OPT stands for Optional Practical Training. As the name says, it\u2019s training in your relevant field after graduating from the program at US schools. Time you get for training is 12 months, and if you are in the STEM related fields \u2014 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics \u2014 you get an extension of 24 months. OPT is important to you because it\u2019s the channel through which you get training, legally stay in the US after completing your degree program, and transition during the period to a work visa, called H1-B. OPT time if well used can help you land up in the job even when you don\u2019t have anything in hand while you graduate. According to the federal reporting requirements, the student in OPT has to periodically report any changes happening to his employer, his employment, and personal identity to the school, which will transmit the changes to the US government. The revision to the STEM duration has not changed much the existing reporting requirements except that the employer has to have a plan for your training, and it has to be documented and reported, to ensure that OPT time is used and not abused by the employer and the OPT applicant. This is all you need to know.<\/p>\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"