Can I do both CPT and OPT?
Usually yes. CPT (work integral to your curriculum, authorized by your DSO) and OPT (post- or pre-completion practical training authorized by USCIS via an EAD) are separate benefits and you can generally use both. The key limit: if you accumulate 12 months or more of full-time CPT at one program level, you become ineligible for OPT at that same level. Part-time CPT and CPT under 12 months full-time do not reduce your OPT eligibility.
Watch out
Twelve or more months of full-time CPT at the same education level eliminates OPT eligibility at that level; track your CPT time carefully.
Informational, not legal advice. Immigration rules change and individual cases differ. Confirm anything that affects your status with your school’s DSO or an immigration attorney before acting.
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