Skip to content
VisaRoles

From OPT to H-1B without losing a year

OPT is a countdown. Twelve months, or three years with a STEM extension. Everything depends on whether your employer files in the March registration window before that clock runs out.

Checked September 2026

The timeline that matters

Registration opens in March; petitions for selected registrations are filed from April; the H-1B year starts on 1 October. If your employer misses March, your next chance is a full year later.

Work backwards from that. If your OPT ends before the following 1 October, you need either a STEM extension, cap-gap relief, or an employer willing to file at the first opportunity.

What to ask before you accept an offer

Ask in writing, early, and accept short clear answers. Employers that sponsor routinely will not find these questions unusual.

  • Have you filed H-1B registrations in each of the last two years, and roughly how many?
  • Will you register me in the next March window, or wait a year?
  • Who pays the legal and filing costs?
  • If I am not selected, does my job continue on STEM OPT?
  • Are you enrolled in E-Verify, which STEM OPT requires?

Where to aim

Employers with steady filing volumes, mostly for new employment rather than transfers, are the ones who take students. Large product companies, banks and consultancies file in volume; small startups often have never filed at all.

Being inside the US is currently an advantage: the $100,000 fee on petitions from abroad does not apply to a change of status filed here.

Stop guessing which employers can hire you.

Every open role on VisaRoles carries its sponsorship verdict and the line it came from. Free, updated daily.

New grad roles that sponsor

Common questions

Can I start a job on OPT and get H-1B later?
Yes, and that is the normal path. You work on OPT while the employer registers you in the next March lottery.
What is cap-gap?
If your employer files a timely H-1B petition while your F-1 status is valid, your work authorization can be extended to the start of the H-1B year instead of lapsing.
Do internships count?
Internships usually run on CPT, authorized by your school. Many convert into full-time roles the employer then sponsors.

Official sources

General information, not legal advice. Immigration rules change and individual cases differ — confirm your own with a licensed immigration attorney.