Best OPT start date is the date you provide when you request your DSO for an OPT I-20 and is the first day that you are eligible to begin working on an F-1 student visa.

Note: whether you already have a job or not, USCIS has made it clear that you cannot start working till the Start Date mentioned on your EAD Card. Also, you must physically possess the EAD card before the first day of your employment on an F-1 student visa.

Your best OPT start date must fall on a date up to 60 days after your official Program Completion Date.

For example, if you are graduating on Dec 14th 2020, you can apply with an OPT Start Date between (and including) Dec 15th 2020 and Feb 12th 2021.

Note: USCIS provides case processing times here and sometimes, they may take longer than expected to process your application. This might result in you getting your EAD card after the OPT Start Date that you requested. The OPT Start Date on your EAD card is the later of: the OPT Start Date that you requested or the date your application was approved by USCIS.

For example, if you requested an OPT Start Date of Jan 20th 2021, but USCIS took longer than expected to process your application and approved your application on Feb 1st 2021, your OPT Start Date would be Feb 1st 2021.

What start date should I request if I don’t have a job yet while submitting my OPT I-20 request?

To maximize the amount of time you have to look for a job as well as your 12-month period of OPT, you should request a start date up to 60 days after your Program Completion Date. You do not need a job to obtain your EAD card and would have up to 90 days after your OPT Start Date to find a job.

For example, if you are graduating on Dec 14th 2020, and request Feb 12th 2021 (60 days after your Program Completion Date) as your OPT Start Date, you will receive your EAD card which will list Feb 12th 2021 as your OPT Start Date. Since USCIS allows up to 90 days of unemployment while on OPT, you will have 90 days after Feb 12th 2021 to find a job. This maximizes the amount of time you have to find a job, but reduces the amount of time you have to actually work at your job.

Note: USCIS’ rules state that the last date of your OPT must be 14 months after your Program Completion Date.

What start date should I request if I have a job lined up after my Program Completion Date?

As long as your job start date is before the 60ths day after your Program Completion Date, you should list your job start date as your OPT Start Date in your OPT I-20 request. Keep in mind, the latest start date that you can request is the 60th day after your Program Completion Date so if your job start date is after the 60 day window, you should request the 60th day after your Program Completion Date as your OPT Start Date.

For example, if you are graduating on Dec 14th 2020 and have a job lined up that begins Feb 20th 2021, you must request your OPT Start Date as Feb 12th 2021 (60 days after your Program Completion Date).USCIS will not approve a start date that is beyond 60 days after your Program Completion Date.

What happens if my job begins after the 60th day after my Program Completion Date?

The latest OPT Start Date that you can request is the 60th day after your Program Completion Date. This implies that you will accrue against your 90 day unemployment allocation until your official job start date. You should communicate with your employer to try and match your official start date with your OPT Start Date to minimize unnecessary unemployment accrual.

Based on the previous example, if you are graduating on Dec 14th 2020 and have a job lined up that begins Feb 20th 2021, you must request your OPT Start Date as Feb 12th 2021 (60 days after your Program Completion Date). This implies an accrual of 8 days against your allotted 90 days of unemployment.

What counts toward the 90 unemployment days?

If you do not have a job after the start date mentioned on your EAD card, you will start accruing unemployment days against the allotted 90 day limit.

Weekends, i.e. Saturdays and Sundays count towards your 90 day unemployment allocation. Time spent traveling outside of the US while unemployed will also count against your unemployment allocation.

Note: If you travel abroad while employed either during a period of leave authorized by your employer or as part of your employment, time spent outside the United States will not count as unemployment.

Related Post: Tips to Consider When Traveling While on OPT Pending