OPT Extension can only be used once!!!

One of my friends, Y, had a bad luck on OPT.

A few years ago, he graduated with his BS, and he successfully found a job which can sponsor him. He used his OPT(BS) to work for a year and he used his OPT Extension while his company helped him issue his H1B docs. Finally, he was lucky to get the H1B, but he used up his OPT(BS) and OPT Extension.

However, after one year, his company bankrupted and he had to go to pursue a MS to keep him in the US.


In May 2012, he graduated with his MS, and he successfully got his OPT(MS). During his OPT(MS) period, he was lucky to find a job again in May 2013 and the company promised to sponsor him, but the H1B has been used up at this time. He had to apply for the OPT Extension in order to legally work in the US. However, when he tried to apply for the OPT Extension again, the officer told him that the OPT Extension can only be used ONCE.


Currently, he found a tricky university in CA, which could register him as a student and offer him CPT.


Summary:
1. Dont use your OPT Extension if you really need to. You will have one OPT at each level of degree, but you will only have ONE OPT Extension.
2. When you have no way to go, try the kind of university I mentioned above.

You will have one OPT at each level of degree

.1point3acres是不是说，如果先后读两个MS degree,而且第一个MS已经用了opt，第二个MS就没有opt了？

小民 发表于 2013-7-16 20:56
是不是说，如果先后读两个MS degree,而且第一个MS已经用了opt，第二个MS就没有opt了？

我英语单词还是匮乏啊，自己读了一遍，还是觉得很蹩脚，哈哈。

嗯啊，是的，每一个学位只有一个，BS一个，MS一个，PhD一个，但是OPT Extension一生只有一次。

讲的很明白，一直以为是拿几个ms就有几个opt....

paopaoLover 发表于 2013-7-16 21:26
讲的很明白，一直以为是拿几个ms就有几个opt....

嗯啊，我也是到了毕业要用OPT才做了好多research，从各种学长那里学来经验，还有后门解决办法，哈哈。

我原来也是那么觉得的，但是后来看见了真正的OPT，发现两件事，一件事是美国人也不傻。。。。另一件就是以前好多设想都白想了。

Don not optimize future things if you haven't got it or known it so well.

是的，这是很多人都忽略的问题，OPTX一生只能用一次。另一个类似的东西是J-1 waiver。所以这种东西，不到迫不得已不要用，给未来多留一条后路。见到很多人说OPT有29个月好长啊，那是最理想情况，谁也说不准出个什么岔子就拿不到。不要拿最理想的情况去做打算。

Jawley 发表于 2013-7-22 19:17
是的，这是很多人都忽略的问题，OPTX一生只能用一次。另一个类似的东西是J-1 waiver。所以这种东西，不到迫 ...

嗯啊，说的很对，就跟玩游戏似的，不到万不得已不要用独一无二的必杀，要不可能最后Game Over的很惨。。。

留学生过来虽然是想闯一个不是太复杂的社会，让自己有更多机会成功，不用靠爹靠妈靠谁的，但是不是太复杂的社会，并不代表闯关难度就会变低。未知的事物太多了，所以不能只想到事情的理想面，要想到就算到最失败的一面自己还是能面对。

fros257 发表于 2013-9-8 01:35
好建议！ 你那个朋友用CPT做，做多也就是1年，怎么能撑到2014年10月1号的H1b生效呢？

CPT只要不是连续一年fulltime就行，他可以快到连续一年了，part-time干一个学期，就又能重新开始了。