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Cap Gap Extension

The H-1B visa is employment authorization granted by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). For F-1 students on Optional Practical Training (OPT), an employer must submit the application for the H-1B visa on the student's behalf. 

A Cap Gap Extension is a regulatory provision which extends an eligible F-1 student's status to bridge the gap between the end of F-1 status and the start of H-1B status and allows the student to remain in the US during the "gap." 

ISSS does not advise on filing or obtaining the H-1B visa, but our office can issue an I-20 with the Cap-Gap Extension notation if available in the SEVIS immigration system. 

Eligibility

You may be eligible for one of two cap gap extension benefits: 

OPT and F-1 Status Extension

If your employer filed your H-1B (change of status) petition and it is received by USCIS before your post-completion OPT expiration date, you qualify for an extension of your OPT employment authorization. 

F-1 Status ONLY Extension

If your employer filed your H-1B (change of status) petition and it is received by USCIS after your post-completion OPT expires but during your 60-day grace period following OPT, your F-1 status and permission to remain in the US are extended. You are not eligible to work during this extended period. 

How to get the Cap Gap Extension I-20

To receive the I-20 with the Cap-Gap notation, you must email ISSS at isssemployment@american.edu with proof that an employer has filed an H-1B petition on your behalf, that you have been selected for the H-1B visa lottery, or that you have been granted the H-1B visa. 

Typically, this proof is a Form I-797 receipt or approval notice. 

After receiving the documents, ISSS will review the information in the SEVIS immigration system to see if an I-20 with the Cap-Gap notation is available. The availability is an automatic function of the SEVIS immigration system itself and not at the discretion of ISSS Advisors.