Reporting STEM OPT Extension (F-1) - Office of Global Services (2024)

Reporting Requirements

F-1 Students on an approved period of STEM OPT must abide by specific reporting requirements. All changes/updates must be reported within 10-days of the change.

• Changes to address or contact information
  • Report in the SEVP Portal or via myOGS
  • Any change in legal name must be reported to OGS via the submission of a new Form I-983
• Changes to current employment
  • Report any material changes to your employment by submitting an updated Form I-983 in myOGS. Updates include but are not limited to:
    • Change to Employer Identification Number
    • Reduction in your compensation that is not tied to a reduction in hours worked
    • Significant decrease in your work hours per week
    • Loss of employment
    • Change to employer name or address
    • Other material changes as determined by your employer
  • Any updates to supervisor information and job title may be self-reported through the SEVP Portal.

• Reporting new employment
  • Report a new employer by submitting the Employer Update Form for Students on STEM OPT.
  • You must also submit the “Final Evaluation on Student Progress” section of the Form I-983 for your previous STEM employer
    • This form will require you to upload the completed and signed I-983 for your new employer, as well as the I-983 from your previous employer with the “Final Evaluation on Student Progress” section (found on the bottom half of page 5) completed
  • Find more information below under: “Changing Employers During the STEM Extension”
  • If your application for a STEM Extension EAD is still pending with USCIS and you have not yet received your EAD you can find more information below under “Changing Employers During the STEM Extension”

• Validation Reports Every 6-months
  • Report 6-month validations and self-evaluations by submitting the STEM Validation (6, 12, 18 and 24 months) form in myOGS

6, 12, 18, & 24-Month Validation Reporting Requirements

6 month-validations are mandatory and must be submitted 6-months, 12-months, 18-months, and 24-months after the start of the approved STEM Extension period. Validations may be submitted no sooner than 30 days before the validation due date, and no later than 15 days after.

All validations must be reported directly to OGS via the STEM Validation e-form

Note: If you have more than one employer while on the STEM Extension, you will need to submit validation reports for each employer. Please use the “Additional Comments” section in the STEM Validation e-form to make a note of this so the assigned OGS advisor can reach out to you directly for confirmation, as the e-form will only allow reporting on one employer.

Failure to Report

There typically are no immediate consequences for failing to submit the validation reports. However, there are two potential consequences for missing these reporting requirements:

1. An automatic system termination of your SEVIS record for “Failure to Report While on OPT” is possible. This decision is at the discretion of USCIS/SEVP officials. Note: OGS will NOT terminate your record due to a missed validation report
2. USCIS/SEVP may question your failure to submit validation reports during an application for future immigration benefits (e.g. H-1B). Your attorney would be advised to assist you with these inquiries

Even if you know that you missed the deadline and that your STEM Validation e-form will be denied, the OGS recommends submitting the e-form anyways as evidence that you made an effort to comply with the reporting requirements.

Changing Employers During the STEM Extension

You may decide to change employers while your STEM OPT Extension is pending with USCIS and/or after the STEM OPT Extension has been approved by USCIS. Anytime you decide to change employers, you must report all changes within 10-days.

Changing Employers while the STEM Extension is Pending with USCIS

Changing employers while your STEM OPT application is pending can cause delays and complications, so it is generally not recommended. However, if that you do need to change your employer while your application is pending, the new employer must also be enrolled in the E-Verify programand the position must meet all STEM requirements. You must report the change of employer to USCIS by doing the following:

1. The new employer and the student must complete a new Form I-983
2. The student must submit the STEM Extension I-20 Request to OGS and select the option ‘My STEM is pending and my employer has changed’
   • This e-form will require you to upload the completed I-983 for your new employer as well as the I-983 for your previous employer with the “Final Evaluation on Student Progress” section completed
3. If you applied online, submit the following documents to USCIS via the myUSCIS account by uploading them under “Your Cases” > “Documents”> Unsolicited Evidence
   • Copy of STEM OPT I-20 with new employer information (remember to sign the I-20!)
   • Letter of explanation regarding the employer change including USCIS receipt number, your full name, the new employer’s name, and the employer’s E-Verify information
4. If you applied using a paper application, Send the documents listed below to USCIS (to the address on the STEM OPT application receipt notice, not to the lock-box address where the original application was mailed)
   • Letter of explanation regarding the employer change including USCIS receipt number, your full name, the new employer’s name, and the employer’s E-Verify information
   • Copy of USCIS receipt notice 
   • Copy of STEM OPT I-20 with new employer information (remember to sign the I-20!)

Changing Employers Once Your STEM Extension has been Approved

1. The new employer must be enrolled in the E-Verify program
2. The new employer and the student must complete a new Form I-983
3. The student and their previous employer will need to complete the “Final Evaluation on Student Progress” on the Form I-983 for your previous employer
4. The student must submit the STEM Extension Employer Update e-form to OGS

Unemployment During the STEM OPT Extension

You are permitted 60-days of unemployment during the STEM Extension period. This is in addition to the 90-days of unemployment that you are granted during the Post-OPT period; up to 150 days of total unemployment. While on STEM OPT you may use unused unemployment days from your Post-OPT period.

If you are not currently employed, you should not travel outside of the U.S. as you may be denied entry by Customs and Border Protection.

Invalidating your STEM OPT Extension

Your STEM OPT Extension will be invalidated/terminated if you:

• Transfer your SEVIS record to a new college or university
• Change your immigration/visa status
• Enter the U.S. using any visa status other than an F-1
• Violate your F-1 student status
• Start a new program of study
  • While recreational or avocational study is permissible during the STEM Extension period, students cannot pursue a new degree-seeking program while simultaneously working on STEM OPT.

SEVP Portal

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Portal remains available for you while on the STEM Extension to report changes to your address, telephone number, and employer information.

While on the STEM Extension, you may also use the SEVP Portal to update general employer information including:

• Supervisor name and contact information
• Job title
• Description of how job is related to major

However, you may not:

• Edit your employer’s name and address
• Add a new employer or remove an existing employer
• Edit EIN (Employment Identification Number)
• Edit employer start date (end date may be edited)

If you experience any of the following issues, you must complete the STEM OPT Issue Reporting e-form:

• SEVP portal is inactive even though your STEM Extension has been approved and you received your EAD
• You are locked out of SEVP Portal
• You are unable to log into SEVP Portal

More Resources

Access your SEVP Portal

Learn more about/get help with the SEVP Portal