What the regulations say

The rules themselves, stated plainly and cited. Not a roadmap, not advice about anyone's case — the text of the law, so you can read it yourself.

• Practical training for F-1 students — What the regulation provides about curricular and optional practical training, including the unemployment limits that apply during post-completion OPT.
• F-1 employment other than practical training — What the regulation provides about on-campus employment, off-campus authorisation, and the severe economic hardship provision.
• F-1 status, departure periods and reporting — What the regulation provides about the periods allowed after completing study or withdrawing, and the reporting obligation that falls on the student.
• H-1B admission periods and the cessation-of-employment provision — What the regulation provides about the six-year limit, the days either side of a petition validity period, and the position when employment ends.
• What makes an H-1B employer cap-exempt — The four conditions the regulation gives for a nonprofit to be related to or affiliated with an institution of higher education, which is what places an employer outside the annual numerical limits.
• When an H-1B worksite change requires a new petition — What the regulation provides about material changes, and the three situations it lists in which an amended petition is not required.
• Employment Authorization Documents and automatic extensions — What the regulation currently provides about renewal. This changed on 30 October 2025, and a great deal of secondary writing still describes the previous position.

Why these read the way they do

Every sentence on these pages has a regulation as its subject — "the rule provides that…", not "you must…". That is deliberate, and it is the difference between publishing the law and practising it.

Applying a rule to a particular person's facts is legal advice, and only a licensed attorney or an EOIR-accredited representative may give it. We publish what the rule says; what it means for one specific case is a question for someone who can answer it properly.