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Can I volunteer to stop the 90-day unemployment clock?

Only if it is qualifying volunteer work. Volunteering counts toward your employment (and stops the 90-day clock) only when it is at least 20 hours per week, directly related to your degree, lawful, and documented with employer evidence. DHS's Study in the States makes clear that 'non-qualifying volunteer positions do not stop the accrual of unemployment.' Casual, occasional, or unrelated volunteering will not pause the clock.

Watch out

If the role does not meet the 20-hour, degree-related, documented-evidence bar, your unemployment days keep counting; report any qualifying position to your DSO so it appears in SEVIS.

Source: SEVP Policy Guidance 1004-03 (Section 7.2.1) and DHS Study in the States, 'Reporting Volunteer Positions During OPT Employment'

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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