<p>What paperwork do you have to fill out to get an internship as an international student?</p>
<p>Is it done through the school or the company giving you the internship have to do it? (decreasing your chances of landing an internship)</p>
<p>Any international students land any internships?</p>
<p>An F-1 visa makes you eligible for 12 months of Optional Practical Training (OPT) for the duration of your degree program, which you can use to work off-campus full-time during breaks and after graduation, or part-time while school is in session. You apply for OPT through your college - you don't need a job offer at all. FYI, every OPT application costs $340.</p>
<p>I would also like to mention that many students save their OPT for post-graduation employment. Saving most of your OPT is important if you plan to stay in the States because you need your OPT to last through April of the year following graduation, at which point you can apply for a work visa.</p>
<p>So you can use the OPT as a temporary work visa after graduating while they do the paperwork for the H1 visa?</p>
<p>Would you start filling it out before graduation? about how long does the process take to get approved for OPT? Are there usually good chances or they deny a lot of people? </p>
<p>Thanks for the info</p>
<p>I think you can and should apply for the OPT authorization 90 days before you need it. (It might be 60 for post-graduation OPT, not sure.) The OPT authorization is almost guaranteed, but it takes a while to be processed.</p>
<p>And yes, you can use your remaining OPT time as a "temporary work visa" after graduation. There are a few restrictions (your job has to be related to your major, you have to start working within 30 days of graduation, you may not be unemployed for more than x days at a time etc) but that's a pretty common use of OPT.</p>
<p>All the replies so far was talking about OPT. To get internship, DONT apply for OPT.</p>
<p>OPT is valid only for 1 year and with new OPT extension rules(17 months), you cannot be unemployed for more than 90 days in first 12 months. So, don't use OPT for internship.</p>
<p>29</a> Months OPT Rules - 17 Months Extension</p>
<p>CPT ( Curriculum Practical Training ) can be used to for internship. If you are in F-1 Visa, this is the process to get CPT</p>
<p>1) Get internship offer ( Students</a> Guide to find jobs using LinkedIn )
2) Get approval from your department adviser for intern ( have job offer letter in hand)
3) After you get approval in department, then will give you letter, that you can take it to International office.
4) Submit the documents they need, you will get new I-20 in 1 week time with CPT approved.</p>
<p>Bingo! you just got internship and permission to work.</p>
<p>Remember - You cannot use more than 365 days in CPT. then OPT gets canceled. But, you can use 364 days in CPT, but schools have specific rules for CPT.</p>
<p>You are right, CPT is an option for some students. However, CPT is only granted if the internship is required for your degree program or if you receive academic credit for it. If your college does that, that's great, but many colleges don't. (Mine doesn't.) Colleges who do give academic credit for internships usually charge tuition for those credits, and who wants to pay summer tuition?</p>
<p>Btw, the 17-month OPT extension thing is an interim rule that may not be in effect anymore 2 or 4 years down the road.</p>