Differentiate Between: OPT vs H1B

What is OPT ?

Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a period during which undergraduate and graduate students with F-1 status who have completed or have been pursuing their degrees for more than 9 months are permitted by the USCIS ( United States Citizenship and Immigration Services ) to work towards getting practical training to complement their field of studies.

All the international students are eligible to appear for this training program except for the Students in English language training, who are not eligible for OPT. It is kind of temporary work authorization provided to international students.

To appear for the OPT; you need to be an international student pursuing studies in USA which requires F-1 visa. It is a special kind of visa, granted to the international students who want to do schooling from the foreign universities.


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What is H1B Work Permit ?

The H1B visa program is the primary method for employers to recruit and hire International professionals and International students to work in the USA. The H1B visa enables US employers to hire foreign professionals for a specified period of time. The H1B program allows workers in specialty occupations to work in the US for up to a total of six years. Applying for the H1B-visa is most popular among the working employees because of its dual intent nature which permits the international worker to have the permanent residence in the United States of America by applying for Green Card.

Not everyone can walk though from any field and apply for the H1B visa. The categories in which the job application can be filed are: IT, Computing, Finance, Accounting, Banking, Marketing, Advertising, PR, Sales, Recruiting, Engineering, Teaching, Health Care/Medical, Legal, Lawyers, Networking, Telecoms, Business, Management and Scientific Research.


Following are the basic difference between OPT & H1B

OPT	H1B
OPT plays a vital role during the F1 visa status.	H1B comes in role after the expiration of F1 status.
The maximum length of OPT duration is 12 months.	The maximum period allowed under H1-B visa is for 6 years.
Student working on OPT can change the job and employer.	The candidate before changing the employer has to repeat the entire H1-B application process.
Having the OPT work authorization in turn means that the person in under F1 visa category.	Having the H1B work authorization means the person is no more under F1 visa category.
To work for OPT requires the student to have EAD card.	To work under the H1B the candidate has to wait till the October 1 after the approval of visa.
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Diffrence Between: OPT vs CPT