{"id":33538,"date":"2024-09-27T19:56:14","date_gmt":"2024-09-27T23:56:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/academics\/?page_id=33538"},"modified":"2024-09-30T16:40:35","modified_gmt":"2024-09-30T20:40:35","slug":"cap-gap-opt","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/academics\/center-global-engagement\/international-student-services\/current-students\/employment\/cap-gap-opt\/","title":{"rendered":"Cap Gap OPT"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>What is Cap Gap OPT?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<div>\n<p>A Cap Gap OPT extension is a regulatory provision which extends an eligible F-1 student&#8217;s status to bridge the gap between the end of F-1 status and the start of H-1B status and allows the student to remain in the US during the &#8220;gap.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>You may be eligible for one of two cap-gap extension benefits:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<ul>\n<li>If your employer filed your H-1B (change of status) petition and it is received by USCIS\u00a0<b>before<\/b>\u00a0your post-completion OPT expiration date, you qualify for an extension of your OPT employment authorization.<\/li>\n<li>If your employer filed your H-1B (change of status) petition and it is received by USCIS\u00a0<strong>after\u00a0<\/strong>your post-completion OPT expires but during your 60-day grace period following OPT, your F-1 status and permission to remain in the US are extended but you are not eligible to work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><strong>Requesting Cap Gap OPT<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Students who apply for Cap Gap have to meet the following conditions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>OPT is expiring after April 1<\/li>\n<li>The employer has a timely filed H-1B application<\/li>\n<li>The student has a copy of the\u00a0<strong>H-1B I-797C Notice of Action<\/strong>\u00a0(Receipt Notice)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you meet these conditions, Cap Gap OPT should automatically be added to a student&#8217;s SEVIS record when the Change of Status application is submitted.\u00a0 You can request an updated I-20 showing your Cap Gap OPT by completing the following steps:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Log in to the ISSS Portal<\/li>\n<li>Navigate to Tab 4<\/li>\n<li>Complete the OPT Cap Gap I-20 Request<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h3>\n<p><strong>What happens if my H-1B is denied after applying for the Cap-Gap Extension?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If the student&#8217;s H-1B is not selected, the student will have the standard 60-day grace period from the date of the rejection notice to depart the U.S., start a new program at Marymount or obtain a Change of Level I-20, transfer SEVIS record \/ I-20 to a new SEVP-approved school, or apply for a Change of Status. However, if a denial is based on a discovered status violation, no such grace period exists and the student must leave the US immediately.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Can I travel during a Cap Gap Extension period and still return with my OPT I-20 and EAD?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You may travel provided the following are true:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>you have a valid F-1 visa at the time of re-entry<\/li>\n<li>you have an I-20 that reflects the cap-gap benefit and has a travel signature (no older than 6 months)<\/li>\n<li>the H1-B petition filed on your behalf has been approved BEFORE you travel<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>IMPORTANT<\/strong>: Per Department of Homeland Security policy, an applicant who departs to U.S while a change of status application is pending is considered to have abandoned the application.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What if my OPT expires before April 1st? Will the preliminary or automatic Cap Gap Extension extend my OPT?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although your F-1 status would be extended if you are in your 60-day grace period when the petition is filed, your OPT employment authorization period has expired, and the cap-gap does not serve to reinstate or retroactively grant employment authorization. Your legal status to remain in the U.S. in F-1 status is extended, but you are required to stop working until your H-1B goes into effect on October 1st.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What do I do if I am eligible for Cap-Gap and ISSS discovers that the SEVIS system has not been updated by USCIS to reflect my pending H-1B petition?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If ISSS checks your SEVIS record and finds that cap-gap has not automatically been applied, then we will have to request a data fix from the SEVIS Help Desk. In these cases, we will have to submit a copy of your EAD card, your H-1B Receipt Notice or your H-1B Approval Notice.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What if my original OPT expires and my Cap Gap Extension data fix is still pending with SEVIS Help Desk?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Your post-completion OPT is automatically extended, whether you apply for the cap-gap extension I-20 or not. Therefore, you are allowed to continue working with your employer while the cap-gap extension data fix is pending. Also, keep in mind that the 90-day unemployment rule remains in effect during your automatically extended work authorization.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What If my employer has filed for H-1B and I have a Cap Gap in place, but I want to also apply for STEM OPT and my degree is STEM Eligible?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It is highly encouraged for students to apply for STEM OPT, if eligible, even if the employer has filed for H-1B, as the likelihood of USCIS approval for STEM OPT is much greater than USCIS approval for H-1B. Students on post-completion OPT who have a receipted H-1B application at USCIS will have an OPT end date of September 30th.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px\"><strong>Note:<\/strong>\u00a0Functionality in the SEVIS system will only then allow the DSO to recommend STEM OPT with a false start date of October 1st. The DSO should also attach a letter detailing the correct dates for STEM OPT recommendation, i.e. Start Date for STEM = day after post-completion OPT originally ended, End State for STEM =24 months from original post-completion OPT end date.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 8pt\">09\/30\/2024<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is Cap Gap OPT? A Cap Gap OPT extension is a regulatory provision which extends an eligible F-1 student&#8217;s status to bridge the gap between the end of F-1 status and the start of H-1B status and allows the student to remain in the US during the &#8220;gap.&#8221; You may be eligible for one [&#8230;]<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"btn btn-secondary understrap-read-more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/marymount.edu\/academics\/center-global-engagement\/international-student-services\/current-students\/employment\/cap-gap-opt\/\">Read More&#8230;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":241,"featured_media":0,"parent":3056,"menu_order":5,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/left-sidebarpage.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":"","advanced-sidebar-menu\/link-title":"","advanced-sidebar-menu\/exclude-page":false},"class_list":["post-33538","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Cap Gap OPT - Marymount University<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is Cap Gap OPT? 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