Understanding the Reporting Guidelines for OPT, Clarifying OPT Affiliation, and Managing Your 90-Day Unemployment

May 7, 2024

The Significance of Reporting Your OPT Employers

Upon graduating and entering post-graduate OPT employment and OPT STEM extension, it is essential to report your employer to record your SEVIS information. The OPT Employment Report is obligatory for maintaining legal status and continuing employment in the United States.

About Your SEVP Portal

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Portal is a platform where F-1 students must provide their home address, phone number, and employer details after completing Optional Practical Training (OPT) or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) OPT.

Upon the commencement of your OPT period, you will receive an activation email from SEVP with instructions on creating your SEVP account. This email will be sent from do-not-reply.sevp@ice.dhs.gov. There are no government fees for setting up this account. Failure to update your information within 10 days of changing employers may result in termination of your SEVIS record and F-1 status.

If I haven’t received an activation email from SEVP, what should I do?

  • SEVP will send this email only after your OPT is approved and active, indicating that you’ve received your Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) and its start date has arrived (or is within 1-2 days). If you possess an EAD card but its start date is still in the future, you won’t receive an email from SEVP.
  • The SEVP email, originating from do-not-reply.sevp@ice.dhs.gov, will be sent to your school email, marked as important. Please link your school email to your SEVIS account and utilize it for SEVP account registration.
  • Ensure to check your spam/junk folder to avoid missing the SEVP email.
  • If more than 2 days have elapsed since your EAD card’s start date and you haven’t received an email from SEVP, contact your DSO to request a reset of your SEVP account. Subsequently, you should receive the activation email from SEVP promptly.

What to do if I miss the 10-day reporting deadline for SEVP updates?

The SEVP Portal doesn’t allow reporting of employment starting more than 10 days in the past. Contact your International Student Center office to update your job information. Additional proof may be needed due to USCIS timelines, and SEVIS Reinstatement may be required.

How to report my job in the SEVP portal?

  • Please ensure that you input your employer details within 10 days of commencing your employment.
  • If you hold concurrent positions with multiple employers, it is imperative to include each employer in your SEVP Portal account.
  • Should the end date of your employment not be specified, you are permitted to keep this field empty.
  • Upon the conclusion of your employment, remember to update your employer information in the SEVP Portal by adjusting the end date. When initiating employment with a new employer, be sure to create a new employer entry. If your role changes within the same organization, refrain from adding a new employer entry; instead, modify your position within the existing record.
  • When completing the “Employer Address” section, ensure that you input the address of your workplace, which may differ from your employer’s primary office address. If you remain employed by the same organization but relocate to a different site, remember to edit the employer address accordingly.

Instructions for SEVP updates

Visit the SEVP official website at https://sevp.ice.gov/opt/ and proceed to register an account using your personal details. The registration interface will appear as follows:

Understanding the Reporting Guidelines for OPT, Clarifying OPT Affiliation, and Managing Your 90-Day Unemployment

Upon registration, the system will prompt you to select the relevant OPT deadline for your report. Subsequently, the Employment Report will be directly linked to the appropriate OPT period. Note: If your OPT approval deadline is not displayed in the application, it indicates that you have not submitted a copy of your EAD to the International Center. Please provide a copy to the responsible DSO for updating your OPT work permit record.

Understanding the Reporting Guidelines for OPT, Clarifying OPT Affiliation, and Managing Your 90-Day Unemployment

Under the section “Work Experience,” all employer information will be stored in the employment history for your reference. The Employment History includes the employer’s name, start and end dates. Click on the employer’s name to access the complete report. Each work experience during the OPT period is listed separately.

Understanding the Reporting Guidelines for OPT, Clarifying OPT Affiliation, and Managing Your 90-Day Unemployment

Before updating the SEVP, the Employment Report will undergo processing through a series of databases. Your work history will indicate the status of your report during this process.

“Submitted” signifies that your report has been successfully submitted but has not yet been updated in the database.

“Processed” indicates that your report has been processed, and all information in the database has been updated. This status will be visible once all databases have been synchronized, which may take several days.

Do I need OPT affiliation if my unemployment exceeds 90 days?

During the initial OPT phase, many students seek OPT Affiliation for short-term internship sponsorship or volunteer work to cover the 90-day unemployment period. Detailed steps vary by school’s ISO. Direct message for OPT extension sponsorship assistance.

Related Post: Understanding the 90-Day OPT Unemployment Rule

Step-01:Upon securing employment, it is compulsory to report your OPT employment and any subsequent status adjustments via the SEVP Portal within a 10-day timeframe. Report the following:

  • Modifications to your name, domicile, or postal address
  • Any alterations in employment status (e.g., cessation of employment, job transitions)
  • Details of all OPT employers, including names and addresses
  • Commencement and cessation dates of all OPT positions
  • Changes in immigration status (e.g., transitioning to H-1B)
  • Your determination to depart the United States, thereby opting not to commence or prolong OPT (If opting to leave the United States, it is mandatory to send an email to terminate your OPT and indicate departure)

Step-02:It is necessary to retain the employer’s offer letter, which should encompass the company’s address details, job title, working hours, and hourly wage (if unpaid, indicate “volunteer”). Both parties should endorse it for validity. This document should be furnished to the ISO as a backup if necessary and might also be required during background checks. Throughout OPT, it is advisable to gather and preserve all employment-related documents (offer letter, attendance records, pay stubs, etc.). These documents may prove essential when seeking future benefits or altering your status.

Step-03:Updating employer information on the paper I-20 is essential. At the onset of our OPT, the I-20 lacks employer information, featuring solely the start date and advisor’s signature. Once employment is secured, the offer must be submitted to the school, which will then synchronize the employer’s details on the paper I-20. However, since the paper I-20 can accommodate information for only one employer, whereas OPT permits simultaneous employment with multiple employers, numerous schools have embraced online submission of employer details to expedite timely updates.

Updating the paper I-20 in the subsequent scenarios also provides significant convenience:

  • Presenting the EAD + I-20 alongside an employer’s confirmation letter enhances the credibility of your employment status when reentering the U.S. and undergoing immigration procedures.
  • This facilitates the process of obtaining a driver’s license, conducting banking transactions, purchasing a vehicle, and providing evidence of funds when required.
  • If you are employed outside the state where your school is situated, updating the paper I-20 enables the school to scan an electronic version and mail a hard copy to you. Updating the paper I-20 remains the most traditional and widely accepted method to reflect your employer information on a tangible document, providing reassurance.