The paperwork journey for international students

Editor’s Note: This is a first in series about the struggles international students face before and after graduation.

Completing college should be a big part of every student’s life. However, for international students finishing college means the start of a tedious process to pursue their career.

In Fall 2023, 81 out of 761 international students enrolled at UTRGV graduated.

After graduation, most international students apply for their Optional Practical Training. With OPT, international students can work in the U.S. for up to a year after graduation as a temporary extension of their F-1 student visa.

The F-1 visa allows international students to enter the U.S. as full-time students at academic institutions, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security website.

International students may apply for the OPT 90 days before graduation but no later than 60 days after completing their degree.

International students in STEM can apply for a 24-month extension of their post-completion OPT employment authorization.

Alba Cantu, a native of Rio Bravo, Tamaulipas, Mexico, who graduated with a bachelor’s in theatre last fall and a former station manager of KVAQ-TV, said she applied for her OPT in late November and received a receipt notice via mail a week later but has not heard anything since.

The receipt notice is a document stating USCIS received the application and will be reviewed.

 Reynosa, Tamaulipas native Laura Menchaca, who graduated with a bachelor’s in graphic design and was a former graphic designer at Pulse magazine, said she decided to study outside Mexico because the tuition there was “10 times” more expensive than in UTRGV.

Menchaca applied for her OPT after graduating. She also said she has yet to hear any updates.

UTRGV International Student Adviser Jessica Alvarado said the OPT process can take anywhere from 90 to 120 days.

Alvarado said USCIS gets backlogged every year and takes longer. She said the longest waiting time she has seen has been up to 12 weeks.

If students do not hear back from their OPT application, they have the option to call the USCIS customer line at (800) 375-5283.

“If they need an answer now, they can pay the premium processing fee, which is just basically a promise that USCIS will review your case within 30 days, but there is a charge for it,” Alvarado said. “At this time, it is $1,500 additional of what you would pay for the OPT.”

International students can check the status of their application through their USCIS account.

Alvarado said after students submit their application, it is a “waiting game” and recommends students look for jobs and do what they need to do before they receive their OPT.

“If they’re afraid of the time or losing job opportunities because OPT is taking so long, usually what I tell students is if a job wants you enough, and we’ve seen it time and time again, if a job really wants you enough, they will offer to pay you the premium processing fee or like a portion of it,” she said.

Alvarado said most students get their application accepted and it is rare when a student gets their OPT denied.

“Typically, when students are denied, it’s for good reason,” Alvarado said. “So, every year, I’ll get at least two or three denials. But because those students, instead of OPT, they were approved for H1B, which is way better because there’s a path to citizenship.”

UTRGV International Student Adviser Nellie Leyva said there are two types of OPT international students can receive: one before graduating and one after.

“The most popular one would be the one after they graduated … and that costs $410 that they need to pay to USCIS … and it takes about 90 days for them to process it,” she said.

With the OPT, international students must work in something related to their degree.

For students graduating this semester, Leyva said the application window for OPT begins Thursday.

She recommends students look at their emails and the International Students Services social media to stay updated.

“Apply early because, again, they have 90 days for them to approve this,” Leyva said. “So, hopefully, if they apply early in February, by the time they graduate in May, they should already have their employment authorization document.”

Menchaca said language is an advantage when studying in the U.S.

“When you go abroad and they don’t speak your native language, you try with English,” she said. “English is like the business language. … If I don’t get the OPT in the U.S., I can go to any other country and be like, ‘Hey, I have this degree [from] the U.S. … I can communicate with you.’”

Leyva encourages students to apply early and remain in the U.S. during the OPT application process.

“If for whatever reason they do not get their OPT by the time they graduate, we recommend that they stay in the U.S. just in case they ask for any type of additional documentation or to avoid any type of situations at the bridge, especially for border commuters,” she said.

Cantu also said it is important for international students to start their OPT early.

“I know it’s hard,” she said. “Because if you have a job at the university, you have your last semester of classes, you have graduation and then you have to get on to that process. But to start as soon as it opens … it would give you a huge advantage of time.”