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Employment in F-1 Status
Curricular
Practical Training
Definition of Curricular Practical Training
Limits on
the use of CPT
Procedures for
applying for Curricular Practical Training
Preconditions
Student must have been lawfully enrolled on a full-time
basis at an DHS-approved school for one full academic year
before being eligible for CPT. Available only while
student is in F-1 status, before completion of the educational
objective.
Location
Students may
engage in CPT only for the specific employer, location and
period approved by CWEE (Cooperative Work Experience Education)
program and the ISP office and recorded in SEVIS.
Duration
Depends on
the specific period granted by the ISP office. May be granted by
the ISP office in increments of no more than one year, or until expected
date of employment completion, whichever is shorter. No
cumulative maximum, except that it can only be approved before
completion of the academic objective.
Hours per week
Can be
approved for part-time (20 hours or less) or full-time (over 20
hours).
Determine the
Number of Units you can enroll in
Determine the
number of units you can enroll in based on the amount of
hours worked in a semester.
*To calculate how many units you are eligible for during a
semester, multiply the approximate number of hours you will
be working per week by number of weeks in the semester.
Example:
You work approximately 10 hours
per week x 17 weeks = 170 hours. Therefore, you can
register for 2 units.
If you
have a paid job, how many units should you sign up
for?
1 unit = 75
hrs worked/semester
2 units = 150 hrs worked/semester
3 units = 225 hrs worked/semester
4 units = 300 hrs worked/semester
If you have a
nonpaid job, how many units should you sign up for?
1 unit = 60 hrs
worked/semester
2 units = 120 hrs worked/semester
3 units = 180 hrs worked/semester
4 units = 240 hrs worked/semester
*See
Enrollment Units
section in CWEE website.
Field/level of work
Must be an integral part of an established curriculum in the
student's course of study.
*See internships section
in CWEE website to learn what kind of internships are available
in each major field.
Offer of employment
Must have an offer of employment from an employer offering work
that qualifies as curricular practical training.
Effect on other work
Use of full-time CPT for one year or more eliminates
eligibility for Optional Practical Training. Use of
part-time CPT does not affect eligibility for Optional Practical
Training
Approval process
Must
receive written authorization from DSO, who records
authorization in SEVIS and issues SEVIS I-20 with notation,
before work begins. USCIS approval is not required.
Miscellaneous
Must continue to maintain a full course of study in F-1
status during the period of employment, but some exceptions may
exist for some CPT.
Definition of
Curricular Practical Training
The regulations state that curricular
practical training must be "an integral part of an established
curriculum." They define curricular practical training as
"alternate work/study, internship, cooperative education, or any other
type of required internship or practicum which is offered by sponsoring
employers through cooperative agreements with the school."
Limits on the use of CPT
There is not specified limit on either
the number of times or the length of time a student may engage in either
part- or full-time curricular practical training. This will be
governed by the nature of the training and the requirements of the
student's program.
Effect of use of CPT impact
eligibility for OPT
F-1 students who engage in an aggregate
of 12 months or more of full-time curricular practical training
become ineligible for optional practical training.
Procedures for applying for Curricular Practical Training
- Find an employer either through CWEE program or by yourself
- Register with
CWEE for CWEE credits and pay tuition for the course
- Submit a
CPT Request Form to the
ISP office after CWEE staff signs to authorize your internship
- Receive a new I-20 with an authorization for your internship
*You can start
working after you receive a new I-20. However, if it is a paid
internship, be sure to apply for and receive a Social Security Number.
*CPT authorization
is on the term-by-term basis. You have to terminate your
internship by the end of the authorized term.
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