCIS about my new address? A: If you have notified Georgetown of an address change, we have updated this information in the SEVIS system. Unfortunately, the address that we report in SEVIS is not transferred to your Optional Practical Training (OPT) application. USCIS uses a different database to store address information, thus all materials regarding OPT will be sent to the address you listed on the I-765 form (Employment Authorizatio
