STEM OPT

Eligibility

Requirements - Student

• F-1 students must currently be participating in the 12-month Post-OPT, and working for a U.S. employer in a job directly related to their major area of study.
• F-1 students must have earned a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree from a school that is accredited by a U.S. Department of Education-recognized accrediting agency and that is certified by the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) at the time you submit their STEM OPT extension application.
• F1 students must have successfully completed a bachelor's, master’s, or doctoral degree in a STEM field included in the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. To find out if your program is in the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program list, look for the CIP code on your I-20 under the section entitled PROGRAM OF STUDY listed under MAJOR. You may also review this document which lists all ASU degree programs with CIP codes found on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List. You are responsible for confirming your program's eligibility at the time of application for OPT.
• F-1 students may not engage in practical training for less than 20 hours per week during the STEM OPT extension period.
• F-1 students may not engage in practical training that is unpaid/volunteer work or self-employment.
• F-1 students may not be in a multiple employer arrangement, or employed by a sole proprietorship, through a temp agency, through a consulting firm arrangement that provides labor for hire, or other similar relationships, if such arrangements are not bona-fide employer-employee relationships. Students must ensure they are working with an employer that meets all employer requirements listed below and in the “STEM OPT Employer Requirements and Responsibilities” section of this USCIS webpage. 1099 arrangements do not meet the requirements for a bona-fide employer-employee relationship. We do not suggest you work in a 1099 arrangement on STEM OPT.
• F-1 students must work with their employer to complete an individualized Training Plan for STEM OPT Students (Form I-983) which identifies goals for the STEM practical training opportunity, including specific knowledge, skills, or techniques that will be imparted to the F-1 student. The Form I-983 must explain how the training is directly related to the student’s qualifying STEM degree.

Previously obtained STEM degrees: If you are an F-1 student participating in a 12-month period of Post-OPT based on a non-STEM degree, you may be eligible to use a previous STEM degree from a U.S. institution of higher education to apply for a STEM OPT extension. You must have received both degrees from currently accredited and SEVP-certified institutions within the last 10 years, and cannot have already received a STEM OPT extension based on this previous degree. The practical training opportunity also must be directly related to the previously obtained STEM degree.

• For example: If you are currently participating in OPT based on an MBA but you previously received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, you may be able to apply for a STEM OPT extension based on this math degree as long as it is from an accredited U.S. college or university and the OPT employment opportunity is directly related to your degree in mathematics.

STEM degrees you obtain in the future: If you enroll in a new academic program in the future and earn another qualifying STEM degree at a higher educational level, you may be eligible for one additional 24-month STEM OPT extension.

• For example: If you receive a 24-month STEM OPT extension based on your bachelor’s degree in engineering and you later earn a master’s degree in engineering, you may apply for an additional 24-month STEM OPT extension based on your master’s degree.

Requirements - Employer

• Employer must be registered with the eVerify Employment Verification System and remain a participant in good standing with E-verify, as determined by USCIS.
• Employer must have a valid Employer Identification Number (EIN) issued th the Internal Revenue Service for tax purposes
• Employer must provide a practical training opportunity that is commensurate with those of similarly situated U.S. workers in duties, hours, and compensation.
• Employer must implement a formal training program to augment the F-1 student’s academic learning through practical experience.
• Employer must maintain a bona fide employer-employee relationship with the F-1 student.
  • The employer that signs the Form I-983 must be the same entity that provides the practical training experience to the student.
  • The employer may not be the F-1 student’s employer in name only and may not assign, or otherwise delegate its training responsibilities to a non-employer third party (for example, a client or customer of the employer).
• Employer must report any material changes of the F-1 student’s employment by filling out a modified Form I-983.
• If applicable, the employer must report the F-1 student’s termination of employment or departure to the Designated School Official (DSO) within 5 business days.

Note: F-1 students seeking STEM OPT extensions may be employed by new start-up businesses so long as all regulatory requirements listed above are met.

• You will receive an email notification from the ISSC with your new STEM OPT Extension I-20 and instructions attached.
• If you would like a paper copy of your STEM OPT Extension I-20, please review our Receiving Documents webpage for more information. 
• USCIS will reject applications received prior to the 90th day before the student’s program end date. If the ISSC receives your eForm too early, your I-20 will be held and ready at or after the 90th day

Once the ISSC issues your I-20 with the STEM OPT recommendation, USCIS must receive your application within 60 days of the date your I-20 was issued. Remember, you also must apply before your Post OPT end date.

Please Note: These deadlines are critical - applications received by USCIS more than 60 days after your I-20 was issued and/or after your Post OPT end date will be denied by USCIS. These time frames are counted by the day, not by the month. Remember, not all months have the same amount of days, so you must count out the specific days to make sure you are within the correct time frame. The ISSC recommends applying online at least the day before these deadlines to ensure your application is received by USCIS in time. The USCIS application portal does not have the same time zone as Arizona; therefore, depending on when you submit your application, it may be receipted by USCIS the next day.

