You’re probably wondering what CPT or OPT means.CPT stands for Curricular Practical Training, while OPT stands for Optional Practical Training. International students who study in the US are allowed to do either CPT or OPT under their F-1 student visas to gain work experience.
你可能还不知道CPT或OPT是什么。CPT表示留学生在学习期间实习，OPT表示留学生毕业实习。在美国，只要学生持有F-1学生签证，就可以申请CPT或OPT，获得实习机会。
The CPT or OPT are official work authorisations, since international sudents aren’t allowed to work off-campus. They both have many similarities which makes it difficult to see how they’re different, so let us break it down for you:
美国不允许留学生在校外工作，因此CPT或 OPT是他们在校外工作的合法证明。CPT与OPT有许多相似之处，所以很难对它们进行区分，下面的说明将为你指点一二：
OPT is offered to students for a total of 12 months, although STEM students can get a 17-month extension under OPT. The period for CPT is a bit more flexible, as there is no official limit for how long a student can do their CPT.
OPT为学生提供12个月的实习时间，STEM专业的学生可以延长至17个月。CPT提供的实习时间更加灵活，目前对学生参加CPT的时间还没做出官方规定。
However, students will not be able to apply for the OPT if they have accumulated 12 months or more of full-time CPT. CPT can be done part-time (less than 20 hours per week), which does not affect OPT eligibility.
但是，如果学生已有累计12个月或以上的全职CPT经历，他们将无法再申请OPT。学生可以兼职的形式参加CPT(每周工作时间少于20小时)，这并不会影响他们获得OPT。
The major difference between the two is that students can apply for OPT without having received a job offer yet, whereas students must already have an internship or job offer when applying for the CPT.
两者的主要区别是，学生在没有收到工作邀请的情况下可以申请OPT，但申请CPT则要求学生已经获得实习或工作机会。
Another difference is that the work experience under CPT must be a part of students’ curriculum, meaning that the employment experience must offer credits in their curriculum. Thus, students on CPT can work only with employers those are on Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) and I-20 list, while students on OPT can work with any employer as long as the job is related to their major or course of study.
另一个不同之处是，CPT要求实习职位必须与学生的专业相对应，意味着实习经历是获得课程学分的必备条件。所以，CPT要求学生受雇于学生和交流访问学者信息系统和I-20中的公司，而OPT允许学生在任何公司工作，只要工作与他们的专业或学习课程相关。
CPT must be completed during the study period, while OPT can be done either during studies, known as Pre-Completion OPT, or after – which is known as Post-Completion OPT. Students are eligible to apply for CPT after completing a full academic year of study. Most students opt for Post-completion OPT to gain temporary work authorisation once they graduate.
CPT要求学生在学习期间完成，而OPT可以提前申请，在学习期间完成，也可以申请延期，在毕业后完成。学生完成一学年的学业后，就可以申请CPT。
大多数学生会选择延期OPT，这样毕业后可以凭借OPT暂时在美国合法工作。
So if you’re still a student and considering gaining work experience during your time in the US, find out if there are any CPT opportunities available to you at your university. Not only will you gain credit towards your degree, you’ll also earn valuable work experience that can influence your future career, without needing to waste precious time waiting for your application to be approved.
如果你是一名正在思考如何获得实习经历的在美留学生，那就赶紧了解下你所在的大学是否提供CPT吧。无需浪费时间等待申请审核，CPT不仅可以帮助你获得学位学分，还能提供会对你未来职业生涯产生深远影响的宝贵工作经验。
本新闻解读首发于2019年6月27日，选自
Study International
作者：Study International
文本难度：★★★★☆
话题难度：★★★★☆
H1B是什么？H1B是发给外籍专业人士在美国的短期工作签证，持有H1B签证者可以在美国工作三年，然后可以再延长三年，6年期满后如果签证持有者的身份还没有转化，就必须离开美国。H1B是毕业后想留在美国工作的留学生最关心的问题，但H1B的办理难度较大，通常从F1学生签证转换至H1B工作签证比较困难，所以大部分学生会先申请OPT或者CPT，之后再过渡到H1B。OPT是什么？OPT的全称是Optional Practical Training，是国际学生在美国完成学业后的工作实习期身份许可，由USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service)审理并颁发工作许可证（简称EAD卡）。
本科、硕士、博士，每一个学历阶段都有一次申请OPT的机会，同级学位只有一次机会。例：即使是双硕士学位，依旧只有一次OPT机会。所有持F1签证的同学们在完成了一年的学习之后都可以申请OPT。通常情况下，OPT时长十二个月，但如果专业为“STEM”（Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics）的同学，将有申请24个月延期OPT的机会，那么总时长便是36个月。OPT的申请条件：1. 工作岗位必须与所学专业（Major）直接相关；如果是自己创业的话，主要负责的工作需要与专业所学直接相关。副修（Minor）是不算的。
2. 持F1签证的国际学生只有为期12个月的OPT，所以要决定做Pre-completion OPT还是Post-completion OPT，或者也可以选择两者合并。前者是在毕业之前所做的实习，后者是在毕业之后的实习。
近日，美国政府将通过一项震惊整个留学圈的议案: 终止留学生毕业后在美工作许可，废除OPT，是否会影响你对留美的选择？
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