DIRECTIONS FOR OPTIONAL PRACTICAL TRAINING (EAD Card) APPLICATION:
Follow all three steps. Read these instructions carefully to ensure smooth processing of your OPT application. If you have questions, contact the ISSS office or come to Employment Walk-In Hours.
STEP ONE: Submit the following item to the ISSS office for processing of the OPT I-20:
__ Completed academic advisor’s recommendation form. Mark on the form whether you are applying for Pre or Post Completion OPT. Pre-Completion means that the start date occurs before you graduate and ends upon graduation. Post-Completion OPT means that the start date occurs after you officially graduate.
STEP TWO: While waiting to receive your new OPT I-20 from the ISSS, collect the items below which are needed to apply for OPT. Your OPT application must be mailed from the United States.
__ Complete Form I-765. Use blue ink and be sure to sign your name with a blue ink pen
__ For Question 3: This address determines which of the 4 USCIS Service Centers should receive your application. See page 4 for the list of Service Centers and the states they serve.
The residential address may be either your own address or a friend or family member who can send the EAD card to you when it arrives. You may also use the ISSS office address. If you are using the ISSS address, we will send you an email when the Receipt Notice and EAD card arrive. You should write the ISSS address as follows: Start the address at item 2 (even though it asks for “other names used”, this is OK).
Binghamton Univ Intl Stu Office
PO Box 6000
Binghamton, NY 13902-6000
If you are using a friend or family’s address on the I-765 Form, be sure your name is on the mailbox or you write the current address as: c/o your friend’s name. Because of security reasons, the U.S. Postal Service will not deliver mail from USCIS to a residential address unless the name on the envelope matches the name on the mailbox.
To avoid confusion be sure to also use the same address as your return address on the outside of the envelope when mailing your application.
__ Answering Question 16: The answer for question 16 depends on the type of OPT authorization you are applying for:
Pre-Completion OPT (before you graduate) - (C)(3)(A)
Post-Completion OPT (after graduation) – (C)(3)(B)
STEM OPT Extension (STEM Program graduates, OPT after initial 12 month OPT) – (C)(3)(C)
__ Answering Question 17: Only answer question 17 if you are applying for the 17 month STEM extension and meet the eligibility requirements.
__ $340.00 - Only send a personal check or money order made payable to US Citizenship and Immigration Services or Department of Homeland Security. NOTE – NEVER send cash with your application. USCIS never accepts cash payments. Only personal checks or money orders are accepted. If you send cash, your application will be returned and you will need to re-submit it again.
__ Photocopy of most recent I-94 card (both sides) and visa inside your passport
__ Photocopy of the identity pages in your passport which include your picture, date of birth, validation dates, expiration date, and passport number
__ 2 passport-style photos with a white background. Read the important instructions on photo requirements on page 3
__ Photocopy (not original) of your new I-20 for OPT (pages 1 and 3) from ISSS
__ Photocopies of all I-20s you have received in the past from ISSS
__ Photocopies of all I-20s issued to you in the past from other US schools you have attended
__ Cover sheet from Karen Keefe-Guzikowski (included in this packet or found on the ISSS website)
__ Copy of any previous EAD card (both sides) if you were issued one or Receipt Notice for Pre-Completion OPT
STEP THREE: Mail the following items all together in one packet to the USCIS Service Center serving your state.
- Cover letter from Karen Keefe-Guzikowski
- Completed I-765 Form with photos and check or money order attached
- Copy of your I-94 card (both sides)
- Copy of the visa stamp inside your passport
- Copy of the identity pages in your passport
- Copy of your new OPT I-20 signed by ISSS staff and you
- Copies of all previous I-20s
- Copy of previous EAD card (if you have one)
NOTE: The OPT application must be received at the USCIS Service Center within 30 days of the date your OPT I-20 was issued (see item 10 on page 1 of the I-20 for the issue date). If your OPT I-20 is more than 30 days old and you have not yet filed the application with USCIS, contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services so that we can reprint a new I-20 for you.
- The application must be mailed from the United States.
- Karen or Amelia are happy to look over your application before you mail it to be sure all is correct. Come to the Walk-In hours on Tuesday afternoons from 1:30pm – 3:15pm or schedule an appointment.
- Make a copy of everything you are sending in case it gets lost in the mail.
Mail it to the appropriate USCIS Service Center depending upon the address listed on the I-765 Form. (The list of USCIS Services Centers is on page 4 of this document).
To be sure it arrives to the USCIS Service Center, we strongly encourage you to mail it certified (“registered”) mail or via express mail (DHL, FedEx, UPS, or USPS). When mailing documents in these ways, you will receive proof that it arrived to its destination.
If you are using a friend or family’s address on the I-765 Form, be sure either your name is on the mailbox or you write the current address as: c/o your friend’s name. Because of security reasons, the U.S. Postal Service will not deliver mail from USCIS to a residential address unless the name on the envelope matches the name on the mailbox.