USCIS recommends applying for Post-OPT through their USCIS online application portal.

For detailed instructions on completing the application with USCIS, please refer to the Self-Guided STEM OPT Packet Review Canvas course. If your canvas account has been deactivated, please email [email protected] with so we can place a ticket on your behalf.

Disclaimer: The information provided in the Canvas course is general guidance and should not be construed as formal legal advice. ISSC cannot guarantee the approval of your application to USCIS nor be held liable for the outcome of your application.

If you are interested in Premium Processing for your application, please visit the USCIS Premium Processing webpage for details. You can apply for premium processing along with your application to USCIS.

Review of Social Media: Please note that USCIS will review all applicants’ social media content as a part of the adjudication process. This could include anything you have posted, shared, reacted positively to, etc. Certain content may have a negative impact on your benefit request. Please see this April 9, 2025 USCIS announcement for more information as to what specific content may cause issues.

Tips for Avoiding Application Rejections, Denials, Delays, and Receiving a Request for Evidence (RFE) from USCIS:

• Do not submit your application to USCIS more than 90 days before your Post OPT end date.
• USCIS must receive your application within 60 days of the date your I-20 was issued AND before your Post OPT end date. The ISSC recommends applying online at least the day before these deadlines to ensure your application is received by USCIS in time. The USCIS application portal does not have the same time zone as Arizona; therefore, depending on when you submit your application, it may be receipted by USCIS the next day.
  • Please Note: These deadlines are critical - applications received by USCIS more than 60 days after your I-20 was issued and/or after your Post OPT end date will be denied by USCIS. This time frame is counted by the day, not by the month. Remember, not all months have the same amount of days, so you must count out the specific days to make sure you are within the correct time frame.
  • If you will not be able to submit your application to USCIS within 60 days of receiving your I-20, you must request a new I-20 from the ISSC by completing the Replacement and Travel I-20 eForm through the ISSC eForm Portal, and choosing the “STEM OPT I-20 cannot be submitted to USCIS after 60th day of issuance.”
• Print, sign and date your STEM OPT I-20 in blue ink. Do not forget to upload your STEM OPT I-20 or it may result in a delay or denial.
• If for any reason you receive a Rejection, Denial, or a Request for Evidence (RFE) Notice from USCIS, complete the OPT/STEM USCIS Notice Upload eForm for further advisement.

While your application is pending with USCIS

Please remember, USCIS processes and approves your application, NOT ASU. Therefore, you should contact USCIS regarding application issues and/or delays. USCIS cannot change requested start/end dates nor can they change your completion dates.

If you decide to not pursue your STEM OPT application, you may be able to withdraw your application before it has been processed. We recommend consulting with the ISSC before withdrawing your application.

• The average processing time for STEM OPT applications can vary. We recommend checking the USCIS website for current processing times.
• If your application is still processing after their currently posted processing times, you may submit a case inquiry with USCIS regarding their delay in processing times.
  • If you have not received an answer from USCIS within 30 days, you may submit a case assistance request through the USCIS Ombudsman.

Changing Employer while STEM application is pending (and Post-OPT still active)

To avoid complications or delays with the STEM OPT Extension application, ISSC recommends that you do not travel or change employers while your STEM OPT Extension application is pending. If a change in employment is unavoidable, you must complete the following:

1. Log into your SEVP Portal account and update your current Post-OPT employment
   1. Correct your current employer’s end date.
   2. Input your new employer’s information.
2. Submit a form I-983 for the new STEM employer. 
   1. Go to the MyISSC eForm Portal, click on F-1 Practical Training on the left side bar, click on 5. STEM OPT Extension: Reporting, and choose the STEM OPT Employment Update eForm
   2. For the question “Is your STEM Extension application still pending with USCIS?” make sure to select “yes” and then choose the option of “Change to a new job – STEM OPT still pending” and complete and submit the eForm
3. Your SEVIS record will be updated to reflect the reported changes and an updated I-20 will be issued. To update USCIS with your change in employment, upload your new I-20 in the Unsolicited Evidence section of your STEM OPT application in the USCIS portal.

Changing Employer while STEM application is pending (and Post-OPT ended)

To avoid complications or delays with your STEM OPT Extension application, ISSC recommends that you do not travel or change employers while your STEM OPT Extension application is pending.  If a change in employment is unavoidable, you must complete the following:

1. Submit form I-983 for the new STEM employer. 
   1. Go to the MyISSC eForm Portal, click on F-1 Practical Training on the left side bar, click on 5. STEM OPT Extension: Reporting, and choose the STEM OPT Employment Update eForm
   2. For the question “Is your STEM Extension application still pending with USCIS?” make sure to select “yes” and then choose the option of “Change to a new job – STEM OPT still pending” and complete and submit the eForm
2. Your SEVIS record will be updated to reflect the reported changes and an updated I-20 will be issued. To update USCIS with your change in employment, upload your new I-20 in the Unsolicited Evidence section of your STEM OPT application in the USCIS portal along with a cover letter that includes information about your change in employment and the E-Verify number of your new employer.