Student Eligibility for CPT Verification Form
- CPT is only for the purpose of participating in legitimate internships in a student’s area of study. It is not a means of gaining employment eligibility.
- Students are required to register with Cooperative Education or be registered to receive credit for the internship before being eligible to receive CPT authorization from ISS.
- Students who have maintained full-time enrollment as required by federal immigration regulations (12 hours for undergraduate students, 9 hours for graduate students, and 6 hours for graduate students with assistantships) and who have completed all semester hours required for the degree are NOT eligible for CPT.
There are ONLY four exceptions to this rule:- an unusual opportunity of short duration, such as a weekend performance in a symphony orchestra or one-day participation in a workshop or research study.
- the internship is required by the program of study as documented by information published in the UI General Catalog, department catalogs, etc.
- the internship will contribute directly to the student’s thesis or dissertation (ex: data gained through internship is used in thesis).
- the student is a PhD candidate who is ABD and who is registered for PhD Continuous Registration, in which case he/she will be allowed a maximum of 12 months of CPT eligibility following completion of all required semester hours but prior to submitting the first deposit of the thesis in the Graduate College.
- It is not acceptable for students in advanced stages of a degree to delay making progress by not registering full-time without prior permission from ISS. If a student is eligible to take a full-time load as defined in #3 above, the student MUST do so or risks violating U.S. immigration policy. The only exceptions for students to be enrolled less than full-time are those exceptions that appear on ISS “Part-Time Enrollment Authorization Form.”
- If any information is misrepresented on this form,ISS will not be held responsible and any resulting violations of immigration regulations will be solely the student’s responsibility. Some potential results of a violation can include ineligibility for benefits of F-1 status including Optional Practical Training, having to apply to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service for reinstatement to F-1 status, denial of future requests to change to another non-immigrant status, or possible deportation proceedings by the U.S. Immigration and Citizenship Enforcement branch of the Department of Homeland Security.