[ARCHIVE] Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about COVID-19 and OPT

The International Center's physical offices were temporarily closed on March 16 due to the University's decision to increase social distancing by asking staff to work from home. For this reason, and to ensure the safety and well-being of both our staff and individual students, we are currently unable to provide in-person services (including access to the Center's photocopiers and printers). WE will make an announcement once our physical offices are permitted to re-open.

However, our virtual office is open. International Center staff are still working remotely to assist students with OPT applications and process OPT requests. You can get more information about OPT by:

• Going to our web site to read about OPT and start the OPT process
• Contact an international student advisor at internationalcenter@tufts.edu to schedule for a phone or web-based advising appointment
• Attend an online OPT workshop (to be scheduled soon)

Once you start the OPT process, we will work to arrange for your requests to be processed and documents to be mailed to you so that you can submit your application to OPT to USCIS. Through April 30, we are sending documents by Federal Express free of charge to students in order to reduce wait times caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because International Center staff are currently working remotely, we are using our online portals to receive and process requests. We are giving priority to OPT requests for students who graduate in May 2020. However, it may takes us up to one week to review and process documents. Once your request has been processed, we will prepare and send a new I-20 to you so that you can submit your OPT application to the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS). We will send your document to you by Federal Express free of charge through April 30, 2020 to get your documents to you as quickly as possible.

Please complete our Document Delivery Request form so we can arrange to send documents to you. Do not fill out the form until you have received an email from the International Center indicating that we have your EAD (and any other supporting documents) that were received for you at the International Center. Once we receive the Document Delivery Request and confirm your documents are available, we will arrange to send them to you by Federal Express or another delivery service.

We will be offering at least three more post-completion OPT workshops online (through Zoom) during late March, April and May. Please bear with us as we are currently transitioning our workshop to an online format.

We have posted our STEM OPT Powerpoint to the STEM OPT page. Please feel free to refer to the Powerpoint and contact us at internationalcenter@tufts.edu if you have any questions.

USCIS processing can be variable, but you should expect applications to take at least 3 to 4 months, on average, to be processed. We are monitoring to see if the current COVID-19 pandemic will affect processing times.

As of March 18, USCIS temporarily closed in-person services at its field offices due to COVID-19 conditions.

However, USCIS applications are processed by service centers (and specifically the Potomac Service Center for OPT applications), which receive applications by mail. As of this date, USCIS service centers are still operating. We will post an update in case USCIS changes or temporarily stops processing at the service centers because of COVID-19.

On your I-765 application for employment you must provide a valid US mailing address. This is the address to which all documents regarding your OPT application will be sent, including receipt notices, requests for evidence (if applicable), and finally your Employment Authorization (EAD) card.

We do not recommend using the International Center as your mailing address at this time. Due to the temporary closure of campus offices except for essential services, mail delivery to International Center locations may be delayed significantly. You should indicate your current US address or the address of a US relative, friend, or other person willing to receive your mail for you. If you are not actually living at that address, be sure to put the name of the person actually living at that address as a "in care of" (c/0) person on your I-765 application form.

If you later change your mailing address, you can complete a Change of Address request on the USCIS web site. You will need your I-765 receipt number, your original mailing address, and your new mailing address. You may also be asked to present a US physical address if it is different from your mailing address.

Yes, you must apply for OPT while you are inside the US. Contact the International Center to start the OPT application process as soon as possible if you expect to leave the US in the near future.

Yes, you can leave the US while your OPT application is in process (pending) with USCIS. However, you should be aware of the following risks:

• If you leave the US while your application is in process, and USCIS contacts you for more information, you may not be able to respond to their questions in time
• Once your OPT application is approved, you will need to arrange to have your Employment Authorization (EAD) card sent to you so you have the documents you need to return to the US
• If you need a new F-1 visa to return to the US, your visa application may be denied if you do not have valid US employment

In addition, due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, international travel is currently subject to multiple restrictions that may make it extremely difficult to leave or re-enter the US. Different countries - including the US - have imposed different entry suspensions and quarantine requirements, and many airlines have significantly reduced or canceled service even across major air routes. Finally, US visa services have been temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 crisis, so this may delay your entry if your current F-1 visa has expired. For these reasons, we strongly recommend avoiding international travel if at all possible, both while waiting for your OPT application to be approved and after, due to travel delays and interruptions due to COVID-19.

OPT is consider an individual student's application. For legal and related reasons, we cannot prepare or mail your OPT application for you. It is up to you to follow all USCIS and International Center instructions and mail your application to USCIS within required deadlines.

