Time is Important When Applying for Optional Practical Training Says eShipGlobal

The US country boasts some of the top universities in the world, making it a destination of choice when studying internationally. American universities have seen a 40% increase in the number of international students choosing to study in the US. In 2016, the international student population exceeded one million.

These students come from all over the world to study various majors, ranging from STEM majors to business majors. They will be making America their home, at least until they graduate. After graduating, however, international students only have 60 days before they must return back to their home country. If they wish to gain some work experience in the US they can with Optional Practical Training (OPT), a 12-month working period granted to F-1 students.

Students can complete OPT either before graduation or after. In order to apply to OPT, students must have completed nine or more months of education at a US university. They only have a total of 12 authorized months that they can complete. Students can apply for OPT up to 90 days prior to graduating for a post-graduation OPT.

There are several steps and a lot of paperwork to fill out when applying for OPT, all of which takes time. Students submit OPT applications to their schools International Student Services office. This process can take 1-2 weeks. After the students receive their documents and OPT package, they need to fill out the forms and ship the documents to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office. Students are recommended to start the OPT process early because it can take the USCIS several months to process the application.

There are only two USCIS locations that accept OPT applications: Phoenix and Dallas. The state the student resides in will determine which location they will send the paperwork to. Because time is sensitive, students may want to consider expediting the process. eShipGlobal’s University Express Mail Service (UEMS), a trusted shipping service used by over 800 universities, has recently updated their system to making it even easier to ship OPT applications.

The UEMS system is completely free to sign up and the process is simple. Once signed in they click the OPT/Send to USCIS option and follow the steps. The USCIS addresses are already loaded into the system, so students just need to select the location they need to send their OPT to. Students can ship using trusting shipping carriers like UPS and FedEx, while saving money through the use of eShipGlobal’s discounted shipping rates.

There is only a 150-day time frame in which students have to complete the OPT process. UEMS’s new streamlined process for shipping OPT applications hopes to help students save not only money, but also time.

About eShipGlobal: ​

eShipGlobal is dedicated to serving the global community by providing solutions that simplify and enhance the shipment of goods. Their software shipping solutions make it easier for universities, research labs, and businesses to better manage their shipping while saving time and money. 

Media Contact: 
Saul Severe 
Phone: 972.518.1775 
Email: ssevere@eshipglobal.com