While on Optional Practical Training, the OPT changes you must report to the government cover your employment, your address, and your personal information, and you have 10 days from the date the change happens to get them into your SEVIS record.1Study in the States. OPT Student Reporting Requirements Missing that window can trigger an automatic termination of your record, which ends both your work authorization and your legal status in the United States. Depending on whether you are on standard post-completion OPT or the 24-month STEM extension, you will submit those updates either through the SEVP Portal yourself or through your Designated School Official.
What Counts as a Reportable Change
Federal regulations single out specific categories of changes that affect your immigration record. On any type of OPT, the following must be reported:2Study in the States. F-1 Add, Edit, Delete Optional Practical Training (OPT) Employer
- Starting a new job, paid or unpaid, that relates to your field of study and involves at least 20 hours of work per week.
- Ending a job, whether you leave, are laid off, or finish a contract. Add an end date to the old employer entry and add the new employer as a separate one. Do not overwrite the old employer with new details.3Study in the States. Update Employer Information
- Moving to a new residential or mailing address, even within the same city.
- Your employer relocating or moving you to a different office.
- A legal name change, whether from marriage, court order, or any other reason. Your SEVIS record must match your current legal identification.
- A material change in job duties. A significant shift that moves your work away from your major field of study requires review even though you have not changed employers.
- A shift in work hours between part-time (at least 20 hours per week) and full-time, in either direction.
- A change in your employer’s business name, even if the location and staff stay the same.
The 10-day clock starts on the date the change happens, not the date you learn about it.1Study in the States. OPT Student Reporting Requirements If you report through the SEVP Portal yourself, the deadline is met when you submit. If you report to your DSO instead, the DSO then has 21 days from the date you notify them to update SEVIS.2Study in the States. F-1 Add, Edit, Delete Optional Practical Training (OPT) Employer Your 10-day obligation is to notify; theirs is to enter.
Information to Gather Before You Report
Have everything in front of you before you log in. Partial entries can create more problems than they solve.
For an employment update, you need your employer’s official company name and their federal Employer Identification Number. The EIN is the nine-digit number the IRS assigns to businesses for tax purposes.4Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your EIN You can find it on your W-2 or by asking your company’s HR or payroll department. You also need the physical address of the work site where you actually sit (not just the corporate headquarters if those differ), plus the name and contact information for your direct supervisor.
For an address change, the system requires your new physical residential address. If your mailing address is different from where you live, update both. For a legal name change, have your updated identification documents ready so the name in SEVIS matches exactly.
Extra Paperwork for STEM OPT Students
If you are on the 24-month STEM OPT extension, an employer change carries an added requirement. You and your new employer must complete and sign a Form I-983, the formal training plan that spells out your learning goals and how the employer will supervise your training.5Study in the States. Form I-983 Overview The form asks for specific information about how the job connects to your STEM degree, what skills you will develop, and what oversight methods the employer will use.6U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE Form I-983 – Training Plan for STEM OPT Students Both you and an authorized employer official sign under penalty of perjury.
How to Submit the Update
You have two paths, and which one applies depends on whether you are on standard OPT or the STEM extension.
The SEVP Portal (Standard OPT)
Students on standard 12-month post-completion OPT can log into the SEVP Portal directly to add or edit employer information, update an address, and report other changes. The portal uses a secure login and a final confirmation step before your changes are committed to the federal record.1Study in the States. OPT Student Reporting Requirements Save the confirmation you receive after submitting.
Through Your DSO
Anything you cannot update in the portal, or any change that requires a new Form I-20, must go through your DSO. STEM OPT students cannot add a new employer through the SEVP Portal at all. You submit the completed I-983 to your DSO, who enters the employer information into SEVIS on your behalf.3Study in the States. Update Employer Information This is one of the most common points of confusion about STEM OPT reporting.
After processing, the DSO issues an updated Form I-20 reflecting the new information. Keep every version. You will need them for travel, future visa applications, and any status questions that come up later.
Whichever method you use, check in with your DSO regularly. Federal regulations require you and the school to work together to keep your SEVIS record accurate, and many schools layer their own internal processes on top of the federal requirements.1Study in the States. OPT Student Reporting Requirements
Scheduled Validation Reports on STEM OPT
The STEM extension adds a second kind of reporting on top of the 10-day rule. Even when nothing has changed, you must confirm your information with your DSO every six months during the extension period.7Study in the States. Students: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements These validation reports fall at the 6-, 12-, 18-, and 24-month marks from the start date of your STEM extension. SEVP Portal users receive an email reminder 30 days before each one is due.
During each validation, you confirm that your SEVIS record correctly reflects your legal name, residential and mailing address, employer name and address, and current employment status.7Study in the States. Students: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements These are scheduled check-ins. They do not replace your obligation to report actual changes within 10 days as they happen.
Multiple Employers
STEM OPT students can work for more than one employer at the same time, but each relationship carries its own full set of requirements. You must complete a separate Form I-983 with each employer, work at least 20 hours per week with each one, receive compensation from each, and submit self-evaluations about your progress at each position to your DSO.8Study in the States. Reminder: STEM OPT Students May Train with Multiple Employers Every employer must also be enrolled in E-Verify. If even one falls out of compliance, it can jeopardize your entire STEM OPT authorization.
End of a STEM Position
When a STEM OPT job ends, you have 10 days to report the end of employment. You must also send your DSO the final evaluation from that employer within 10 days of your last day of work.3Study in the States. Update Employer Information The unemployment clock starts immediately, so lining up your next position before leaving is the safest approach.
Why the Deadlines Are Not Optional
Reporting is not bureaucratic box-checking. Your unemployment clock runs from the start date on your EAD, and every day you are not in a qualifying position counts against you. On standard 12-month post-completion OPT, you are limited to 90 cumulative calendar days of unemployment. Weekends and holidays count. Students on the 24-month STEM extension receive an additional 60 days, for a total of 150 days across the entire post-completion OPT period.7Study in the States. Students: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements
The fastest way to accidentally exceed the limit is to change jobs without reporting the new position quickly enough. If your SEVIS record shows no employer, the system counts those days as unemployed regardless of whether you were actually working.
What Happens If You Miss a Deadline
The consequences are severe and often irreversible. SEVP’s automated monitoring flags SEVIS records where required reporting has not occurred, and records can be terminated without any additional warning. A terminated SEVIS record means your OPT work authorization is immediately invalid. You lose the legal right to work and to remain in the country.
Recovery options are limited. Reinstatement of F-1 status requires filing with USCIS and meeting conditions that many students with OPT violations cannot satisfy, particularly the requirement that the student not have engaged in unauthorized employment. If reinstatement is not available, the only path back is to leave the country, obtain a new Form I-20 with a new SEVIS number, pay the I-901 SEVIS fee again, and re-enter the United States to start fresh.9Study in the States. Reinstatement COE (Form I-20) Students who file for reinstatement within five months of termination must explain why the record was terminated, demonstrate that circumstances beyond their control caused the violation, and show a plan for maintaining status going forward. After five months, the burden increases further.
Set calendar reminders for every reporting deadline: 10 days after any change, and each six-month validation report if you are on STEM OPT. These deadlines carry the weight of your immigration status.