The STEM OPT validation report is a check-in you send to your Designated School Official every six months during the 24-month STEM extension, confirming that your name, address, employer, and employment status in SEVIS are still accurate.1Study in the States. Students: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements At the 12-month and 24-month marks, the report also includes a signed self-evaluation on Form I-983.2eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status Miss one and your DSO can terminate your SEVIS record, which ends your work authorization the same day.
When Each Report Is Due
The clock starts on the STEM OPT start date printed on your Employment Authorization Document. From that date, four reports fall on a six-month cycle:
- 6 months: validation only. Confirm your name, address, employer name and address, and employment status with your DSO.
- 12 months: validation plus the “Evaluation on Student Progress” section of Form I-983, signed by you and your employer, submitted to your DSO no later than 10 days after the reporting period ends.2eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status
- 18 months: validation only, same as the 6-month report.
- 24 months, or whenever your training ends earlier: validation plus the “Final Evaluation on Student Progress” on Form I-983, to reach your DSO within 10 days of your training ending.1Study in the States. Students: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements
If your EAD start date is June 1, your first validation falls around December 1, the 12-month evaluation around June 1 the following year, and so on. The SEVP Portal sends an email reminder 30 days before each validation is due, so keep the email address on your portal account current.
The six-month cycle is not the only reporting obligation. Any change to your legal name, residential address, employer, or employment status must be reported within 10 days of the change.1Study in the States. Students: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements Losing a job triggers the same 10-day clock.
What You Confirm in Each Report
Every validation, at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, asks you to confirm the same core information in SEVIS:3Study in the States. STEM OPT Extension Overview
- Legal name as it appears on your immigration documents.
- Your current U.S. residential or mailing address.
- The legal name and physical worksite address of each STEM OPT employer.
- Whether you are currently employed, and in what capacity.
Have your employer’s Employer Identification Number available. It appears on your Form I-983, and a mismatch between what SEVIS shows and what your employer actually uses can flag your record.4Study in the States. Employers: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements Even if nothing has changed since your last report, the confirmation itself is what the rule requires. Skipping a validation because everything looks the same is not an option.
The Form I-983 Evaluations at 12 and 24 Months
Form I-983, the Training Plan for STEM OPT Students, is a five-page PDF from the ICE website.5U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Form I-983 Training Plan for STEM OPT Students You filled out most of it when you first applied for the extension. The two sections that matter for reporting sit on page five: the “Evaluation on Student Progress” at 12 months and the “Final Evaluation on Student Progress” at 24 months or the end of your training.
Each evaluation asks for a narrative describing what you have learned and how your work connects to your STEM degree. Be specific. Write about particular projects, tools, or research methods rather than a summary of general duties. The evaluation should show a clear link between the goals in Section 5 of your original training plan and what you actually accomplished during the review period.
You and an authorized representative of your employer both sign the evaluation to verify its accuracy.6Study in the States. Form I-983 Overview The employer may attach a separate assessment as well, though that is optional. Once signed, submit the evaluation to your DSO, who keeps it in your student record.2eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status Keep a copy of every signed form. If an immigration officer asks for documentation later, you want your own record.
How to Submit
The SEVP Portal is the main tool for managing your reporting obligations on OPT.7Student and Exchange Visitor Program. SEVP Portal Login After USCIS approves your OPT and your authorization becomes active, SEVP creates your portal account and emails instructions for setting a password.8Study in the States. Create an SEVP Portal Account If you never set yours up, do it now. Validation reports cannot be filed without it.
Inside the portal, you can update your physical and mailing addresses directly. The system verifies addresses against a database and will reject entries it cannot confirm, so abbreviate street types (St, Ave, Blvd) and avoid periods after abbreviations.9Study in the States. Update User Profile Employer information is updated in a separate section. Check every field against your current documents before you submit. The data goes straight into SEVIS.
The signed Form I-983 does not go through the portal. You hand it to your DSO, who files it in your student record. Schools handle intake differently: a dedicated upload portal, an email to the international student office, or an in-person appointment. Ask your DSO well ahead of the deadline what your school expects. Once received, your DSO updates SEVIS to reflect the evaluation, and you should get a confirmation through the school’s system or by email.
Changes That Require a New or Modified I-983
A validation report keeps SEVIS current, but some changes need more than a portal update. If your employer’s EIN changes because of a corporate restructuring, if your pay drops in a way not explained by reduced hours, if your weekly hours fall significantly (STEM OPT requires at least 20 hours per week per employer), or if the learning goals on your I-983 shift, you and your employer must sign a modified I-983 and get it to your DSO as soon as possible.2eCFR. 8 CFR 214.2 – Special Requirements for Admission, Extension, and Maintenance of Status A new employer means a brand-new I-983 with that employer’s information, not a modification.
What Happens If You Miss a Report
A DSO can terminate your SEVIS record if you fail to file a required validation at the 6, 12, or 18-month mark.10Study in the States. Termination Reasons Skipping the final evaluation violates the terms of your I-983 training plan and puts your status at similar risk.1Study in the States. Students: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements Termination ends your employment authorization immediately. You cannot keep working while you try to sort it out.
After a SEVIS termination for a status violation, there is no grace period.11Study in the States. Terminate a Student You either apply for reinstatement or leave the United States. Reinstatement is discretionary. It requires showing that the violation resulted from circumstances beyond your control, or that failing to restore your status would cause extreme hardship.
A terminated record also starts the clock on unlawful presence. Accumulate more than 180 days and then depart, and you face a three-year bar on re-entry. More than a year, and the bar extends to ten.12U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Unlawful Presence and Inadmissibility A history of noncompliance can also complicate future visa applications and green-card petitions even if you never trigger a formal bar. Four dates on a calendar and a few minutes in the portal is a small price to keep all of that off your record.