STEM OPT Extension

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What is the STEM OPT extension?

F-1 students who have completed a degree in science, technology, engineering or math and are currently in post-completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) can apply for a temporary 24-month OPT extension. You must have a job or job offer from an E-Verify employer to request the 24-month extension.

STEM OPT eligibility

In order to qualify for a STEM extension, you must have completed a bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree in science, technology, engineering or mathematics as identified by the Department of Homeland Security STEM Designated Degree Program List.

You must also:

Be participating in a 12-month period of approved, Post-Completion OPT.
Submit your materials to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) before your current OPT expires, but no sooner than 90 days before your expiration date.
Complete Form I-983 STEM Training Plan with your employer (more details provided in the "Application Procedures" section below).
Maintain your F-1 status, which includes meeting all reporting obligations and accruing no more than 90 days of unemployment during your current OPT.

NOTE: A qualifying degree that you have earned prior to your most recent degree may be considered for the STEM extension.

Employer and employment requirements

Be employed at the time of your application.
Have a job or have accepted a genuine job offer with an employer enrolled in the E-Verify Program, in compliance with Homeland Security. Please check with the employer’s HR department to confirm if the company is enrolled.
Have an authentic professional relationship with your employer.

An authentic relationship with your employer means that your employer is responsible for making sure you follow the tasks outlined in your I-983 training plan.

Note: You can work at a client site location, but your employer's client can not be the one responsible for managing your daily tasks or supervising your work.

Read more about the employer eligibility requirements on the STEM OPT USCIS website or on the Study in the States website. If you are still unsure of your eligibility, please contact International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) for additional guidance.

How to apply for a STEM OPT extension

If you are eligible for STEM based on the criteria above, follow these steps to begin the STEM extension request process:

Step 1: Complete form I-983 with current employer

To apply for STEM OPT extension, you are required to submit a STEM training plan using Form I-983.

NOTE: We have assembled this guide for your convenience, but we also encourage you to view the official form instructions on the Study in the States website.

Guide to STEM OPT I-983

Step 2: Complete STEM OPT extension request with CMU

Once you are eligible to apply, find the STEM Extension request at international.cmich.edu under tab 3: Requests.

Fill out the request completely and upload your I-983 in this request.
Click submit at the end of the request.
An advisor will then review this request.

If there are any employment updates, you may submit them at this time.

Once all steps are complete we will notify you that your I-20 is ready for pick up or download.

Step 3: Complete the I-765 on USCIS's portal

To access the I-765 form, visit USCIS's portal.

Your application must be received by USCIS within 60 days of your OPT I-20 being issued. The date your I-20 was issued is on page 1 of the I-20, by the Designated School Official's signature.

It may take 90 or more days for USCIS to complete your application processing. Premium processing is available for STEM OPT applications and can be filed at any time for an additional fee.

If you filed your STEM OPT application early enough before your OPT end date, you can continue working for 180 days past your Post-Completion OPT EAD end date while you wait for a response from USCIS.

During that time you must meet the job requirements for STEM OPT, such as working for an E-Verify employer.

USCIS OPT STEM Extension

Reporting your STEM OPT

To maintain F-1 status during your STEM OPT extension, you must meet the following reporting obligations:

Every 6 Months:

Validation Report: Confirm employment and personal information with the ISSS office.

Within 10 days of any change:

Report Changes to ISSS if:
- Your legal names changes.
- Your U.S. address changes.
- You change of employers or job location.
- You lose your job.

Form I-983 after first 12 months:and at the end of your STEM OPT

12-month evaluation: Submit a self-evaluation to your Designated School Official (DSO) after the first 12 months of your STEM OPT period.

At the end of your STEM OPT:

Final evaluation: Submit a final self-evaluation at the end of your STEM OPT period or when your job ends, whichever comes first.

All reports must be submitted to ISSS within 10 days of the due date.

For more details on how to fill out report evaluations and submit reporting requests, go to OPT Reporting and Requests.

