Question details
Is it problematic to have a one-month gap between my graduation and the start date of my employment on OPT, and how are unemployment days calculated if I transition to STEM OPT?
ANSWER
A one-month gap is perfectly acceptable as long as you do not exceed the total allowable unemployment days. For the initial 12-month OPT, you are allowed 90 days of unemployment. If you transition to the 24-month STEM OPT extension, you receive an additional 60 days, for a total of 150 days over the entire period. Any unused days from the initial OPT period carry over into the STEM extension period.