School where the student earned the STEM degree is currently:
- SEVIS-certified
- Accredited by a U.S. Department of Education accrediting organization
A student may request a second STEM OPT extension if:
- Second STEM degree meets all the above requirements.
- Student is in a period of Active Post-Completion OPT.
- Student has a second STEM degree at a higher level than the one used for the first STEM OPT extension.
- Student has not already based any portion of a STEM OPT extension on the second STEM degree.
Regulations and Policy Guidance
Any STEM OPT requests entered into SEVIS must comply with applicable federal regulations and guidance. DSOs must understand the following regulations and policy guidance:
- 8 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 214.2(f)(10 through (13)
- 8 CFR 274a.12(c)(3)
- SEVP Policy Guidance on OPT
- SEVP Policy Guidance: Practical Training – Determining a Direct Relationship between Employment and a Student’s Major Area of Study
- F-1 Optional Practical Training (Help Hub/Study in the States)
- STEM OPT Hub (Study in the States)
OPT Request Statuses
The table below lists the statuses used to identify the stages of OPT requests in SEVIS:
| Status | Status Meaning |
|---|
| Requested | DSO requested OPT in SEVIS on behalf of the student, but U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) has not yet received the Application for Employment Authorization (Form I-765). |
| Pending | USCIS has received the Form I-765. |
| Approved | USCIS has approved the Form I-765. |
| Denied | USCIS has denied the Form I-765. |
| Canceled | DSO or a scheduled SEVIS maintenance job canceled the practical training request in SEVIS. |
| Withdrawn | USCIS approved the student’s request to withdraw the Form I-765. |
Process Overview
SEVIS will compute the start and end dates of the STEM OPT extension. The requested STEM OPT Start Date is the day following the current post-completion OPT End Date. The requested end date for this segment of OPT is 24 months after the requested start date. DSOs cannot change these dates.
During the full period of the extension, the school that recommended the STEM OPT must continue to:
- Maintain records on the student.
- Update required SEVIS student reporting as notified by student.
The student can continue to work for 180 days after the original USCIS Employment Authorization Document (EAD) expires if:
- Student filed a Form I-765 for the STEM OPT extension.
- USCIS received the Form I-765 for the extension before the EAD for the original post-completion OPT expired.
The Request Status will be listed as “Pending” in SEVIS once USCIS receives the Form I-765.
8 CFR 214.2(f)(10) to (f)(13)
While a DSO recommends STEM OPT in SEVIS, it is the student who must apply for the work permit with the USCIS. If the STEM OPT is approved, USCIS will issue an EAD.
- DSOs should know the USCIS regulations that extend work permission in special cases while USCIS processes extension requests.
- 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(6)(iv)-(v)
Remind your F-1 students:
- Not to file the Form I-765, “Application for Employment Authorization,” until you have recommended STEM OPT extension in their SEVIS records, and they have the updated Form I-20 with the STEM OPT extension recommendation.
- USCIS must receive the STEM application within the 60-day period after your DSO STEM OPT extension recommendation and no later than the current post-completion OPT end date.
If a student submits the Form I-765 on paper or electronically before you recommend the STEM OPT extension or after the 60-day post-DSO recommendation period:
- USCIS will deny the application. (Federal regulations require the DSO OPT recommendation on the student SEVIS record before the Form I-765 is submitted.)
- The student will lose the application fee.
- The student will have to reapply for STEM OPT extension and pay the fee again.
Any F-1 STEM Optional Practical Training request in Requested status longer than 180 days is automatically canceled by SEVIS.
Recommend STEM OPT Extension
Students must submit a completed Form I-983 Training Plan for STEM OPT Students to the DSO before the DSO can recommend the STEM OPT extension in SEVIS. Students must submit a new Form I-983 for every new employment/training experience they accept during their STEM OPT extension.
For more information and a tutorial on completing the Form I-983, see the STEM OPT Hub on the Study in the States site.
To recommend the STEM OPT extension after receiving the completed Form I-983 Training Plan for STEM OPT Students, DSOs should:
- Go to the Student Information page.
- Click OPT Request from the Student Information page. The OPT Employment page opens.
- Click Extend. The Extend OPT Employer page opens
- Enter the employer information.
Note: A * (red asterisk) indicates required fields.
*Explain how employment is related to student’s course of study
- If this STEM extension is based on a prior STEM degree, the DSO will also enter the following information in this field, “Extension based on prior STEM degree:
- Degree name
- Degree level
- Degree classification of instructional program (CIP) code
- Date degree awarded
- Name of school that awarded degree
- Location of school that awarded degree
- SEVIS code of school that awarded degree, if available
- Class of admission at time of degree"
- Job title
- Employer name
- Major area of study
- Whether full-time or the average number of hours worked per week
- Description of regular job duties and how they connect to the student’s studies
Example: PhD in Computer Science: Student is employed as a Computer and Information Research Scientist at ABC Research Institute. She works as part of a team of scientists and engineers that designs experiments to test the operation of various software systems. Her work builds on research in complex algorithms and machine learning, which she studied as part of her dissertation.
Note: These remarks do not appear on the Form I-20.
*Employer Name
- This field displays any information previously entered into SEVIS, but can be edited.
- Enter or update the business name of the employer.
*Employer EIN
- Enter the Employer Identification Number (EIN) for the student’s employer. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issues EINs to employers for tax reasons.
- Enter the student’s job title.
*Start Date
- Enter the date the student began or will begin the job. If the student will continue work for the same post-completion OPT employer, enter the actual start date for the STEM OPT.
Note: Do not enter an employer start date before the actual start date for the STEM OPT. If the employer employment dates are outside the actual dates of the OPT STEM period, SEVIS will not consider the student employed.
- The start date will stop SEVIS’ count of consecutive days of unemployment.
- Enter the date the student will stop working for the employer, if known.
- Leave this field blank, if the end date is not known.
Note: The date entered in the End Date field will not affect the overall SEVIS-calculated STEM extension end date. Do not enter an employer end date after the actual end date for the STEM OPT. If the employer employment dates are outside the actual dates of the OPT STEM period, SEVIS will not consider the student employed.
*Full Time/Part Time Indicator
*Employer Address
- Click the Add Employer Address button. The Address modal opens.
- Enter the employer address following SEVP guidance on entering U.S. addresses.
- This field validates when Address Doctor is working.
- Enter the Employer’s site address as shown in Section 5 of the Form I-983.
*Supervisor Last Name
- Enter the last name of the student’s supervisor, as shown in Section 5 of the Form I-983.
- This is a required field for STEM OPT.
*Supervisor First Name
- Enter the first name of the student’s supervisor, as shown in Section 5 of the Form I-983.
- This is a required field for STEM OPT.
*Supervisor Telephone Number
- Enter the work/business telephone number for the student’s supervisor, as shown in Section 5 of the Form I-983.
- This is a required field for STEM OPT
*Supervisor Email
- Enter the email address for the student’s supervisor, as shown in Section 5 of the Form I-983.
- This is a required field for STEM OPT.
- Click one of the following:
- Cancel: Returns to the OPT Employment page without adding the OPT extension request to the student’s record.
- Extend OPT Employer: Processes the recommended OPT extension in SEVIS. An Update Successful message displays.
