STEM OPT Reporting

Students must submit a new Form I-983 to ISO within 10 days of starting a new employment opportunity. This new Form I-983 must be completed with your new employer and must contain the appropriate employer signatures in Sections 4 and 6.

Note: Any changes of the employer’s Employer Identification Number (EIN) resulting from a change in the employer’s ownership or structure (Section 3) is generally considered a change in STEM employer that requires the submission of a new Form I-983 (and you will need to separately report the conclusion of your F-1 STEM training under the previous Employer’s EIN).

Your new Form I-983 must be submitted to ISO via the Request for STEM OPT I-20 form in URcompass.

Students should keep in mind that each employer and specific position must meet the appropriate STEM OPT eligibility criteria. Starting a new position that does not meet the STEM OPT employment eligibility criteria may constitute working without authorization. If you have questions or concerns about the STEM OPT eligibility criteria, please contact your ISO Advisor.

You must submit a Final Evaluation on Student Progress to ISO within 10 days of your last day of F-1 STEM employment with the I-983 employer or when you end your F-1 STEM OPT status (whether by changing status/departure, changing degree level, or transferring your SEVIS record) – whichever is earlier. The Final Evaluation can be found at the bottom of page 5 of your Form I-983.

As stated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Study in the States, the Final Evaluation must be signed by the same Employer Official with Signatory Authority who signed your Form I-983. If the employer official(s) who signed in Sections 4 and/or 6 of your Form I-983 are no longer available, those sections must be updated first/before a new signatory can sign the Final Evaluation. The evaluate date range End Date should match the last day of your training with the employer – this date will be reported in SEVIS.

Use the Submit I-983 Final Evaluation form to report the conclusion of your F-1 STEM training.

When ending a job on STEM OPT, consider how much unemployment time you have remaining and plan accordingly.

Certain changes to the information in your Form I-983 will be considered to be “Material Changes” that must be reported to ISO with an updated I-983.

Material changes may include, but are not limited to:

•  Any reduction in compensation that is not tied to a reduction in hours worked (Section 3)
• Any significant decrease in the number of hours worked per week and any decrease that would reduce the student’s total hours with that employer to less than 20 hours per week (Section 3)
• Any changes that renders inaccurate an employer attestation (Sections 4 & 6)
• Any changes that renders inaccurate information related to the nature, purpose, oversight, or assessment of the student (Section 5)
• Any change to the employment site of activity or employer official (Section 5). If you will engage in your training at multiple sites, you should list the physical location where you are receiving the majority of your training in Section 5. You and your employer may list information about the other site(s) of activity/location(s) in the Additional Remarks box in Section 5.

Note: Changes in Section 3 will require a new employer signature in Section 4, and changes in Section 5 will require a new employer signature in Section 6.

Use the Report Material Changes to the I-983 form to submit the updated I-983 to ISO. Material changes must be reported before any other STEM reporting requirements can be completed.

Within 10 days of the 6 Month mark from when your STEM OPT authorization began, you must validate the accuracy of your currently reported residential address and employment details by reviewing the information in your SEVP Portal account as well as your Form I-983.

• Request SEVP Portal Email Reset/Change: Use this form if you are having difficulty accessing your SEVP Portal account and you need to request a reset link and/or to change the email address associated with your account.
• Report Material Changes to the I-983: If there have been material changes to your Form I-983, you must report these changes by submitting an updated I-983 to ISO before submitting your validation.

After verifying that your information is accurate in both your SEVP Portal account and your I-983, use the Submit 6 Month STEM Validation form to complete this STEM reporting requirement.

Within 10 days of the 12 Month mark from when your STEM OPT authorization began, you must complete both a Validation and an Evaluation:

12 Month Validation: You must validate the accuracy of your currently reported residential address and employment information in your SEVP Portal account and Form I-983.

12 Month I-983 Self-Evaluation: You must complete the first Evaluation on Student Progress, found at the top of page 5 of your current Form I-983. As stated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Study in the States, the Annual Evaluation must be signed by the same Employer Official with Signatory Authority who signed your Form I-983. If the employer official(s) who signed in Sections 4 and/or 6 of your Form I-983 are no longer available, those sections must be updated first/before a new signatory can sign the Annual Evaluation. Since this assessment is intended to be an evaluation of the entirety of the first year of your STEM training, the date range Start Date should match the date your STEM authorization began (as listed on your STEM EAD) even if you have not worked for your current employer for that full duration.

