Reporting Requirements
Unlike Post-Completion OPT, all students on Approved STEM OPT Extension are required to submit additional reports to their DSO to maintain their F-1 status.
Submit all STEM-related e-forms via the STEM Reporting e-Forms group under the F-1 Practical Training tab in your iStart Student Portal.
There are two main categories of these reports, periodic Validation Reports and STEM Employer Updates:
1. PERIODIC VALIDATION REPORTS (via the 6, 12, 18, or 24-Month Validation Report e-Form)
Throughout the duration of the extension, all students on approved STEM OPT Extension must regularly check in with their DSO to validate SEVIS information, not just when there is a change to their training plan.
SEVP will send you a reminder 30 days before each Validation Report (VR) due date. The email is sent from do-not-reply.SEVP@ice.dhs.gov. THIS IS NOT A SCAM EMAIL.
You cannot submit your VR through the SEVP Portal. You must complete and submit the appropriate VR e-form, found in the STEM Reporting e-Form Group, to the iStart Portal. International Services will review and submit the VR to SEVP through SEVIS.
These “check-ins” are in the form of a 6, 12, 18, and 24-Month Validation Report (VR), with the first one due six months after the start date of the STEM OPT authorization listed on the STEM OPT Extension EAD Card.
- These periodic reports are due regardless of employment status or employment start date with a specific company.
- Failure to submit these Validation Reports in a timely manner may result in the automatic termination of your F-1 Record.
- DSOs have 21 days from time of your submission and 30 days after your due date to submit the Validation Report in SEVIS, however; please note that IS processing times is 10-business days,
- Until your first 6-month Validation Report is due, you do not need to provide an update to our office unless you require a travel signature, or you need to update your name and/or contact information.
2. SELF-EVALUATIONS (PAGE 5 OF THE I-983):
There are two types of self-evaluations that you are responsible for completing: the Annual Evaluation and the Final Evaluation. You must complete your own self‐evaluations of your training progress while your employer reviews and signs, attesting to the information you provided.
Page 5 of the I-983 should be left blank when submitting your STEM OPT Extension Request e-Form. Please review the following for information on when each evaluation is due:
- Annual Self-Evaluation (First box of Page 5)
- This is due upon completing the first 12 months of your 24-Month STEM OPT authorization, regardless of employment status at that time, and is to be submitted as part of your 12-Month Validation Report e-Form via the iStart Student Portal.
- The evaluation date range should be from your STEM OPT Extension authorization start date listed on your STEM OPT EAD Card, or the start date of your employment with the company, whichever is later, to the 12-month mark of your STEM OPT Extension authorization period.
- Final Self-Evaluation (Second box on Page 5):
- This is due when any of the following occur:
- At the end of your STEM OPT authorization period, regardless of employment status at that time. This includes upon changing status to a different immigration category.
- Upon terminating employment with your employer. This includes whether you are changing jobs from one employer to another, or will be unemployed.
- The evaluation date range should be from your STEM OPT Extension authorization start date listed on your STEM OPT EAD Card, or the start date of your employment with the company, whichever is later, to the date the events above occurred.
3. CHANGES TO YOUR EMPLOYMENT (via the STEM Employer Update e-Form)
In addition to the periodic Validation Reports, students must also inform our office if any of the following scenarios have occurred via the STEM Employer Update e-form:
- Report New Employment
- This includes but is not limited to:
- Changing employment from Company A to Company B.
- Any change in the employer's EIN, is considered new employment. This includes a new EIN resulting from a change in employer's ownership or structure.
- Adding a second employer (working for more than one company at the same time). Please note that all STEM employment must be for STEM-eligible employers.
- New Employer Requirements:
- The new employer must be E-Verified and meet all requirements listed here before the student begins to work for pay.
- The student must complete the final evaluation on page 5 of the I-983 for the previous employer.
- The student must also submit a new Form I-983 for the new employer.
- If an annual evaluation is due, the student must also complete the self-evaluation section on page 5 of the I-983 for the employer in which they were employed with at that time.
- Material Changes to your I-983 while maintaining employment with same company:
- These changes include, but are not limited to:
- Reduction in compensation not tied to a reduction in hours worked.
- Information listed on page 3, section 5 of the I-983 such as:
- Your site of employment (where you go to work each day).
- Name of official.
- Job roles/responsibilities listed in boxes of same section.
- Report Unemployment:
- Important reminders on Unemployment days:
- Any of the remaining 90 unemployment days from your Post-Completion OPT Authorization will be added to the 60 days of unemployment allowed under STEM OPT Extension for a total of 150 days maximum.
- If you have exceeded the allowed unemployment days, a DHS Official may terminate your F-1 SEVIS Record at any given time.
- If this occurs, you must depart the U.S. immediately or face penalties for visa overstay.
