i am planning to apply for opt in next week .can i travel outside  U.S after i apply for  opt .i heard that it take 2 month to issue opt.so during that period will i be in F1 status and can travel outside U.S or not. please help me

thanks

Response to your first question is "Yes". As long as you visa is not expired and the same with the I-20. You can travel as you wish. But there is a catch, As per your comments you have stated that you are about to complete your studies, now if you travel (assuming your visa  or I-20 is not expired) there could be a problem in the port of entry as they might ask you, what are you doing here after completing your studies? Now, lets say you applied for your Work authorization document and you travel while in OPT status, your OPT card wont be valid as it mentions in bold letters i think in the card itself, "Not valid after re-entry" or something like that. You would probably like to consult your international adivisor who could give you an exact answer.

If I were you i would keep things simple and be on the safe side. I'd wait till change my status. Preferebly H1B in your case and then travel which is much more safer. But to put it in a nut-shell you can travel despite which status your are in as long as you have a valid visa.

Good luck,

YekloYatri

thanks a lot, yaklo yatri

in the port of entry will they know about my status, like if my opt is not issued till then, i will be still in f1 status .i am assuming that if i apply for opt around november 20 ,after 2 month it will beissued ,around jan 20 or so. If i come back around jan 5,6 will i be allowed to enter inside U.S

Your I-20 would not be updated untill its approved by USCIS. Like i said earlier, as long as your visa and I-2- are valid you should be fine. Lets say your visa expires in jan 9 and you are entering US in jan 5-6 by law you have the right to enter the country if you wish to. Once again i'm not an expert in this matter so please cosult your international advisor.

Good luck,

YekloYatri

i still have 2  more yr in my visa.but my problem is i was in dependent visa when i enter US 2 yr ago ,now i need to restamp in my visa if i went back to nepal.so i am confused  ,they will going to check my status there when i apply for my visa .everthing seems more confusing to mee now.

oh yeah definately they could have access to your I-20 and could pull up all the information there. But that would only be there if it is approved by USCIS. It wont be there if your case is pending. But there is one more thing to this. School officials and USCIS have shared previlleges to I-20, so  either one could change or update the information. So you never know. Once again dude contact your international advisor.

Thanks

YekloYatri

thanks for the information, i will  definitely  ask my international advisor.

It looks like there is some misunderstanding regarding opt and f1 status. I'd like to

clear that out.

Even when OPT is approved the person is in F1 Status and need to maintain the status

as described for F1 status.

IF there is still time for your graduation (though you have applied for OPT) I would

consider it safe to travel. You'd require to get new F1 Visa in KTM though. And if

your grades are GOOD and if you have never been status problem, I believe you will get

the Visa.

Just a thought, its you who have to make the decision.