A message from Duke Visa Services:
International Students: Are you graduating in May and hoping to remain in the US to work? Are you a continuing student who hopes to do an internship in the US this Summer? If so, then you will need to apply for work authorization so that you do not violate the terms of your visa status.
For students graduating this May, now is the time to prepare and file your application for F-1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) or J-1 Academic Training (AT). For those of you in F-1 status, we have detailed information and instructions about OPT on our website here: https://visaservices.duke.edu/visa-categories/f-1/f-1-optional-practical-training-opt/ Students on J-1 visas can get detailed information about AT here: https://visaservices.duke.edu/visa-categories/j-1/academic-training-students-j-1-status/
Continuing students on F-1 visas interested in pursuing internships in the US this summer will need to review the information about Curricular Practical Training (CPT) here: https://visaservices.duke.edu/visa-categories/f-1/f-1-curricular-practical-training-cpt/. Continuing students in J-1 status should familiarize themselves with pre-completion AT at the link listed above.
Students are strongly advised to file for OPT as soon as possible due to the potential for government processing delays. You do not need a job offer in order to apply for OPT. Students interested in CPT should submit their CPT requests as soon as they receive an offer since our office gets extremely busy closer to the Summer.
If you have specific questions about OPT, CPT or AT and your eligibility for those immigration benefits, please reach out to your Duke Visa Services Advisor. If you aren’t sure who your advisor is, you can identify them on our website based on your department: https://visaservices.duke.edu/about/department-liaisons/
