I am wondering if I need CPT approval for unpaid internship at an HF. my university doesn’t allow CPT until 45 credits and as a rising sophomore I have less. is CPT mandatory even for unpaid internships?
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yes. cpt is mandatory for off campus employment even if its unpaid. your best bet is to apply for opt.
(https://iss.wisc.edu/employment/f1-employment/f-1-curricular-practical-…)
thanks for the link, I kept reading strongly recommended thus thought about the off-chance. I don’t wanna butcher my 1 year OPT just yet honestly.
yea you really don't want to use your opt yet unless you absolutely have to. i reccomend u ask your international student office and major advisor for an exception.
I would recommend asking your school to make an exception. explain to them that applying for OPT will take months especially with what is going on. your school has a weird rule and they could definitely make an exception if you can explain to them that CPT is the only way you can start working
Hey just out of curiosity, what school is this? if you’d prefer not to say on the thread, can you pm me?
it’s a non target in the south, I’ll pm you
As an international student - don't use your OPT at all if you can - its so much more important later on. Try speaking more forcefully with your university's international center/administration. CPT should be the default go-to.
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