Request Cap Gap Extension I-20
Cap Gap Extension
Request documentation
Once your circumstances meet all of the eligibility conditions, you may request documentation of the Cap Gap extension by submitting the Request Cap Gap Extension I-20 form in URcompass. Registration/selection in the lottery on its own is NOT sufficient evidence for a Cap Gap extension – the H-1B petition must be filed with USCIS before the extension can be applied.
You will be required to provide evidence of the H-1B filing in your request: Either the H-1B Receipt Notice or the H-1B Approval Notice. Page 2 of the I-20 will reflect the Cap Gap extension of your work authorization to April 1 of the next calendar year. Please be advised, while you will see an extension of your work authorization to April 1 on the I-20 – your F-1 work authorization will actually end when your Change of Status to the H-1B takes effect. To know the start date of your H-1B status, please check your H-1B approval notice.
All F-1 regulations, including reporting requirements, remain in effect during the extension period.
USCIS will not issue a new Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) or other documentation to show that your OPT/STEM OPT period has been extended. Instead, students may only obtain an updated I-20 showing that the OPT/STEM OPT work authorization end date has been extended.
Eligible extension period
The actual length of a Cap Gap extension will vary, depending on the amount of time between when your F-1 OPT/STEM OPT authorization ends and when your H-1B starts. On the I-20, the cap gap will start from your OPT/STEM OPT EAD end date and it will end on April 1 of the fiscal year for which the H-1B status is being requested.
The cap gap extension of status will automatically terminate if the H-1B petition is denied, withdrawn, revoked, rejected, or is not selected, or if the change of status request is denied or withdrawn even if the H-1B petition is approved for consular processing.
The Cap Gap extension is granted only for the active permissions that were authorized on the day the Change of Status H-1B petition is properly filed. If your OPT/STEM OPT has already expired when the H-1B application is filed with USCIS, only your permission to stay in the United States during your F-1 grace period will be extended.
Keep in mind that any changes to your H-1B application will determine the valid extension date, regardless of what the I-20 shows. F-1 students will need to communicate regularly with their employer to make sure they are aware of the status of their H-1B petition.
Reporting the transition to H-1B status
To ensure your F-1 SEVIS record is properly completed/deactivated after you change status to the H-1B, please use the Report Departure from F-1 OPT/STEM Status form to report that you have ended your F-1 status. If you have automatically changed status from F-1 to H-1B within the US (without travel abroad), you will be prompted to submit a copy of the H-1B approval notice. If you have changed status from F-1 to H-1B by obtaining the H-1B visa at a consulate abroad and entering the US in H-1B status, you will be prompted to submit a copy of your I-94 admission record that reflects H-1B entry. Please only report the conclusion to your F-1 status after you have changed status to the H-1B.
If you are pursuing training with the F-1 STEM OPT extension authorization prior to your change of status to the H-1B, you must submit the I-983 Final Evaluation in URcompass before reporting your departure from F-1 status. This requirement is separate from any other evaluation(s) you may have completed during your F-1 STEM OPT extension, and is due within 10 days of your last day of F-1 STEM OPT training. See the F-1 STEM OPT Reporting “End of F-1 STEM Employment” section for additional guidance on completing this requirement.