However, if you have questions about the OPT application package and process, please contact the International Center and an international student advisor will be happy to arrange a phone or Zoom appointment to go over the OPT process with you.

Even under normal or routine conditions, there are no guarantees when it comes to international travel and entry into the US. However, the current environment is especially difficult for travel because of the wide-ranging and deep impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on the US and other countries. In addition it is extremely difficult to predict how long visa and travel delays will persist due to the pandemic.

In routine circumstances you should be able to show the following when you return to the US while on OPT or STEM OPT:

• an unexpired passport valid at least six months into the future
• your Tufts OPT or STEM OPT I-20, with a travel signature no more than six months old on the date of your return
• your Employment Authorization (EAD) card
• proof of employment under OPT

We strongly recommend that you contact the International Center before making any travel plans especially while COVID-19 pandemic conditions continue to persist.

The requirements for employment during this time for both OPT and STEM OPT remain unchanged. Both types of OPT allow you to work in jobs that provide you with training and experience directly related to your major or to your STEM degree. Other types of employment are not permitted. Go to our OPT and STEM OPT pages for more information about acceptable jobs.

Many employers are asking or requiring employees to work from home or remote locations temporarily to encourage social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Temporary arrangements of this should not be a problem as long as the work continues to be related to your major or STEM degree. However, we recommend that you keep documentation (such as emails from your supervisor) indicating that you have been asked to work temporarily from home or another remote location during any COVID-19 related restrictions.

For STEM OPT, remember that you must continue to receive supervision and training from your STEM employer; please consult with them about how to continue your training if you have to work temporarily from home or another location due to COVID-19 related work restrictions.

Because of the current COVID-19 pandemic, you may have been required to remain outside the US for a temporary period due to travel restrictions. In this case, we will maintain your F-1 SEVIS record in active status as long as you are temporarily working from your home country due to these restrictions. You should maintain contact with your employer to ensure that you are able to perform your job duties and employment by using online or remote technology. We recommend keeping documentation (such as emails from your supervisor) that provides a record of these temporary arrangements. We will provide additional guidance as it becomes available if you are required to work overseas on a long-term basis as a result of the COVID-19.

If you are not able to continue your OPT or STEM OPT employment because you are overseas and no longer able to return to the US, please contact the International Center at internationalcenter@tufts.edu with details about your specific situation.

The rules regarding unemployment while on OPT and STEM OPT have not changed. Students on post-completion OPT have up to ninety (90) days of unemployment, i.e., days in which they have no work or training related to their majors. STEM OPT students are given an additional sixty (60) days of unemployment.

If you are on post-completion OPT, remember that you can include a variety of activities - paid jobs, unpaid internships, volunteer activity, and self-employment - as allowable employment, as long as each activity is related to your major and can be considered 'training' in your major field of study. If you are working under STEM OPT, you must have a 'employer-employee' relationship with an employer. This means that volunteering and self-employment are not considered acceptable for STEM OPT purposes.

Unfortunately, during this time of uncertainty it is possible that some students may temporarily or permanently lose employment as employers respond to COVID-19's economic impact. Any days after a loss of a job opportunity would be considered unemployment periods.

If you are currently working for an employer and the employer halts employment because of the impact of COVID-19, you should first talk with your employer's manager or human resources department to confirm your relationship with the company. In certain cases, employees may be temporarily furloughed (placed on a leave of absence) while in other cases the loss of employment may be, for all intents and purposes, permanent.

At this time, the International Center is not reporting as unemployment situations where an individual remains an employee but is placed on a temporary leave of absence from job duties due to financial considerations. However, we would consider it as unemployment if the employer effectively discontinues the position and releases the employee. Students on OPT or STEM OPT are required to report unemployment periods to the International Center within ten days.

The rules regarding unemployment while on OPT and STEM OPT have not changed. Students on post-completion OPT have up to ninety (90) days of unemployment, i.e., days in which they have no work or training related to their majors. STEM OPT students are given an additional sixty (60) days of unemployment.

If you are on post-completion OPT, remember that you can include a variety of activities - paid jobs, unpaid internships, volunteer activity, and self-employment - as allowable employment, as long as each activity is related to your major and can be considered 'training' in your major field of study. If you are working under STEM OPT, you must have a 'employer-employee' relationship with an employer. This means that volunteering and self-employment are not considered acceptable for STEM OPT purposes.

Unfortunately, during this time of uncertainty it is possible that some students may temporarily or permanently lose employment as employers respond to COVID-19's economic impact. Any days after a loss of a job opportunity would be considered unemployment periods.