SEVP Issued a New Memo Signaling Increased Scrutiny of CPT Authorization

SEVP issued a new memo yesterday signaling increased scrutiny of CPT authorization.

This August 12 memo reminds schools that CPT must be an integral part of an established curriculum and directly related to the student’s major. SEVP specifically warns that CPT should not be used primarily to create employment opportunities outside a genuine academic program.

(1) SEVP is not requiring all CPT to stop. If a school has not suspended or restricted CPT, its CPT program can still continue.

(2) The key requirement is that CPT must be part of an established curriculum. It cannot simply be created to give students an off-campus work opportunity.

(3) Schools are already responding differently. UC San Diego has paused CPT processing for now. UC Berkeley has paused some course-credit CPT, but CPT that is a true degree requirement is still being processed.

Going forward, the biggest issue will be the school’s own policy.

For many schools that specifically offer Day 1 CPT programs, there may still be room to structure their programs to meet SEVP’s requirements and continue issuing CPT.

But CPT may become much harder to obtain at many public universities. We are already seeing some schools delay CPT approvals, limit CPT to summer internships, or refuse to extend CPT into the fall or spring semester.

For now, students should work with their schools to secure CPT for the upcoming semester. But looking ahead, CPT is likely to become harder to obtain.