After you mail your OPT application to USCIS, you will receive a Receipt Notice in 2-3 weeks stating that they have received the application and are processing it.
To check on the progress of your EAD card go to:
https://egov.uscis.gov/cris/jsps/index.jsp
While on OPT, you must report your employment status. Use the web-form found on the main page of our website: http://isss.binghamton.edu/forms/optForm.html
Are you traveling while on OPT? Certain documentation is required to re-enter the United States depending upon the status of your OPT application. Before you leave the United States read the information on the ISSS website or e-mail an ISSS advisor about your OPT and travel questions. http://isss.binghamton.edu/emp/OPT_Travel.html
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON USCIS PHOTO REQUIREMENTS
Often applicants will have their photos rejected for failing to meet the required specifications. In order to avoid this, be sure to show these instructions to the photographer before the photos are taken. Then, carefully review your photos before mailing them to the USCIS Vermont Service Center with your application.
Special instructions regarding photos for your EAD card:
For an example of the new photo style go to: http://travel.state.gov/passport/guide/composition/composition_874.html This link includes information on the required dimensions of the photos, how the photos must be posed etc.
The photo should not be larger than 2 by 2 inches, with the distance from the top of the head to just below the chin measuring about 1-3/8 inches.
- Frame subject with full face, front view, eyes open.
- Make sure the photo presents full head from top of hair to bottom of chin; height of head should measure 1 inch to 1-3/8 inches. (25mm to 35mm)
- Center head within the frame of the picture
- Make sure eye height is from between 1-1/8 inches to 1-3/8 inches (28mm and 3mm) from the bottom of the photo
- Photograph subject against a plain white or off-white background
- Position subject and lighting so that there are no distracting shadows on the face or background
- Compose your face in a natural photo.
- There must be no spots on the photo.
- There must be no shadows on the photo.
- Eyeglasses worn on a daily basis can be worn for the photo. However, there should be no reflections from the eyeglasses that obscures the eyes.
- Sunglasses or tinted glasses cannot be worn in the photos.
- Print your name and I-94 number on the back of the photos in PENCIL. DO NOT PRESS ON THE PICTURE.
- Place the picture in an envelope or small plastic sandwich-size bag and attach the envelope or bag to the OPT application packet. Be sure not to staple or otherwise put any holes in the pictures.
The photos can be taken locally at one of the businesses and organizations listed below. Prices subject to change.
Name Address Phone number Cost of photos
CVS Pharmacy |
50 Pennsylvania Ave, Binghamton |
772-0656 |
$7.99 for 6 photos |
Walmart Portrait Studio |
2405 Vestal Parkway East |
729-2484 |
$10.00 for 2 photos |
AAA Travel Agency |
Campus Plaza (Olums), Vestal |
754-1060 |
$5 for 2 photos for AAA members. $7 for 2 photos for non-AAA members |
USCIS Service Center Filing Chart |
|
|
|||
If the address on the I-765 Form is: |
|
Mail your application to: |
|
||
|
|||||
Connecticut New York |
|
This address may be used for both US Postal Service and private courier deliveries: |
|
||
|
|
||||
USCIS |
|
||||
Vermont Service Center |
|
||||
Attn: I-765 |
|
||||
75 Lower Welden Street |
|
||||
St. Albans, VT 05479-0001 |
|
||||
Alabama |
USCIS |
|
|||
Texas Service Center |
|
||||
P.O. Box 851041 |
|
||||
Mesquite, TX 75185-1041 |
|
||||
|
|
||||
Or for private courier (non-USPS) deliveries to the Texas Service Center: |
|
||||
|
|
||||
USCIS Texas Service Center |
|
||||
4141 North St. Augustine Road |
|
||||
Dallas, TX 75227 |
|
||||
Arizona |
USCIS |
|
|||
California Service Center |
|
||||
P.O. Box 10765 |
|
||||
Laguna Niguel, CA 92607-1076 |
|
||||
|
|
||||
Or for private courier (non-USPS) deliveries to the California Service Center: |
|
||||
|
|
||||
USCIS |
|
||||
California Service Center |
|
||||
24000 Avila Road |
|
||||
2nd Floor, Room 2312 |
|
||||
Laguna Niguel, CA 92677 |
|
||||
Alaska Montana |
USCIS |
|
|||
Nebraska Service Center |
|
||||
P.O. Box 87765 |
|
||||
Lincoln, NE 68501-7765 |
|
||||
|
|
||||
Or for private courier (non-USPS) deliveries to the Nebraska Service Center: |
|
||||
|
|
||||
USCIS |
|
||||
Nebraska Service Center |
|
||||
850 S. St. |
|
||||
Lincoln, NE 68508-1225 |
|
||||
Revised 7/2009