Optional Practical Training (OPT) STEM Extensions

Eligibility, Application Process & Reporting Requirements

• What is the OPT-STEM Extension?
  The OPT-STEM extension is a 24-month extension of post-completion OPT for which eligible students with specific STEM degrees can apply. Please carefully read this entire page and the STEM OPT Hub for details.
• STEM OPT Eligibility Requirements
  • You must be currently authorized for post-completion OPT and working for a U.S. employer in a job directly related to your field of study.
  • You must be employed for at least 20 hours per week.
  • You are not eligible for a 24-month OPT-STEM extension if you are self-employed or employed as a volunteer.
  • You have earned a qualifying STEM degree — View STEM Designated Degree Program list
  • The employer must be E-verified. You can read more about E-verify here.
• STEM-Designated Programs at SUNY Plattsburgh

  Undergraduate Programs

  • Biology B.A./B.S.
  • Biochemistry B.S.
  • Biomedical Sciences B.S.
  • Chemistry B.A./B.S.
  • Computer Science B.A./B.S.
  • Earth Science B.A.
  • Ecology B.S.
  • Economics B.A./B.S.
  • Environmental Geoscience B.A.
  • Environmental Science B.A./B.S.
  • Environmental Studies B.A.
  • Geology B.A./B.S.
  • Information Technology B.A./B.S.
  • Mathematics B.A./B.S.
  • Media Production B.A./B.S.
  • Medical Laboratory Science B.S.
  • Physics B.A./B.S.
  • Robotics B.S.

  Graduate Programs

  • Data Analytics M.S.
  • Natural Resources and Ecology M.S.
• Important Notes About the 24-Month OPT Extension
  • IMPORTANT: The STEM OPT application must be received by USCIS within 60 days of the DSO’s recommendation in SEVIS (We print a new STEM OPT I-20 for you when we make this recommendation.) and prior to the OPT expiration date listed on the EAD.
  • Volunteering and self-employment are NOT permitted while on the OPT-STEM extension. Also, most temporary agency and contract work will not be eligible for STEM OPT.
  • Each F-1 student is permitted a lifetime maximum of two OPT-STEM extensions. To qualify for a second OPT-STEM extension, your second STEM-eligible degree must be at a higher level than your first STEM-eligible degree and you must have a valid EAD card. For example, if you applied for your first OPT-STEM extension on the basis of a bachelor’s degree, you must complete a master’s in a STEM-eligible degree in order to qualify for another OPT-STEM extension. Once you’ve been approved for two OPT-STEM extensions, you are not eligible for another OPT-STEM extension — even if you complete another STEM-eligible degree at a higher level.
  • Your application to the USCIS automatically extends your work authorization for up to 180 days while your application is pending. This means that you can continue working while waiting for the new EAD for the OPT-STEM extension to arrive.
• Application Process for the 24-Month OPT Extension
  1. Contact the GEO to express interest in applying for STEM OPT a few months before your current OPT ends. All STEM extension applications MUST be received by USCIS before the current Post-Completion OPT expires. The earliest an F-1 can apply is 90 days prior to the expiration date on their EAD card.
  2. Students applying for the 24-month STEM OPT extension must work with their employers to fill out Form I-983 (individualized training and evaluation plans). This form must be submitted to GEO (scanned copies sent via email are acceptable). For instructions on how to fill out certain parts of the I-983 visit this STEM OPT Hub website
  3. After the I-983 has been submitted, GEO will review it for completeness, then recommend the STEM extension in SEVIS and issue a new I-20.

  The F-1 visa holder gathers the required supporting documents and includes them with their application to USCIS (Form I-765).

• Reporting Requirements While on the OPT-STEM Extension

  In order to maintain their legal F-1 status, a STEM OPT student must regularly check in with GEO throughout the extension to validate your SEVIS information and report changes made to the student’s training plan.

  Students on approved STEM OPT have access, though limited, to update information in their SEVIS record. The SEVP Portal allows students on authorized STEM OPT to make the following updates:

  • U.S. living and mailing address
  • Physical home address
  • Telephone number

  In summary, you are required to update GEO when your contact or employment information changes within 10 days of any change. Examples of this type of information are:

  • Any change in your name.
  • Any changes in your residential U.S. living and mailing address, physical home address, and telephone number. Please update this information through the SEVP portal.
  • Any change of employer, Employer Identification Number or employer’s address.
  • Any change or deviation from the training plan outlined on Form I-983.
  • Any reduction in compensation not tied to a reduction in work hours.
  • Any decrease in the number of hours worked per week.
  • Any other change in your employment details.

  A new Form I-983 must be submitted to GEO within 10 days of any change in employment details:

  • Any change in your immigration status (e.g., change to H-1B).
  • Report any employer non-compliance to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). If you believe that your employer is not complying with the terms and conditions of the 24-month STEM OPT regulations or the Form I-983 Training Plan, contact the Student and Exchange Visitor Program at [email protected] or the Department of Homeland Security.
  • Submit the 6-Month Report. Students on the 24-month OPT-STEM extension must also submit a report to the school every six months. When the school receives the report, it will notify SEVIS that the student has complied with this reporting requirement. Note: If students do not submit the required 6-month report, their SEVIS record is supposed to automatically terminate. Therefore, it is imperative that you not only maintain employment, but that you report it to GEO and submit the required 6-month report in a timely fashion.
  • Submit the 12-month and final evaluations. In addition to the 6-month report, the student and the student’s employer must complete a performance evaluation every 12 months and at the end of the employment period. GEO must receive the completed evaluations within 10 days of the 12-month period, and/or within 10 days of the end of employment.

  As a reminder, if you leave an employer or end STEM OPT (also includes when you end STEM OPT early to start a new academic program or change immigration statuses), you are required to submit a final evaluation to GEO within 10 days of the change. You must also send an email GEO ([email protected]) to confirm the last day of employment when you submit the final evaluation. The period end date on the final evaluation must match your last day of employment.

• Employer’s Responsibilities Under the 24-Month OPT-STEM Extension

  You can read about an employer’s responsibilities under the 24-Month OPT-STEM Extension here: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements, Study in the States

• Days of Unemployment Allowed Under STEM OPT

  Students will receive an additional 60 days of unemployment allowed during the time they are authorized for the OPT-STEM extension. According to the STEM OPT Hub:

  Students granted a 24-month OPT-STEM extension “will receive, for a total of 150 days of allowable unemployment, 90 days during the initial period of post-completion OPT plus an additional 60 days during the extension period.”

• Important Reminders While Your Application is Pending
  • While your 24-month OPT-STEM extension application is pending, we strongly advise against changing the address listed on Form I-765. The USCIS does not always process change of address notifications in a timely manner. If you change your address while your application is still pending, you may not receive your EAD Card, and then you will need to start over — file a new application and pay the fee again. Note: EAD cards may also not be forwarded by the U.S. Post Office to your new address. Therefore, you must be certain that the address you list on your Form I-765 is (and will be) your address when your application is processed, which could be more than +4 months after you submit it to USCIS.
  • If you transfer to another school or begin study at another educational level at SUNY Plattsburgh, then your OPT authorization will automatically be terminated.
  • If you later decide not to submit your 24-month OPT-STEM extension application to USCIS for any reason, you must notify GEO immediately so that we can cancel your OPT recommendation in SEVIS.
  • While on OPT, you are still in F-1 status.
• Travel Outside of the United States

  GEO strongly discourages travel outside of the U.S. while applying for and on STEM OPT because it may impact your status and ability to work in the U.S.

  You cannot travel outside of the U.S. while your 24-month OPT-STEM extension application is pending and after your Post-Completion OPT EAD has expired.