Ask Me Help Desk - Grad school after OPT

Hi,

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I am an undergraduate student with Indian citizenship in my senior year. I will be receiving a BA in computer science in May of this year. I have a few questions.

After graduating in May of 2007, I will start my 12 month OPT period immediately. Therefore, my OPT will be expiring in June, 2008. I am considering enrolling in grad school for the Fall 2008 semester, which usually begins in Aug. or Sept. (of 2008). Will I be out of status if my OPT expires in June and my grad school only begins in Sept? Can I avoid this, by getting my F1 renewed for grad school in June 2008 itself (since I will be applying early in the year, and have probably made a decision of which school to go to by April of 2008)?

My other question is regarding the area I can do a masters in. Does it need to be explicitly connected to the subject area of my bachelors (computer science)? And to make use of the 12 month OPT after grad school, do I need to get a job that requires a masters?

Thank you so much for your time and help.

Sincerely,
Vijay

My best advice to you would be to contact your international student services office at your institution. If your university offers F-1 visas, then they have professionals on staff to assist you with the ins and outs of staying in status. They will know best your enrollment history, the specifics around your OPT status and your EAD, as well as the specifics of your I-20. Contact them as early as possible in your planning and you'll avoid a great deal of heartache in the long run.

Best of luck to you!

Quote:

Originally Posted by vijay15685

hi,

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I am an undergraduate student with Indian citizenship in my senior year. I will be receiving a BA in computer science in May of this year. I have a few questions.

After graduating in May of 2007, I will start my 12 month OPT period immediately. Therefore, my OPT will be expiring in June, 2008. I am considering enrolling in grad school for the Fall 2008 semester, which usually begins in Aug. or Sept. (of 2008). Will I be out of status if my OPT expires in June and my grad school only begins in Sept? Can I avoid this, by getting my F1 renewed for grad school in June 2008 itself (since I will be applying early in the year, and have probably made a decision of which school to go to by April of 2008)?

My other question is regarding the area I can do a masters in. Does it need to be explicitly connected to the subject area of my bachelors (computer science)? And to make use of the 12 month OPT after grad school, do I need to get a job that requires a masters?

Thank you so much for your time and help.

Sincerely,
Vijay

YES YES YES... YOU will be OUT OF STATUS if your OPT expires in May 2008 and you get F1 VISA / student visa in August. IF that is the case you NEED to contant INS immediately and notify this situation. They can get you in for summer school so you are in status while you are still in U.S. However, DO NOT delay this matter because once you are close to the out of status timeframe... there is not much anyone will be able to do.