USCIS Announces New Online Form I-765 Application for Employment Authorization

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has officially announced the release of an online Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization. This online form can be used to file for work authorization under one of these categories:

• (c)(3)(A) – Pre-Completion OPT;
• (c)(3)(B) – Post-Completion OPT; and
• (c)(3)(C) – 24-Month Extension of OPT for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) students.

The online filing option will allow students to submit forms electronically as well as check the status of their case online and receive updates electronically. At this time, USCIS is still accepting paper applications.

While we are encouraged by this shift to a paperless process, we continue to urge caution for those who elect this option until more information and resources are widely available. Should you encounter issues or questions related to the new online format, OIE may not be able to assist given the present limited knowledge about this online form. However, we look forward to learning more in the coming months and incorporating the online option into our future OPT tutorials. Should additional information become available, we will update this page with new details and guidance.