• Request SEVP Portal Email Reset/Change: Use this form if you are having difficulty accessing your SEVP Portalaccount and you need to request a reset link and/or to change the email address associated with your account.
• Report Material Changes to the I-983: If there have been material changes to your Form I-983, you must report these changes by submitting an updated I-983 to ISO before submitting your validation/evaluation.

After verifying that your information is accurate in both your SEVP Portal account and I-983 AND you have a completed and appropriately signed evaluation, use the Submit 12 Month STEM Validation & Evaluation form to complete this STEM reporting requirement.

Within 10 days of the 18 Month mark from when your STEM OPT authorization began, you must validate the accuracy of your currently reported residential address and employment details by reviewing the information in your SEVP Portal account as well as your Form I-983.

• Request SEVP Portal Email Reset/Change: Use this form if you are having difficulty accessing your SEVP Portalaccount and you need to request a reset link and/or to change the email address associated with your account.
• Report Material Changes to the I-983: If there have been material changes to your Form I-983, you must report these changes by submitting an updated I-983 to ISO before submitting your validation.

After verifying that your information is accurate in both your SEVP Portal account and your I-983, use the Submit 18 Month STEM Validation form to complete this STEM reporting requirement.

Within 10 days of the 24 Month mark from when your STEM OPT authorization began, you must complete both a Validation and an Evaluation:

24 Month Validation: You must validate the accuracy of your currently reported residential address and employment information in your SEVP Portal account and Form I-983.

24 Month I-983 Self-Evaluation: You must complete the Final Evaluation on Student Progress, found at the bottom of page 5 of your current Form I-983. As stated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Study in the States, the Final Evaluation must be signed by the same Employer Official with Signatory Authority who signed your Form I-983. If the employer official(s) who signed in Sections 4 and/or 6 of your Form I-983 are no longer available, those sections must be updated first/before a new signatory can sign the Final Evaluation. Since this assessment is intended to be an evaluation of the entirety of the first two years of your STEM training, the date range Start Date should match the date your STEM authorization began (as listed on your STEM EAD) even if you have not worked for your current employer for that full duration. The date range End Date should match the STEM EAD end date.

• Request SEVP Portal Email Reset/Change: Use this form if you are having difficulty accessing your SEVP Portalaccount and you need to request a reset link and/or to change the email address associated with your account.
• Report Material Changes to the I-983: If there have been material changes to your Form I-983, you must report these changes by submitting an updated I-983 to ISO before submitting your validation/evaluation.

After verifying that your information is accurate in both your SEVP Portal account and I-983 AND you have a completed and appropriately signed evaluation, use the Submit 24 Month STEM Validation & Evaluation form to complete this STEM reporting requirement.

You may let ISO know via the Report Departure from F-1 OPT/STEM Status form if you leave the United States at any time during your STEM OPT before your STEM EAD End Date, and you decide you will not return to use the remainder of your F-1 STEM OPT authorization. In the form, you will be asked to confirm you have departed the United States, you will not return to the United States to use the remainder of your STEM OPT authorization, and that you would like us to deactivate your SEVIS record (this will stop the accrual of unemployment days). Please note: it will not be possible to reactivate the SEVIS record following deactivation. You will need a new SEVIS record created if you will return to the United States for activities that requires F-1 status.

If you change status to a different visa category during your STEM OPT, please use the  Report Departure from F-1 OPT/STEM Status form to provide evidence of your new status so we can make sure your F-1 SEVIS record is appropriately completed.

If you will be changing status to the H-1B, please review Cap-Gap Extensions in case this information applies to your transition from F-1 STEM OPT to H-1B. If you have been approved an H-1B with consular notification and you would like your ISO advisor to review it in advance of your travel abroad for the H-1B visa sticker, please upload it via the Student Document Upload form in URcompass. After obtaining your visa sticker and entering the US in H-1B status, you will need to report your change of status to ISO via the Report Departure from F-1 OPT/STEM Status form.

Changes of personal information (such as name or country of citizenship) must be reported to ISO within 10 days of the change. Please contact opt@rochester.edu for further guidance on reporting needs depending on the nature of the change.

Changes of residential address (within the United States) must be reported within 10 days of the change. These changes should be reported through the SEVP Portal. No updates to Form I-983 are required, unless your site of training will also change as listed in Section 5 (in which case, please be sure to also Report Material Changes to the I-983). If you will engage in your training at multiple sites, you should list the physical location where you are receiving the majority of your training in Section 5. You and your employer may list information about the other site(s) of activity/location(s) in the Additional Remarks box in Section 5.

If you encounter an error when attempting to submit a new residential address in your SEVP Portal account, please use ISO’s Report Change of US Residential Address form so we can do the reporting for you.