INTERNSHIP FOR INT’L STUDENTS Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Pre-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) Presented by: ISS, UW Tacoma

Benefit of Internship • Added experience on your resume • Getting a foot in the door with a potential employer • Opportunity to test drive a career • Learn field’s culture and etiquette • Getting a real world perspective • Chances to network/ gaining a mentor • Earn credits

Adopted from: http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/worklife/04/14/cb.why.internships.important/

Clarification of Terms • CPT: Curricular Practical Training • OPT: Optional Practical Training

• Pre-Completion OPT • Post- Completion OPT • STEM Extension OPT

Today’s workshop is focused on CPT and Pre-Completion OPT

CPT & Pre-Completion OPT Policy • F-1 students • Maintaining F-1 student status • Enrolled at Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

approved institution • Have been enrolled full time for one academic year (9

months) (time spent at prior institution counts) • Training must be directory related to major area of study • Training is paid or unpaid • Must register for an internship class (for CPT only) • If you are enrolled in internship class during your final

quarter, that class cannot be the only class registered.

Unpaid Internship Question: Do I need to get an authorization for unpaid training? Answer: No but it’s strongly recommended! Why? • Earning credit = better academic support and increased

learning. • In case of compensation/benefit offering, you can accept

them. • Documentation to support Request for Evidence from

USCIS in the unforeseen future.

Unpaid Internship Criteria • It is a volunteer work and it does not violate labor laws. • Look at Type of Employer:

• Unpaid “charitable” work for a non-profit charity is OK • Unpaid “charitable” work for volunteer food bank is OK. • Unpaid work for state or local government agencies may be OK, if

there is a “civic” purpose to the work. • Unpaid work for private “for profit” employers must meet “6 Factor

Test”: • Similar to training at vocational schools; • For benefit of trainee; • Trainee does not displace regular worker; • No immediate advantage to employer; operation may be impeded; • No entitlement to job; and • Trainee understands no wages paid.

Differences between CPT & Pre-Completion OPT CPT Pre-Completion OPT Who Reviews Your Application

ISS Office

United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

Fee

FREE! $410

Offer from Employer

Needed Not Needed

Registration for internship class

Needed (pay close attention to the deadline to add a class)

Not Needed

Differences between CPT & Pre-Completion OPT

CPT Pre-Completion OPT

Hours per Week

up to 40 hours per week

limited to 20 hours a week while school is in session and up to 40 hours per week during breaks.

Implication to Post-Completion OPT

Loss of eligibility when full time CPT benefit is used for 365 days. Otherwise, no impact.

Length of time will be counted against 12 month total of Post Completion OPT. For example… If you do 6 months of part time pre-completion OPT, 3 months will be deducted from 12 months post-completion OPT. If you do 6 month of full time pre-completion OPT, 6 months will be deducted from 12 months post-completion OPT.

Which benefit would you prefer? CPT or pre-completion OPT?

Internship Opportunities Search • UW Tacoma Career Development and Education

• Find Jobs and Internships

• Department specific listserve

How to Apply for Pre-Completion OPT • Schedule a face to face appointment with International

Student Advisor • Mika Mochida (Non business majors last name A-C) • Annemarie Martin (ALL Business majors and non-business majors

D-L) • Akane Yamaguchi (Non business majors last name M-Z)

How to Apply for CPT Step 1: Look for an internship and secure an offer letter. • The offer letter should include…

• Job title • Dates of employment • Number of hours per week • Brief description of work • Employer contact information

• Offer letter template available here.

How to Apply for CPT, continued… Step 2: Find an academic advisor or a faculty and complete necessary paperwork from your academic department. • Institute of Technology • Milgard School of Business • IA&S • Global Honors • Not sure? Consult with your faculty or academic advisor!

How to Apply for CPT, continued… Step 3: Register for an internship class • Specific course titles:

• MAcc: TACCT 601 Internship • Business: TBUS 468 • Institute: TCSS 497 • IAS, PPE, etc.: TPOLS 49, TESC or TIAS 496

• Pay a close attention to the deadline of adding a class each quarter!

How to Apply for CPT, continued… Step 4: Complete Online CPT Authorization Request • There is an email template which you need to copy &

paste and email to your academic advisor/professor to review and email back to ISS.

Step 5: Schedule an appointment with International Student Advisor or drop off documents at ISS front desk.

• Mika Mochida (Non business majors last name A-C) • Annemarie Martin (ALL Business majors and non-business majors

D-L) • Akane Yamaguchi (Non business majors last name M-Z)

Upon Approval… • Your International Student Advisor will issue you a new I-

20 with CPT authorization printed on the 2nd page of your I-20.

Reminder about CPT Period • CPT is usually only approved within the quarter that you

are taking the internship class… • For example, a Spring quarter internship can start on the day after

Winter quarter and ends on the day before Summer session begins.

• If you are in your final quarter, your CPT needs to end on the last day of the quarter.

• If you have an CPT opportunity which dates does not fall directly in a quarter dates, please speak with your Int’l Student Advisor.

• You must always have CPT authorized I-20 in hand in order to begin CPT, otherwise, you are violating F-1 student status.

• Advisors cannot approve CPT authorization for a passed date but only for the day of or for a future date.

Reminder about CPT Period • Your CPT authorization is contingent on your internship

class registration. If you need to withdraw from the class, your CPT automatically ends. Please be sure to complete the class and let me know if you come across any issue.