Can I do unpaid internships on CPT legally? Or if I had a full-time job, can I still work on another unpaid internship?
Unpaid internship for CPT is definitely legal, but it will count towards your hours and with a full-time job you might accumulate more than 40 hours per week, which might cause other problems..
I have friends who don’t apply CPT for that
Really? What I learned from school is that even the position is unpaid, as long as you are working in the US, you should report it to your international advisor and apply for CPT.
Yes you should. At least I reported mine unpaid internship when I was doing it lol
Legally speaking, you’re fine, but keep in mind that you lose OPT eligibility if you work full-time on CPT for more than a year.
Yes, you can — but you must report to your school and apply for CPT before you start working. That’s the most legally sound way to do it.
I feel like it is necessary to report; I am just not sure if the DSO will approve the unpaid position. Thank you for the answer!
Yes, you can do an unpaid internship on CPT — but it still needs to be authorized by your DSO and must be directly related to your degree program. Even if it’s unpaid, you can’t just start without CPT approval, since it’s still considered “training.”
If you’re already on full-time CPT, doing a second internship (even unpaid) depends on your school’s policy. Some schools allow multiple CPT roles, some don’t — and each one needs separate authorization.
Best move: check with your DSO before taking on any extra roles, even if they’re unpaid.
What if my job position requires me to work more than 40 hours per week?
My DSO approved mine. Technically CPT approval is not based on wage, but the alignment of your major and your job.
I think you will have to confirm this with your school.. they might have to evaluate it case by case
yes technically you don’t have to report your unpaid job no matter its ft or part time.. its just free work nobody cares