What are the job opportunities for international students in USA?

USA is the most sought after destination for graduation and master’s education for students across the world. USA has the world’s largest international population with more than 1000000 students opting to pursue a career with American companies. As per the recent survey, nearly 5% of students who enroll for advanced studies in the USA are international students and this count is climbing each year. USA offers the most advanced studies facility for technology students and hence the USA is the prime destination for students who would like to pursue a career in software development or any other engineering subjects.

The reason why aspirants across the world choose USA as the prime destination to study higher level studies is a due abundance of jobs available with different industries in the USA. Even after graduation there a lot of entry level jobs for international students. Obviously there technology-related jobs but even if you do not have technical background there quite a number of non-technical entry-level jobs. Generally, when a student starts education in USA he or she becomes eligible for CPT jobs, and as soon as graduation is completed international student becomes eligible for an OPT job which can be converted to H-1B visa.

Also Read: internship for international students in usa

Generally international students on the F-1 visa are eligible for 2 types of jobs:

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is temporary employment that is directly related to an F-1 student’s major area of study. Eligible students can apply to receive up to 12 months of OPT employment authorization before completing their academic studies (pre-completion) and/or after completing their academic studies (post-completion). However, all periods of pre-completion OPT will be deducted from the available period of post-completion OPT.

All OPT Candidates must be legitimately identified with your real territory of study. In the event that you are an F-1 understudy, you might be qualified to partake in OPT in two distinct ways:

Pre-completion OPT: 

You may apply to take an interest in pre-fulfillment OPT after you have been legitimately selected on a full-time reason for one full scholastic year at a school, college, center, or a theological school that has been affirmed by the U.S. Migration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) to select F-1 understudies. You don’t need to be had F-1 status for the one full scholarly year; you can fulfill the “one full scholastic year” necessity regardless of whether you had another non immigrant status during that time.

In the event that you are approved to partake in pre-completion OPT, you may work part-time (20 hours or less every week) while school is in session. You may work all day when school isn’t in session.

Post-completion OPT: You may apply to take an interest in post-completion OPT in the wake of finishing your examinations. In the event that you are approved for post-finishing OPT, you may work low maintenance (20 hours or less every week) or full time.    

In the event that you took an interest in pre-completion OPT, USCIS will deduct that a measure of time from your post-finishing OPT approval period. For instance, on the off chance that you took an interest in 10 months of pre-finishing OPT, you would be qualified for just as long as 2 months of post-completion OPT.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT)

CPT, or Curricular Practical Training gives global understudies approval to pick up business preparing and to work in paid entry-level positions. Understudies get an opportunity to work all day (over 20 hours out of each week) or low maintenance (20 hours or less every week) winning cash in US dollars and addition work involvement in their area of study.

Numerous schools and colleges offer Work Study programs just to they are residential understudies since it is to a great extent paid for with government financing. Since schools can’t give government budgetary guide to global understudies, installment must be made out of the financial limit from the workplace on grounds or by a private association. Along these lines, the quantity of work ponders choices might be far and few between.

To resolve this, these CPT Work Study projects furnish understudies with the help to gain a paid position on campus or off campus. That, yet a significant number of them have been intended to enable understudies to start filling in as right on time as the primary year.

There a number of ways to apply for OPT CPT jobs and one such an effective way is to enroll with a consultancy like OPTnation which provides end to end support to international students seeking such jobs. They also international students in transferring OPT status to H-1B visa status. One must gain good grades in academics during graduation to get good OPT job or CPT Job.

What is the difference between the OPT & CPT?

opt vs cpt

International students are allowed to work off-campus after completing their first academic year through specific programs. Two of those programs are Optional Practical Training and Curricular Practical Training.

Many international students get a confusing difference between OPT and CPT. To solve this misconception in their mind below is the Difference between OPT vs CPT which will clarify the clear meaning of each term.

What is OPT (Optional Practical Training)?

OPT can be completed before or after graduation, while CPT must be completed before graduation.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a program that temporarily allows international students with an F-1 visa in the United States to work up to 12 months in relation to their major of study.

F-1 visa students are eligible for OPT after completing their first academic year. OPT can be completed both before or after completing your studies, but it’s important to remember that you are only allowed to work 12 months total.

There are two types of OPT:

PRE Completion OPT: 

Allows students to work up to 20 hours a week while still enrolled in school.

PRO Completion OPT:

OPT allows recent graduates to work full time for up to 12 months in the US without the need for another visa.

What is CPT (Curricular Practical Training)?

CPT must be completed before graduating. In addition, CPT can be part-time (20 hours or less a week) or full time (20 hours or more a week). Although, if you work full-time for 12 months in CPT, you will lose your eligibility for OPT.

However, CPT cannot be used once you’ve completed your course of study. This is when you’d be needed to use the OPT.


 If you have finished your academics and looking for entry level jobs for international students – OPTnation


However, there are some differences between OPT and CPT , which a student on F1 visa must know before getting started.

Optional Practical Training (OPT):-

  • OPT can be completed before or after graduation.
  • To be eligible for the OPT; the students must be pursuing the studies for a minimum one year.
  • OPT has two parts. The pre-completion OPT is the job done while the student is studying and the post-completion opt is the OPT work authorization after completing graduation.
  • OPT is a temporary authorization offered to students on F-1 visa to work on their related field for a period  of total 12 months.
  • OPT students can work part-time when University/ college is in term; during vacation students can work full-time.
  • OPT is not employer specific and allows work, not an internship or co-op.

Curricular Practical Training (CPT):

  • CPT must be completed before graduation.
  • CPT is authorized by OIP within 5 business days
  • No max, however working for over 12 months on CPT eliminates your eligibility for OPT
  • CPTis a temporary work authorization provided to the students on F-1 visa, which is directly related to their majors for period of total 12 months.
  • CPT authorized during the summer or winter would require the student to pay summer & winter tuition
  • CPT is authorized for a specific employer for work related to student’s major field of study.

The student might now be interested in finding OPT jobs in USA. OPT and CPT both are good career opportunities for international students in the USA.

To continue your education/job journey, these additional resources will be helpful:

Quality Assurance Training and Certification Online

internship for international students in usa