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Reporting

Even while on Post-Completion OPT or STEM Extension OPT, regulations require that F-1 students check-in with International Student Services (ISS) to ensure that the information in your SEVIS record is accurate. Even during your period of work authorization, you are still on a student visa and need to maintain your immigration status with Bradley University by reporting any changes.

Any student on OPT must report any changes to the following within 10 days of the change happening:

  • Contact information: phone number, email address, residential address, mailing address
  • Legal name
  • Employer information: supervisor’s name, phone number, or email address; company’s name or address
  • Employment information: change of employers, job title, start or end dates of employment, interruptions of employment
  • Visa status: change to a different status, early completion of current status or OPT, leaving the U.S. with no plans to return

While on Post-Completion OPT

You can report any changes in either of the following ways while on Post-Completion OPT:

  1. Access your SEVP Portal and input your updated information directly into the Portal.
    • ISS usually pulls a list of new changes every Monday.
    • If you report a new employer, ISS will review the information and process an updated I-20. If additional information is needed, ISS will reach out before the I-20 is processed.
  2. Complete the OPT Reporting Form with your updated information.
    • If you report a new employer, ISS will review the information and process an updated I-20. If additional information is needed, ISS will reach out before the I-20 is processed.

While on STEM Extension OPT

You can report any changes while on STEM Extension OPT using the OPT Reporting Form. If you have a material change to your Form I-983, you will need to upload an updated form when you complete the OPT Reporting Form.

Employer Change

In order to change your employer while on STEM Extension OPT, you will have to submit the OPT Reporting Form. You will also need to provide a new Form I-983 from your new employer in addition to the “final evaluation on student progress” from your former employer. You will upload these documents into the OPT Reporting Form.

If you report a new employer, ISS will review the information and process an updated I-20. If additional information is needed, ISS will reach out before the I-20 is processed.

Mandatory 6-Month Reporting

While on STEM Extension OPT, there will be a mandatory reporting period every 6 months of your STEM extension even if no changes have occurred. You can see your specific reporting deadlines when you log into your SEVP Portal and you will receive two emailed reminders. The first email will be a reminder from SEVP’s email do.not.reply.SEVP@ice.dhs.gov. The following Monday, you will receive a second email from ISS with the reporting instructions.

  • For your 6th and 18th months of STEM Extension OPT, you will be expected to complete the OPT Reporting Form.
  • For your 12th and 24th months of STEM Extension OPT, you will be expected to complete the OPT Reporting Form and provide the appropriate self-evaluation.
    • For your 12th month of STEM extension, you will need to submit the “evaluation on student progress” which is the top of page 5 of the Form I-983.
    • For your 24th month of STEM extension, you will need to submit the “final evaluation on student progress” which is the bottom of page 5 of the Form I-983.

Reminders

  • For all OPT Periods:
    • Full-time employment in terms of your immigration equates to at least 20 hours per week; anything below 20 hours is part-time.
    • You have access to the SEVP Portal  to review your employment history and current employer information. Information about the SEVP Portal can be found here.
    • If you need to reset your SEVP Portal password, email ISS with your SEVIS ID number and a request to reset your password.
    • You are responsible for keeping track of your unemployment; you are granted 90 days of unemployment while on Post-Completion OPT.
  • For STEM Extension OPT:
    • Save a copy of your Form I-983 so that you can easily edit or make changes in case of any updates to your employment. A full Form I-983 must be turned in even if you are only making a couple of changes.
    • Make sure the information on your Form I-983 reflects your employer information and follows the Form I-983 Sample. Any I-983 that has been submitted with incorrect or missing information will not be accepted.
    • The mandatory 6-month reporting is only for your STEM Extension OPT period and does not include the Post-Completion OPT period.
    • You are granted an additional 60 days of unemployment while on STEM extension to be added to the unused unemployment days from your post-completion OPT.

Documentation Required for OPT Reporting