OPT Application Periods:

For Curricular Practical Training (CPT), please contact Matthew Jones for BCC  (mjones2@peralta.edu) or Michael Goldberg for LAM (mgoldberg@peralta.edu). You will need to enroll in a COPED course and upload an employment letter in GPS.

OPT Employment Resources

While you are on OPT, you are required to report your employment related to your course of study within 10 days of being hired and are not permitted to be out of employment for more than 90 total days during your approved OPT period. Please report your employment in the SEVP Portal or by emailing this Employment Reporting Form to dgephart@peralta.edu.

Fall 2020 Employment Authorization Workshop Slides / Zoom Recording

APPLYING FOR Optional Practical Training (OPT)

If you are in your final semester, congratulations on completing your Program! If you have not done so already, please be sure to complete the Petition to Graduate form and have it signed by your counselor. You will need to upload a copy of the signed Petition to GPS to verify you are completing your Program. The original will need
to be submitted to Admissions and Records office  

The form will look like this:

For AA/AS degrees 
For Petition for Certificate of Achievement/Completion/Skills Certificates

Also, please make sure your major is updated correctly in the PASSPORT Student Center (a counselor can assist with this if it is not accurate). This will also make sure the major on your I-20 is accurate.

Click here to access the OPT Application in GPS!

If the link does not work, Log into your Global Peralta System account here: https://international.peralta.edu/

Once logged in, click on Find Program, Site Links (Current Student Processes), then Optional Practical Training. Once on the OPT Application page, select the Term (Record Update), then Apply. Click “Get Started” to read through the application process.

If you are interested in applying for PRE-COMPLETION OPT instead, please indicate that on your OPT request in GPS.

Please fill out OPT Request by answering the questions and click Done and Read through OPT Training Rules and Regulations and Travel information.

You will also need to attach the following documents to your OPT Application Record in GPS:

1. Petition to Graduate signed by a counselor. (Please contact Todd Shima, international counselor at tshima@peralta.edu for assistance)
2. A completed I-765 application (For Question #27, use (C) (3) (B) for Post-Completion OPT)- https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-765.pdf
3. Your most recent I-94 (which can be downloaded here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/)

Please email dgephart@peralta.edu once you upload it to GPS and you will then receive a new I-20 with directions for filing and all the documents you will need to mail.

Once you have done so, here are the documents you will need to collect in order to file for OPT:

• New OPT I-20 (Emailed to you)
• Complete the I-765 application (For Question #27, use (C) (3) (A) for Pre-Completion OPT or (C) (3) (B) for Post-Completion OPT) – https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/document/forms/i-765.pdf
• Print off your I-94 here: https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/
• Collect copies of past I-20s
• Copy of passport bio page
• Copy of F-1 visa
• 2 passport photos
• $410 fee to “Department of Homeland Security” by check or money order. You may also pay by credit card using this form – https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/files/form/g-1450.pdf
• Form G-1145 to receive E-Notifications of Application – https://www.uscis.gov/g-1145

ONCE APPROVED FOR OPT

You will receive an email with instructions on creating an SEVP portal account. This email will come from do-not-reply.sevp@ice.dhs.gov. If you do not see the email, check your spam or junk mail folder. If you still do not see it, contact me to have the email sent again.

Try this link if you don’t get the email: https://sevp.ice.gov/opt/#/login

The SEVP Portal will allow you to update your employment information which you are required to report. As a reminder, while you are on OPT, you are required to report your employment related to your course of study within 10 days of being hired and are not permitted to be out of employment for more than 90 total days during your approved OPT period.

On the SEVP portal, you may also:

• View details about your post-completion OPT.
• Report changes to your address, telephone and employer information.
• View and update data on all your employers in one place.

Any data updates you make in the portal will be sent directly to the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System.

Please let Drew Gephart (dgephart@peralta.edu) know once you update your employment information so he can create a new I-20 for you.

When OPT is COMPLETED

You will have several options to consider:

• Transfer out to another school – You will need to submit a letter of acceptance and complete our transfer out process so that we can transfer you out before the date your 60 day grace period will end. Please keep in mind that your new program must begin within 5 months of your OPT End Date.
• You may also re-apply to our colleges for the next available term. To do so, you must re-apply to our college by our transfer deadline. Please follow the instructions on this page (http://web.peralta.edu/international/how-to-apply) to apply as a transfer student, and contact our admissions staff Karla David (kdavid@peralta.edu) and Nha Le (nle@peralta.edu) to see what is required to return and inform them of your decision to return to our college.
• The final option is for you to return to your home country or submit documentation to our office informing us of a change of status. Please complete our Departure process in your GPS account for these options.

If no action is taken, your I-20 will be automatically completed 60 days after your OPT End date.

Health Insurance for OPT Students

Students who have requested, pending or approved Optional Practical Training (OPT) will no longer be automatically enrolled into the Peralta Health Insurance plan. If you’d like to enroll into the health insurance plan, you may do so by using one of the attached forms for your respective college and pay the applicable fees directly to Relation along with the completed form. 

OPT Health Insurance Forms

Berkeley City College
College of Alameda
Laney College
Merritt College