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Standard Reporting Timeline During the STEM OPT Extension

This page explains the standard 6-month reporting requirements for students approved for the STEM OPT Extension.  Information on reporting updates to employment (changing jobs, new site location, etc.) can be found on the STEM OPT Resources homepage.

During the STEM OPT Extension period, the student is required to submit a validation report to their Designated School Official (DSO) every six months.  The validation report is due within 10 days of each reporting date.  The student must confirm their SEVIS record accurately reflects the following information:

  • Legal Name
  • Residential or Mailing Address
  • Employer Name and Address
  • Status of Current Employment

This reporting is accomplished through submission of the 6-Month Reporting Form at the 6, 12, and 18-month points and at the end of STEM OPT.  The self evaluations found on page 5 of the Form I-983 are due at the 12-month point and at the end of STEM OPT.  Note the 鈥渆nd鈥� of STEM OPT may be at the 24-month point or earlier depending on the student鈥檚 situation.

What is the 6-Month Reporting Form?  It is a 萝莉社 webform used to collect address and employment information.  It must be completed at the 6, 12, and 18-month points of the STEM OPT Extension.  Reporting at the end of STEM OPT is also required: this may be at the 24-month point or earlier, depending on the student鈥檚 circumstances.  The student can request a 6-Month Reporting Form by completing a request for a personalized link. 

Within the form, the student will report their address, phone number, and current employment details

Upon receipt, the Designated School Official (DSO) will compare the information the student is reporting to the information in SEVIS.  If the details match, the DSO will validate the student鈥檚 employment and address details in SEVIS.  If the information does not match, the DSO will email the student requesting further information.  The student will likely be required to submit an updated Form I-983.

What is the Evaluation on Student Progress?  It is self-evaluation written by the student of their experiences in the first year of their STEM OPT Extension.  It is due at the 12-month mark of the STEM OPT period and can be found on page 5 of the Form I-983 (top section).  Examples of the information the student should provide are details on new skills acquired, goals achieved, new areas of competency development identified, etc.  The student should provide an evaluation of their experience for the entire first year of STEM OPT, not just for the current job.

The student鈥檚 deadline for submitting this evaluation will be listed in the reminder email from OIE and in the reminders generated from the SEVP Portal.  The Evaluation on Student Progress can be uploaded to the 6-month Reporting Form.

What dates should the student use for the "Range of Evaluation Dates?"

Section of I-983 which contains the Evaluation on Student progress, with Range of Evaluation Dates highlighted.

The 鈥淔rom鈥� date will be the start date of STEM OPT.

The 鈥淭o鈥� date will be the one-year mark of STEM OPT.

Example for a student whose STEM OPT period began on 03/16/2023:

From: 03/16/2023

To: 03/15/2024

What is the Final Evaluation of Student Progress?  A final evaluation must be submitted when the student ends employment with a particular employer and at the end of the STEM OPT Extension period.  It can be found on page 5 of the Form I-983 (bottom section) and can be uploaded to the 6-month Reporting Form.

What dates should the student use for the 鈥淩ange of Evaluation Dates?鈥�

Section of I-983 which contains the Final Evaluation on Student progress, with Range of Evaluation Dates highlighted.

The answer depends on the reason for completing the evaluation:

  1. If a final evaluation is being submitted because the student is ending their job with a particular employer, they will provide a self-evaluation for their experience with that employer only.
  • The 鈥淔rom鈥� date will be the start date with that employer.
  • The 鈥淭o鈥� date will be the end date with that employer. This will be the date entered into SEVIS as the end of employment date.  This will also be reflected in the SEVP Portal soon after the evaluation is processed by the DSO.
  1. If a final evaluation is being submitted because the STEM OPT period is coming to an end, the student will provide a self-evaluation of skills acquired, goals achieved, overall contributions, etc., for the full STEM OPT Extension period with all employers.
  • The 鈥淔rom鈥� date will be the start date of the STEM OPT.
  • The 鈥淭o鈥� date will be the end date of the STEM OPT.

Common Questions:

What happens if I miss a reporting deadline?

Currently, SEVIS does not auto-terminate if a reporting deadline is missed.  Designated School Officials (DSO) are not required to terminate a student鈥檚 SEVIS record for missing a reporting deadline.  However, it鈥檚 important to remember that not fulfilling the reporting requirements is a failure to meet the terms of the STEM OPT Extension period and may jeopardize your nonimmigrant status.  Consequences may not occur immediately, but could affect a future benefit application such as an H1-B petition or adjustment of status (green card) application.

The 鈥淩eport OPT Participation鈥� link the DSO uses in SEVIS to validate employment and address information displays in SEVIS 30 days before each report due date, and 31 days after the due date.  We recommend submitting the reporting forms even if you鈥檝e missed the deadline as it will show an attempt to comply with the reporting requirements. 

What if my employer refuses to sign the evaluation?

We strongly advise submitting the evaluation even without the employer鈥檚 signature as it will show your attempt to comply with the reporting requirements.

What else am I required to report during the STEM OPT Extension period?

In addition to meeting all scheduled reporting requirements explained on this page, each STEM OPT student must submit a new I-983 to their DSO in order to report any material changes to, or material deviations from, the student's formal training plan.  More information about what is considered a "material change" can be found in our FAQ.  Updates made in the  alone do not satisfy the regulatory reporting requirements.

Where can I find more information?

 

Q1: What do I need to do 6 months after my authorization begins?

Q2: What do I need to do 12 months after my authorization begins?

  • submit a 6-Month Reporting Form

  • submit the Evaluation on Student Progress in the top section of page 5 from the

Q3: What do I need to do 18 months after my authorization begins?

Q4: What do I need to do 24 months after my authorization begins?

  • submit a 6-Month Reporting Form

  • submit the Final Evaluation on Student Progress in the bottom section of page 5 from the