Reporting Requirements

Though you may no longer be an ISU student, you are still in F-1 student status while on OPT and continue to have requirements to report information to ISSS.

ISSS Portal

Shortly after you graduate, you will receive an email to set up your new "non-integrated" ISSS Portal account. This email will be sent to your personal (non-ilstu) email you provided in the OPT Request you submitted to ISSS. Your ISSS Portal account will no longer be tied to your My account because you will no longer be a student.

SEVP Portal

You will gain access to the SEVP Portal through a link sent to you via email. This email will come from do-not-reply.sevp@ice.dhs.gov and will be sent to the email address currently listed in your ISSS Portal profile. The email with the link to the SEVP Portal will only be sent after:

Your OPT has been approved AND
The start date on your EAD card has been reached.

For additional information, see the SEVP Portal Help page on Study in the States.

If you believe you should have received this email but did not, please first check your spam or junk mail folders. If you still do not see it, please submit an SEVP Portal Account Reset request in the ISSS Portal.

Locked SEVP Portal Account

If you have been locked out of your SEVP Portal account, click the "Reset Password" link on the SEVP Portal Login page. The SEVP Portal will send you an email with a temporary password so you can log in and create a new password.

If you already attempted to reset your password and are still unable to log in to the SEVP Portal, please submit an SEVP Portal Account Reset request in the ISSS Portal.

Reporting Changes

You must report any changes in your personal contact or employment information to ISSS within 10 days. All ISU F-1 students on OPT must report changes as follows.

ANY CHANGES YOU MAKE IN THE SEVP PORTAL MUST ALSO BE REPORTED IN THE ISSS PORTAL. Please refer to the table below for details.

Add New Employer

Step 1

Update your SEVP Portal with your new employer.

Step 2

Submit an OPT Relationship to Major Request in the ISSS Portal for each employer you add. Your request will not be procesed until ISSS can see your employer information in SEVIS. The information you enter in the SEVP Portal should match the information you enter in the request.

You cannot enter a start date that is more than 10 days in the past in your SEVP Portal, so you should update your SEVP Portal with the closest date to your actual start date.
If you were unable to provide your actual start date in your SEVP Portal, make sure you provide your true start date in the ISSS request.
ISSS will correct the start date when processing your request.

Edit Current Employer

Step 1

Update your SEVP Portal with the changes.

Students can edit:

Employer Name (this should not be used to report a new employer; see above for how to report a new employer)
Employer Address
Job Title
Full-Time/Part-Time Indicator
- The total number of hours you work per week for your job(s) must add up to a minimum total of 20.
End Date
Relation to Field of Study Description
Self-Employment Indicator
Supervisor Name, Phone Number, and Email Address

Step 2

Submit an SEVP Portal Update request in the ISSS Portal.

Delete Employer

Step 1

Delete the employer in your SEVP Portal.
IMPORTANT: You should only delete an employer if you never ended up working for them (including any unpaid training).

Step 2

Submit an SEVP Portal Update request in the ISSS Portal.

Personal Contact Information Updates

Step 1

Update your SEVP Portal with the changes.

Students can edit:

Personal Address
Mailing Address
Telephone Number(s)

Step 2

Submit an SEVP Portal Update request in the ISSS Portal.

Step 3

If, after ten business days, you do not see the contact information updated in your ISSS Portal, please submit a Post-Completion Student Help Ticket.

Student Email Address

Submit a Post-Completion Student Help Ticket with your new email address. ISSS will update your email address in the ISSS Portal, and you will receive an automatic email with temporary login credentials. Click on the link in the email to log in to the ISSS Portal.

Your new username for the ISSS Portal will be your updated email address and you will create your own password. ISSS will update your email address in SEVIS, and you will receive an automatic email from SEVP with new temporary login credentials for the SEVP Portal. Log in to the SEVP Portal with your new email address and temporary password.

Student Name

Log in to the ISSS Portal and upload your new passport showing your new name to your Personal & Program tab in the Passport upload field. Then, navigate to your Control Center tab and submit a Name Change Request . Before making any changes to your name, please note that you will have to reapply for OPT (and pay the application fee again) in order to update the name on your EAD card.

Other Changes

Please see the chart below for information regarding other common changes that should be reported while on OPT. Submit a Request Inquiry in the ISSS Portal if you need to report a change that is not covered by the information on this page.

Leave the U.S.

Submit a Program Completion request in the ISSS Portal if you plan to depart the U.S. prior to your OPT end date, with no plans to return and resume OPT.

Transfer to Another School

Submit a Transfer Out request in the ISSS Portal if you plan to stop working on OPT and transfer to another U.S. institution to begin a new program of study.

Begin a New Degree Program:

Submit a Change of Level request in the ISSS Portal if you plan to stop working on OPT and begin a new degree program at ISU.

Change of Status to H-1B

If your employer has filed for your change of status to H-1B, submit a Change of Status Receipt Notice Upload in the ISSS Portal to upload a copy of your Receipt Notice. ISSS will verify that the change of status is showing on your SEVIS record, if applicable.

Depending on the timing or your Change of Status application (and other factors) you may be eligible for "Cap Gap" extension of your OPT (see below for details).
Remember that you must continue to maintain your F-1 status up until your new status begins.

Once you are approved for your change of status to H-1B:

Submit a Change of Status Approval Notice Upload in the ISSS Portal to upload a copy of your Approval Notice.
Log in to the SEVP Portal to update your OPT employment end date with your current employer. The end date should either be the expiration date of your OPT EAD card or the day before the start of your H-1B status (whichever is earlier).

Other Status Changes

If you have been approved for a change of status to something other than H-1B (Permanent Residency, for example), follow the instructions below.

Submit a Record Termination request for change of status in the ISSS Portal.
Log in to the SEVP Portal to update your OPT employment end date with your current employer. The end date should either be the expiration date of your OPT EAD card or the day before the start of your new status (whichever is earlier).
Your F-1 status will be terminated for "Change of Status Approved".
Remember that you must continue to maintain your F-1 status up until your new status begins.