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While on your post-completion OPT and STEM OPT periods, you are required to make reports to the Office of Global Services (OGS) as part of maintaining your F-1 status. It is important that you follow these reporting requirements to avoid falling out of status.
Please see below to understand how these requirements affect you.
For students currently on an initial 12-month OPT
- You are required to submit a copy of your Employment Authorization Document (EAD). You will submit an "OPT/STEM OPT EAD Card Submission" request to OGS within the .
- You are required to submit the following requests within 10 days of the change to the :
Contact Information Update for U.S. Home Address and Permanent Foreign Address.
OPT/STEM OPT Employment Reporting for New Employment, Change of Employer, and Unemployment.
Update F-1 Biographical Information for Legal Name Changes.
Change in Immigration Status.
Permanent/Final Departure from U.S.
Post-Completion OPT employer eligibility requirements:
- Employment must be related to the field of study
- Must work at least 20 hours a week
- Employment can be paid or unpaid
For students currently on a 24-month STEM OPT extension
- You are required to submit a copy of your Employment Authorization Document (EAD). You will submit an "OPT/STEM OPT EAD Card Submission" request to the Office of Global Services within the .
- You are required to submit the following requests within 10 days of the change to the :
Contact Information Update for U.S. Home Address and Permanent Foreign Address.
OPT/STEM OPT Employment Reporting for New Employment, Change of Employer, and Unemployment.
Update F-1 Biographical Information for Legal Name Changes.
Change in Immigration Status.
Permanent/Final Departure from U.S.
- You are required to submit "STEM OPT Validation Report" requests in the every six months after the beginning of your STEM OPT period (even if no changes have occurred):
STEM OPT Validation Report- Six-month validation (Six months after the beginning of your STEM OPT period)
- 12-month validation (12 months after the beginning of your STEM OPT period)
- 18-month validation (18 months after the beginning of your STEM OPT period)
- 24-month validation (24 months after the beginning of your STEM OPT period)
- You are required to submit the self-evaluations from Form I-983 every 12 months after the beginning of your STEM OPT period and at the end of any employment, in addition to the 12- and 24-month deadlines. Evaluations are submitted within the "STEM OPT Validation Report" requests to the :
- Evaluation of Student Progress—Form I-983, Page 5 (12 months after the beginning of your STEM OPT period and at the end of any employment on STEM OPT)
- Final Evaluation of Student Progress—Form I-983, Page 5 (24 months after the beginning of your STEM OPT period)
- You are required to resubmit a new Form I-983 if there are any material changes to your training plan under your current employer or if you change employers. New Forms I-983 should be submitted within the "STEM OPT Validation Report" requests to the .
STEM OPT employer eligibility requirements:
- Employment must be related to field of study
- Must work at least 20 hours a week
- Employer must be e-verified
- Employment must be paid
- A completed Form I-983 training plan must be completed
- Must be a bona fide employee of the employer completing the Form I-983 training plan