ACTIONS TO TAKE AT COMPLETION OF OPT

At the completion of OPT, students receive a 60-day grace period to remain in the U.S.

During your 60-day grace period, you can do one of the following:

• Remain in the U.S., but you cannot work in the U.S. unless you obtain additional employment authorization under another visa status.
• Depart the U.S., but once you depart, your grace period ends - even if you had time remaining.
• Transfer your SEVIS record to another school to start another academic program.
• Request a Change of Program Level I-20 if you are starting another program at UC San Diego.
• Contact ISPO directly if you have questions about what to do next.

If you are planning to apply for a change of status to H-1B, and your OPT end date is between April 1 and October 1 during the year that you apply for the H-1B status, you may be eligible for an extension of your OPT to accommodate for the gap between the end of your OPT and the beginning of your H-1B. This extension is known as Cap Gap. Visit our Cap Gap Extension page for more information.

If you have received an approval notice for your H-1B, then make sure to update your immigration status by submitting the "Termination or Completion of Status Reporting Form" in iportal.ucsd.edu .

F-1 students who earned bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees in certain science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields may be eligible for an extension of post-completion OPT. If you are eligible, you may apply up to 90 days before your OPT EAD expiration date, but no later than the expiration date of your OPT. Visit our STEM OPT Extension page for more information.