STEM OPT: Student Reporting Requirements

Students who are granted a STEM OPT Extension have additional federal reporting requirements. Failure to satisfy these requirements will automatically invalidate the student’s F-1 status:

• 6-Month Data Validation
  • Every six months a student must confirm that the student's record in SEVIS accurately reflects their current circumstances.
  • As part of this six-month reporting, STEM OPT students must confirm that their SEVIS information correctly identifies their:
    • Legal name
    • Residential or mailing address
    • Employer name and address
    • Status of current employment
    • Your SEVP Portal will send a reminder via email 30 days before any validation report is due. 

• Annual Self-Evaluation
  • Each STEM OPT student must complete and submit to their DSO an annual self-evaluation describing the progress of the training experience through the STEM OPT Reporting Form - found on the last page of the I 983
  • The student must ensure that the DSO receives the assessment no later than 10 days following the conclusion of the training period. The student must submit the assessments for the stated periods:
    • Initial: 12 months after the STEM OPT start date, and a
    • Final assessment that recaps the training and knowledge acquired during the complete, 24 month training period.
  • SEVP Portal users will receive a reminder via email 30 days before their self-evaluation is due. A student must complete an assessment at the conclusion of the training opportunity; usually this is a final assessment due at 24 months, but possible any time during the period of authorized employment when employment ends.* This final assessment must be submitted within 10 days following the conclusion of this training opportunity.

• Material Changes to an Existing Form I-983
  • Each STEM OPT student must report within 10 days to their DSO any material changes to, or material deviations from, the student's formal training plan through the STEM OPT Reporting Form. Students are also required to report to IEC if their employer is not abiding by the terms of the Training Plan.
  • Material changes or deviations from the original Form I-983 may include, but are not limited to:
    • Any change of the employer’s EIN.
    • Any reduction in student compensation that is not tied to a reduction in hours worked.
    • Any significant decrease in hours per week that a student engages in a STEM training opportunity.
    • Changes to the employer’s commitments or student’s learning objectives as documented on the Form I-983.
  • So long as the STEM OPT student and employer meet the regulatory requirements and the modified Form I-983 meets the specified requirements, the student’s employment authorization will not cease based on a change to the plan.

• 10 Day Reporting Rule
  • you must provide the following information to IEC every six months AND within 10 days of any change:
    • Legal name
    • Residential and mailing address
    • E-mail address
    • Telephone Number
    • Employer name
    • Employer address
    • Employer EIN
    • Job title or position
    • Average number of hours worked per week (must be at least 20 hours)
    • Supervisor's name
    • Supervisor's telephone number
    • Supervisor's email
    • Employment start-date
    • Employment end-date