U.S. Immigration regulations require F-1 students with OPT or OPT STEM Extension authorization to "report any change of name or address, or interruption of such employment to the DSO for the duration of the authorized training. A DSO who recommends a student for OPT is responsible for updating the student’s record to reflect these reported changes for the duration of the time that training is authorized." 8 CFR 214.2(f)(12)(i) 

While students with OPT/STEM authorization on an LSU I-20 do have the option to update information in their SEVP Portal, they must use the OPT/STEM Reporting Form to meet the regulation requirement. Information reported to the DSO at International Student Services (ISS) will be reflected in the student's SEVP Portal after ISS staff have received, reviewed and processed the OPT/STEM Reporting Form. 

Reporting Requirements

This chart indicates what must be reported, when then action must be reported, and which authorization type is required to report it. 

More details about reporting with OPT STEM Extension authorization, including what is meant by a "Material Change to the I-983," can be found on the STEM OPT Hub at Study in the States. Additionally, in the attachments area of this article, you can find resources on

• the I-983 Instructions and sample forms.
• STEM OPT Reporting Requirements.
• the SEVP Portal.

Acceptable Types of Employment 

All employment during periods of OPT or OPT STEM Extension must be directly related to the student's major field of study as listed on the I-20. If you were an undergraduate student with two majors, both of these fields are eligible for OPT employment; however, a minor field of study is not. 

Post-Completion OPT

• can be paid or unpaid. Click here for additional information on Volunteer work.
• at least 20 hours per week.
• can have multiple employers.

OPT STEM Extension

• Employers must be registered in E-Verify.
• Limited to jobs that are
  • paid.
  • at least 20 hours per week.
  • directly related to the qualifying STEM degree.

For each employer, you must complete a form I-983 and submit it to ISS within 10 calendar days of the change. Use the OPT reporting form to submit employment updates to ISS. If you are adding an employer, you need to submit only the new I-983. If you are leaving an employer and starting a new job, you must submit an I-983 with the final evaluation block completed (page 5) for the employment that is ending in addition to the I-983 for the new employment.

Explaining How the Employment Relates to Your Course of Study

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) has provided details on how students are to explain and document this connection. This explanation should include details on your specific job duties and how they are connected to courses or materials you studied during your program. 

Review SEVP Policy Guidance - Determining a Direct Relationship Between Employment & a Student's Major Area of Study for more details, specifically on page 3. You also can find sample explanations on pages 4-5.

Unemployment Dates and Consequences

Once the approved OPT/STEM validity date starts, SEVIS will automatically begin counting unemployment days. To avoid adverse actions, students should timely report all employment per the requirements above.

Students are highly encouraged to keep track of how many unemployment days they accumulate during authorized periods of OPT/STEM.

• Students on OPT can accumulate up to 90 days of unemployment and still maintain F-1 status.
• Students on the STEM Extension can accumulate a maximum of 150 days of unemployment. (This is inclusive of the 90 days of unemployment allowed during the initial post-completion OPT. You must not accumulate more than 150 days of unemployment during the entire 36 months of STEM OPT.)