How to Complete and Submit the OPT Employment Update Form

To submit an OPT employment update, log in to the SEVP Portal at sevp.ice.gov/opt with your SEVIS ID and password, open your authorization record on the Employment page, and add, edit, or end the employer entry that changed. Do it within 10 days. The portal won’t accept an employment start date more than 10 days in the past, and federal regulations require your record to stay current for the entire OPT period.¹

What Counts as an Employment Change You Have to Report

Under 8 CFR 214.2(f)(12), every F-1 student on OPT must report changes of name, address, or interruption of employment to their Designated School Official. STEM OPT students have an explicit 10-day deadline for changes to employer name, employer address, residential or mailing address, and any loss of employment.² For standard post-completion OPT the regulation doesn’t spell out a day count, but the portal enforces one anyway through the 10-day start-date rule.¹

Events that trigger an update:

Starting a new job. Report the employer, address, job title, and how the work relates to your field of study.
Leaving a job. Enter an end date on the existing employer record. This starts your unemployment clock.
Changing employers. End the old record and add a new one.
Changing work location. Update the employer address even if the company itself hasn’t changed.
Moving. Update your physical and mailing address.

Anything the portal doesn’t accept has to go to your DSO within 10 days. Your DSO then has 21 days to update SEVIS.³

Information to Have Ready Before You Log In

Gather everything before opening a session. The portal has required fields that block submission if left blank, and sessions time out.

For each standard post-completion OPT employer entry the portal requires the employer’s full legal name (not a trade name), the street address of the location where you physically work, whether the position is full-time or part-time, the start date, and a written explanation of how the job relates to your degree. Optional fields include job title, supervisor name, supervisor phone and email, employment end date, and a self-employed checkbox.¹ Fill in the optional fields anyway. If a question comes up later, you’ll want the supervisor’s contact details already on file.

The start date has two hard limits: it cannot be earlier than your OPT authorization start date, and it cannot be more than 10 days before the day you enter it. For the field-of-study explanation, be specific. Name tasks you perform and the coursework or skills they draw on.

Adding, Editing, or Ending an Employer in the Portal

Log in at sevp.ice.gov/opt with your SEVIS ID and password.⁴ Go to the Employment page and expand your authorization record. To add a job, click “Add Employer” and complete the required fields. To edit an existing employer — for example, to add an end date when you leave, or to update a work address after a move — find the employer under your authorization, open the edit form, change the relevant fields, and save.¹

The portal should display a confirmation message on screen when your data saves. Log out and back in to verify the new information appears in your employment history, and save or screenshot any confirmation the system generates.

STEM OPT: The Portal Alone Won’t Do It

STEM OPT students cannot add employers through the portal. The process runs through your DSO: submit a completed, signed Form I-983 to your international office, and the DSO enters the employer information in SEVIS, which then flows into the portal automatically.¹ You can view your STEM OPT employer records in the portal and edit limited fields, but adding or removing an employer requires DSO action.

STEM employer records also carry extra required fields that are read-only in the portal because SEVIS controls them: the employer’s Employer Identification Number, and the supervisor’s first name, last name, phone, and email.³ Give all of these to your DSO along with the signed I-983.⁵ The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify — an employer that isn’t enrolled cannot sponsor STEM OPT employment.⁶

Certain mid-employment changes on STEM OPT require an immediate report to your DSO even if your job title hasn’t changed: a new EIN from a corporate restructuring, a pay cut not tied to reduced hours, a significant drop in weekly hours, or any change to the learning objectives or employer commitments in the I-983.⁷ If your hours drop below 20 per week, report it — STEM OPT requires at least 20 hours of work per week.⁸

Updating Your Address and Personal Information

The portal also handles your physical address, mailing address, and phone number. Federal law requires F-1 students to report address changes within 10 days.⁹

Email addresses can’t be changed through the portal. If your email changes, tell your DSO, who updates SEVIS. The portal then sends a verification email to your new address; click the link to complete the update.⁹ Name and date of birth corrections also require DSO assistance.

Self-Employment, Volunteer Work, and Multiple Jobs

If you work for yourself, check the “Self Employed” box when adding the employer. The portal will auto-fill your name as the employer name.¹ Students juggling multiple short-term gigs in one period should mark themselves as self-employed and describe the work in the employment details.³ Self-employment requires active work; passive ownership doesn’t count. Keep contracts, invoices, time logs, and work product tied to your field of study.

An unpaid position counts as valid OPT employment only if it’s directly related to your field of study. Listing an unrelated volunteer position as OPT employment is a reporting violation that can make you subject to removal, and it doesn’t stop your unemployment clock. Volunteer positions are not allowed on STEM OPT at all — STEM students must be compensated.¹⁰

You can hold more than one OPT position at the same time. Add each employer as a separate entry, and make sure each relates to your major field of study.³

Why the 10-Day Window Matters

Every day you’re not employed counts against a federal unemployment cap: 90 days on standard post-completion OPT, plus another 60 days if you move to the STEM extension, for a combined 150-day cap that includes any unemployment already used.¹¹ Exceeding the cap can lead DHS to terminate your SEVIS record, and a termination for unemployment does not come with the standard 60-day grace period to prepare for departure.² Prompt reporting is how the system knows you’re working and stops counting.

If the Portal Isn’t Working

Technical problems don’t excuse late reporting. If you can’t access the portal, contact your DSO right away. Your DSO can update your SEVIS record directly, and the information will sync to the portal once it’s back online.¹² The portal supplements your DSO relationship; it doesn’t replace it.¹

What to Keep After You Submit

Save any confirmation screen or email the portal generates. Keep copies of every Form I-20 issued during your OPT period; these are commonly requested for H-1B applications and other immigration benefits, and they show continuous legal status throughout your training.

For STEM OPT, hold on to every version of Form I-983, including the signed original, the 12-month evaluation, and the final evaluation. If USCIS ever sends a Request for Evidence questioning your employment, that paper trail is what you’ll use to respond. If any of your entries were self-employment, keep client contracts, invoices, time logs, and work product samples tied to your field of study alongside them. Organizing records as you go is easier than reconstructing them later.

1
Study in the States. SEVP Portal Student User Guide
2
eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status
3
Study in the States. F-1 Add, Edit, Delete Optional Practical Training (OPT) Employer
4
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. OPT Employment Update Form
5
Study in the States. Form I-983 Overview
6
E-Verify. Am I Required to Participate in E-Verify in Order to Hire F-1 Students Who Seek a STEM OPT Extension?
7
Study in the States. Students: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements
8
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Training Plan for STEM OPT Students
9
Study in the States. Update User Profile
10
Study in the States. Reporting Volunteer Positions During OPT Employment
11
Study in the States. Unemployment Counter
12
Study in the States. SEVP Portal Help