If you can't find a job in your first year of OPT, volunteer work and unpaid internships might be your best option to maintain your legal status.
If you cannot find a job during your first year of OPT and are worried about using up your unemployment days, maybe consider lowering your expectations. An alternative can be looking for unpaid internships or volunteer opportunities to maintain your legal status.
Once you have secured work, you can continue to build your professional network while searching for better job opportunities.
Volunteer Work
Volunteering means working unpaid at a non-profit organization (NPO) or a non-governmental organization (NGO). The work you do on OPT as a volunteer must be related to your field of study. Furthermore, the volunteer position must be unpaid for all volunteers, not only for international students. If you are unsure whether the volunteer work is related to your field, confirm with your school first.
When Can You Start Volunteering?
Some schools may require you to wait until your OPT start date, while others do not. To minimize risks, confirm with your school before you begin volunteering.
Benefits of Volunteer Work
If you cannot find a job during your OPT unemployment days, volunteer work can help you maintain your F-1 status. Furthermore, if you are interested in a long-term position at an NPO or NGO, volunteering can be a great starting point. While these organizations may not offer high salaries, they can help international students apply for a cap-exempt H-1B visa, which allows you to bypass the H1B lottery.
Please refer to:
Unpaid Internships
Although unpaid internships are allowed for initial OPT, they must meet the "Primary Beneficiary Test," which ensures mutual benefit for both the employee and employer—the intern should gain practical experience rather than just providing free labor.
How to Find Volunteer Work and Unpaid Internships
You can use the following websites to find volunteer work and unpaid internships:
