My OPT will start on February 25, 2010. I have no job. I graduated with a Masters in Finance. My International Advisor said that I could do an unpaid internship/volunteer work to not go over the 90 days unemployment limit but the unpaid internship/volunteer work shouldn't violate any labor laws. What exactly does "labor laws" mean? Going back to school for a Phd isn't a realistic option for me. I need to figure something out in the next 90 days. What are my options? I am in Dallas, Texas, if that makes a difference.

According to this site, unpaid internships are illegal. Has anyone done an unpaid internship to maintain OPT and not gotten in trouble????

The U.S. Department of Labor has outlined a list of criteria that ALL must be met in order for an internship to be unpaid.

1. The training, even though it includes actual operation of the
   facilities of the employer, is similar to that which would be given in
   a vocational school;
2. The training is for the benefit of the trainee;
3. The trainees do not displace regular employees, but work under close observation;
4. The employer that provides the training derives no
   immediate advantage from the activities of the trainees and on occasion
   the employer’s operations may actually be impeded;
5. The trainees are not necessarily entitled to a job at the completion of the training period; and
6. The employer and the trainee understand that the trainees are not entitled to wages for the time spent in training.