Post-Completion OPT: Reporting Requirements & Travel

Students who are approved for Post-Completion OPT must adhere to federal reporting requirements.

  • *10 Day Reporting Rule
    • During your OPT period, you must use the SEVP Portal to report all changes within 10 calendar days of when the change occurs:
      • Employer changes that must be reported within 10 calendar days include
        • Beginning a new job
        • Adding an additional job to your current job
        • Ending a job
        • Changing to a different job
        • Becoming unemployed
      • Address changes that must be reported within 10 calendar days include:
        • any changes in your residential address (where you live)
        • moving to a new town, city or state
        • changes in your employer address
        • changes in your mailing address
  • SEVP Portal & 10 Day Reporting Rule
    • Please note -the SEVP portal will not allow you to enter a start date for employment or address changes, that are more than 10 days in the past
    • If you do not enter your changes within 10 calendar days of when they occur, you MUST enter the start date as being 10 days in the past, even if it was longer than that. This also means you will accrue unemployment days for time worked more than 10 days in the past. See example below.
      • Example: you began a new job on November 25, 2025. The current date is January 5, 2026 and you log into your SEVP portal to enter your new job details. 
        • The portal will only let you enter a start date for the new job that was on or after December 26, 2025. 
        • Therefore you must enter the start date as December 26, 2025 even though you began the job on November 25, 2025.
        • This means you will accumulate an extra 31 days of unemployment in your SEVIS record, even if your worked those days.

*Failure to satisfy these requirements will may invalidate the student’s F-1 status

  • Travel Outside the US During Post-Completion OPT
    • Travel outside the U.S. while your EAD is pending is not recommended
    • When you reenter the United States during your OPT period you must have the following documents
  • Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card
  • Proof of employment (such a contract or letter from their current or prospective employer)
  • Valid passport (with at least 6 months future validity)
  • Valid F-1 Visa
  • Printed hard copy of most recent I-20 document with a valid travel signature that is less than 6 months old 
Was this helpful?
0 reviews
Print Article