Understand the 60-day post-OPT grace period — your rights, restrictions, travel rules, and options for maintaining legal status.
When your OPT employment authorization ends, you enter a 60-day grace period. This window gives you limited time to prepare your next steps — but many students misunderstand what's allowed during this period. Getting it wrong can result in unlawful presence and future visa problems.
After your OPT (or STEM OPT) end date, F-1 students receive a 60-day grace period to either depart the United States, change to another immigration status, or transfer to a new school. This grace period is automatic — you don't need to apply for it. However, it comes with significant restrictions.
If your OPT ends early — for example, because your EAD was revoked, or you accumulated too many unemployment days (90 days for standard OPT, 150 days for STEM OPT) — your grace period may be shorter. In cases of SEVIS termination, you may not receive a grace period at all. Always check with your DSO about your specific situation.
If you're planning to transition to an H-1B, the timing of the grace period matters. If your employer is filing a cap-subject H-1B petition and you were selected in the lottery, the cap-gap extension may cover you from your OPT end date until October 1 (the H-1B start date). If you weren't selected, use the grace period to file a change of status to B-1/B-2 to buy time, or prepare to depart and return on an H-1B if you secure a cap-exempt position.
The biggest mistakes students make include: continuing to work after their OPT end date (even briefly), traveling internationally expecting to return, waiting until the last day to file a change of status, and not notifying their DSO about their plans. Any of these can lead to unlawful presence, which triggers 3-year and 10-year re-entry bars if it accumulates to 180 days or more.
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Search H-1B Sponsors on Wisa →You can leave the U.S. during the grace period, but you generally cannot re-enter on your F-1 visa. The grace period is intended for departure preparation, not for round-trip travel. If you leave, plan it as your final departure from the United States.
Yes, and this is one of the most important uses of the grace period. You can file a change of status to H-1B, B-1/B-2, H-4, or other categories. The application must be received by USCIS before the 60-day grace period expires. Once filed, you are generally considered to be in a period of authorized stay while the application is pending.
Overstaying the grace period results in unlawful presence, which can trigger serious immigration consequences. If you accumulate 180 days to 1 year of unlawful presence, you face a 3-year re-entry bar. More than 1 year triggers a 10-year bar. These bars can prevent you from obtaining future visas.
The cap-gap extension and the grace period serve different purposes. If you have a pending or approved H-1B petition with an October 1 start date, the cap-gap automatically extends your F-1 status and OPT work authorization through September 30. The 60-day grace period would then begin after the cap-gap period ends, if applicable.