You may be eligible if ALL of the following statements are true:
The STEM regulations allow F-1 students to file for a 24-Month STEM Extension based upon a prior degree. This allows students who have earned a STEM degree to pursue a higher level of study in a complementary non-STEM field. For example, a student who has earned a Bachelor's in Information Technology that goes on to earn a Master's in Public Health could be eligible for the 24-month STEM Extension. However, the job which is the basis for the STEM Extension must directly relate to the prior STEM degree.
You may be eligible for the 24-Month STEM Extension based on a prior degree if the prior STEM degree:
Read about steps on tracking your application status, and managing updates or issues while it's pending.
If your STEM Extension is timely filed, you may work up to 180 days after your OPT EAD expires.
STEM reporting begins the day after your regular OPT ends, even if your STEM application is still pending, and must be submitted to ISSS.
The Cap Gap Extension allows eligible F-1 students with timely filed H-1B petitions to extend their OPT/STEM employment and status until H-1B begins.
In the STEM Final Rule, Department of Homeland Security states that students currently on STEM Extension (or who have a STEM Extension application pending) may travel abroad and seek reentry in F-1 status. When traveling outside of the US on STEM Extension OPT, ISSS recommends you carry the following documentation upon reentry to the US:
If the travel signature on page 2 of your most recent I-20 has expired, you can request a new signature by completing the Travel Signature Request in the ISSS Portal.
The regulations state that your expired EAD card is essentially extended for 180 days past the end date while your STEM application is pending. When you are traveling, be sure to carry your expired EAD card, along with the items listed above, and anything you have received from USCIS in response to your pending STEM Extension application.
STEM is the abbreviation for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM OPT is a 24-month employment extension for students in the STEM Field that directly follows employment on Post-Completion OPT. You can determine whether your degree qualifies as a STEM field by checking whether your major CIP code (found on page 1 of your I-20) appears on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List.
If you have a STEM designated degree program, you can apply for a STEM extension up to 90 days before but no later than the expiration date on your OPT EAD card. More information about STEM eligibility and how to apply can found here.
In the new STEM Final Rule, Department of Homeland Security states that students currently on STEM Extension (or who have a STEM Extension application pending) may travel abroad and seek reentry in F-1 status.
More information about travel on STEM can found on the ISSS Travel Abroad on STEM Extension webpage.
Access the ISSS Portal by clicking on the Alumni Login. Your personal email address will become your username and you will create your own password.
You will no longer go through Central Login to access the portal.
You should report any updates to your personal contact information in your SEVP Portal within ten days of the change. Submit a Request Inquiry in the ISSS Portal to alert us that you have updated your address. Please allow ten business days for ISSS to update your ISSS Portal with your new contact information.
If, after ten business days, you do not see the change reflected in your ISSS Portal, please submit a Post-Completion Student Help Ticket.
You should report a change to your email address by following these steps:
| STEP 1: Submit a Post-Completion Student Help Ticket with your new email address. |
| STEP 2: ISSS will update your email address in the ISSS Portal and you will receive an automatic email with temporary login credentials. |
| STEP 3: 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. |
| STEP 4: ISSS will update your email address in SEVIS and you will receive an automatic email from SEVP with temporary login credentials. |
| STEP 5: Log in to the SEVP Portal with your new email address and temporary password. |
If you change employers during your 24-Month STEM Extension, you should report this via the ISSS Portal by submitting an OPT/STEM Employer Update Request and following the instructions shown.
You must have the following documents:
**If any item on the new Form I-983 is incorrect, we will not be able to process your request and will ask you to resubmit the form with new signatures. THIS WILL DELAY THE PROCESSING TIME OF YOUR REQUEST.**
More information about STEM reporting can be found on the ISSS STEM Extension Reporting Requirements webpage.
You must report to ISSS every 6 months while on your STEM Extension, even if there is no change in information to report. To submit your 6-Month Validation Report, please complete a Report STEM Participation Request in the ISSS Portal. When you open the request, select "6-Month Validation" from the drop down menu. ISSS recommends that you submit your 6-Month Validation Report no earlier than 30 days prior to your 6-month mark (6 months from your EAD card start date) and no later than 10 days following.
NOTE: Emailing your ISSS Advisor stating that there are no changes in your information does not fulfill your reporting requirement. A periodic report needs to be officially submitted to ISSS through your ISSS portal.
When traveling outside of the U.S. following STEM approval, the following documents are required:
You have met your reporting deadline based upon the date that you submit your Report STEM Participation Request. ISSS has an additional 21 days after that date to update your SEVIS record.