How to submit STEM participation reports

While on STEM OPT, you must submit participation reports every 6 months. These reports are due within 10 days of the required reporting period (6 months, 12 month, 18 months and 24 months after your start date). To complete your participation reports, please complete the following:

Log in to the international student portal with your CMU Global ID and password.
Click on STEM OPT Report Participation - 6, 12, 18 or 24 month reports. This will be under tab 3, "Requests."
Choose the correct report to submit depending on the reporting period (6, 12, 18 or 24 months) and complete the required questions.

Please note: The 12 and 24-month reports require completion of the appropriate self-evaluation located on page 5 of Form I-983. You will be asked to upload a copy of your evaluation when you complete the reports for these reporting periods. The 6-month and 18-month reports do not require this self-evaluation component.

Final evaluation when leaving an employer

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) requires students to submit a final evaluation when leaving an employer, even if the student's period of STEM OPT has not yet expired.

To complete and submit your final evaluation:

Download Form I-983
Complete the final evaluation section of page 5. This requires a signature from the employer you are leaving or have already left. You do not need to complete any other part of the I-983 for this submission.
Log in to the international student portal with your CMU Global ID and password.
Click on "STEM OPT Submit Final Employer Evaluation." This will be under tab 3, "Requests."
Under "Questionnaires," click on "Submit Final Evaluation Here When Changing Employers."
Complete the required questions, upload your Form I-983 where directed and click "Submit"at the bottom.

An advisor will be notified and mark your evaluation complete.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need to do if I change employers while on STEM OPT?

Complete a new Form I-983 with your employer. Keep in mind that any and all new employment you undertake on STEM OPT must meet the STEM OPT employer requirements.
Submit a new employer report just like you did during your initial period of OPT (see reporting page here). The only difference is that you will answer "Yes" for question 1 and attach your completed I-983 to question 2.
Complete and submit the final evaluation on student progress for your old employer using the Form I-983 you completed with them. This is the bottom box on page 5. This final evaluation is in addition to the ongoing 6-month participation reports you must complete.

Please note that all changes must be reported to the ISSS portal within 10 days of the change. Your deadline for each requirement may be different depending on when the change happened.

Example: If you left your old employer on a Friday and started your new employer on a Monday, your deadline to submit your final evaluation is 3 days earlier than your deadline to submit your new I-983.

How many days of unemployment can I accrue while on STEM OPT?

You are permitted to have no more than 150 days of unemployment throughout your entire 36 month period of post completion OPT once your STEM extension is approved. Any unemployment that you may have accrued while on 12-month OPT counts against the 150-day maximum.

Another way to look at this is that you are given 60 additional days of unemployment while on STEM, which are added to any remaining days of unemployment that you might still have from your 12-month OPT period.

Can I change employers while my I-765 is pending with USCIS?

We advise against changing employers while your I-765 is pending, since your I-765 names a specific employer.

If you must change employers, please follow the procedure outlined below for reporting employment changes with on STEM OPT:

Please submit an "OPT Employer Update" request through the ISSS Portal.

When completing the request:

Select Yes when asked if the change is for STEM OPT.
Select No when asked if this is your first STEM OPT application.
Select No when asked if the STEM OPT application has been approved.

If you worked for your previous employer during the STEM OPT period, please also upload the Final Evaluation (Page 5) of the Form I-983 completed and signed by your previous employer.

After ISSS reviews your request and issues a new Form I-20, you must:

Sign the new I-20.
Upload the signed I-20 to the Unsolicited Evidence section of your USCIS online application.
Upload a self-written explanation describing the employer change and the updates made to your STEM OPT application.

I've heard that work at a client site may not be allowed. Is this true?

We will issue a STEM I-20 so long as your employer properly completes and signs Form I-983.

However, USCIS may issue an RFE or deny your STEM extension request in the event your relationship with your employer is unclear. We bear no responsibility in the event of a denial.

Please keep the following in mind:

The employer that signs Form I-983 STEM Training Plan must be the employer that provides the practical training experience.
Employer clients or customers cannot supervise a student's training experience.
A STEM OPT employer may not assign its training responsibility to a non-employer third party (e.g. a client or customer).

You may read more about the employer requirements on the USCIS websiteor on the Study in the States website.

In early 2018, USCIS updated its website to indicate that work at a third-party site may not be allowed. This specific language has since been removed from the website, but the basic premise of having an authentic employer/employee relationship remains.