OPT, Optional Practical Training is a privilege provided to the international students to gain industry experience.
Currently, OPT is approved by the USCIS, which requires applicants to submit an I-765, application for employment authorization. The processing time for I-765 application is about 3 months. This puts added burden on USCIS. Students are also required to wait to get the approval before they can start working.
Due to the opaque nature of the USCIS processing, students may lose the job opportunities requiring an immediate joining. The approval wait is prolonged due to correspondence error or high volume of applications.
Processing OPT applications, including STEM extension, at the university level can be faster, efficient and more transparent.