90-Day Unemployment Rule

Once you receive your EAD card and your OPT starts, you are given a maximum of 90 days of unemployment, during which you are allowed to have no job, internship, or other training activity. It is up to you to keep track of your unemployment period. To stop the unemployment clock, report your OPT employment (see below). If you fail to report your OPT employment within 90 days, USCIS may automatically terminate your record, which will end your legal presence in the U.S. and forfeit your remaining OPT time.

OPT Update Form

You are required to report your first job/internship to ISSS within 90 days of your OPT start date. In addition, any change of job/internship or change of address must also be reported to ISSS within 10 days.

To report OPT employment, address and contact information and any changes, submit the OPT Update Form. After you log in with your DuckID, the OPT Update Form can be found under F-1 Student Services.