The HIO has developed a helpful guide to complete the Form I-983 and you can find instructions for Harvard employment as well as non- Harvard employment (outside employers).

We will review your I-983 after your request is submitted to the HIO. The HIO Advisor who will review your documentation is not a subject matter expert in your field of study so your I-983 and supplemental documentation is only being reviewed for completeness and to ensure maintenance of F-1 status. During our review, we can give you feedback on any missing or incorrect documents.  

If necessary, you can be outside of the US while you submit your I-20 request to the HIO (part 1 of the application). Upon your return to the US, you should retrieve your I-94 document to confirm that it has the most recent entry and states “F-1” for class of admission and “D/S” as the admit until date. This is the I-94 record you will use as part of your application, and it is your responsibility to verify that the information is correct. 

You must be physically present in the US at the time you submit your application to USCIS (part 2 of the application); therefore, you will need to arrange your travel plans accordingly.  

The major listed under Program of Study on page 1 of your Form I-20 is delineated by the Classification of Instructional Programs code (CIP code), administered by the U.S. Department of Education. Every program of study at a university is assigned a CIP code and is used for many different reasons.  CIP codes are needed for reporting and compliance for the university as a whole—not just for international students. CIP codes are determined by the individual Harvard school as well as a cross-university committee. These codes are based on the curriculum of the program and learning outcomes. At times, the name of the major listed for the CIP code is not an exact match to the name of the program at Harvard University.  

This likely will not cause an issue during your STEM OPT application. However, if USCIS has questions about the program of study on your I-20, you may be sent a Request for Evidence (RFE).  If you receive an RFE, please inform your HIO advisor so that we can help provide a response. 

Do I upload the I-983 to my US Citizenship and Immigration Services online application?

No, this is a compliance document. The HIO and your employer will keep copies of the I-983, and you should as well for your own records.  In very rare cases, the University is asked to provide a copy of the I-983 to a government entity.  Otherwise, the form is generally used as an internal compliance document and is not sent to USCIS.

You must be paid as “similarly situated” US employees. It is not possible to only work for equity while on the STEM OPT Extension. Your company should be familiar with Department of Labor laws and minimum wage requirements of the state in which you will work.  

You will need to work at least 20 hours per week for your employer and payment should be reflected accordingly. 

Can I leave my job when I am applying for the STEM extension?

If you submit your STEM OPT application to USCIS in a timely manner (i.e., before your current OPT EAD expires), your OPT is automatically extended for 180 days beyond your current end date. You must present the I-797 receipt notice from your STEM OPT application to your employer to continue working beyond your EAD end date. 

There is a Premium Processing service available to expedite an application with USCIS, but there is a substantial fee associated with this service. You can request premium processing by including Form I-907 in your online USCIS application. Please note that there is not necessarily a need for this service—once you are issued a receipt number after timely filing your application, you can continue to work for 180 days. You can also travel with your expired EAD card and the I-797 receipt notice as explained on HIO’s website in the travel section. For additional information regarding Premium Processing, please visit this webpage.

Who should be my supervisor on my I-983?

International travel once the STEM OPT extension is approved is permitted provided you have ALL required documents listed below. 

Please note that the EAD contains the statement “not valid for reentry;” this means that you cannot use the EAD by itself to return to the US.  You must have the following documents in addition to your new STEM OPT EAD card:  

• Your unexpired passport—your passport should be valid for at least 6 months beyond your date of re-entry to the US;  

• Your most recently issued Form I-20, signed on page 2 by an HIO advisor. The signature must be less than six months old at the time of re-entry to the US. You may submit the HIO’s Travel Signature Request Form if you need a new signature;  

• Your unexpired F-1 visa stamp inside the passport (Canadians do not have/need a visa). If your F-1 visa stamp has expired or will be expired at the time of your re-entry to the US, you will need to renew your visa before returning;  

• Your job offer letter or a letter of resumption of employment that confirms employment for the period of your approved OPT; 

 An essential requirement in maintaining your F-1 status while on STEM OPT is that any employment you engage in must be for a US-based employer. The employer must be enrolled in E-Verify and your employment must meet all STEM OPT requirements (specifics are on the HIO website). Additionally, the “spirit” of OPT is for F-1 students to gain practical training experience in the US.   You are always required to report a physical U.S. address for yourself and your employment to the HIO during the OPT and STEM OPT periods; SEVIS functionality does not permit the HIO to enter international addresses for your physical location or your place of employment in your SEVIS record.  

Current SEVP guidance indicates that “Students participating in OPT or STEM OPT may work remotely as long as they continue to comply with the regulatory requirements regarding practical training...” You must closely consult with your direct supervisor, HR, and your employer’s immigration attorney about any plans to work remotely from abroad to ensure that: 

• You are in compliance with any employer policies that may be in place.

• I-983 on file with your HR and HIO must reflect your STEM employment and training, including site(s) of employment activity. 

• You can access necessary data and applications.

• You will continue to be on US based payroll and maintain your benefits (health insurance, short/long term disability, retirement contributions, etc.) while you are abroad. 

• There is a plan in place should any kind of USCIS site visit pertaining to your employment occur. 

• You understand what you will need to do to remain compliant should the employer plan to sponsor you for a future US employment-based visa, such as H-1B, TN, E-3, O-1, L-1, etc.

We also recommend that you confirm all plans for remote work abroad with your direct supervisor, HR, and employer’s immigration attorney in writing and obtain their written approvals before you finalize any plans to depart the U.S. 

International travel is permitted while on STEM OPT. The regulations are silent about exactly how long you can be outside of the US while on STEM OPT, so the HIO recommends that you exercise good judgement if you will be abroad for extended periods of time and proceed as described above.   You must always maintain a complete and accurate Form I-983 on file with the HIO. Also, you are required to report any changes within 10 days.  

Yes, your employer can submit your name for registration in the H-1B lottery while you are on STEM OPT. If you are selected in the lottery, you should be in touch with your attorney and/or employer about the timing of transitioning to an H-1B visa.  

Once your timing of transitioning to the H-1B visa is decided, you will need to update the HIO so that we can make the appropriate adjustments to your F-1 immigration record. To end your F-1 status while on STEM OPT, you will need to complete the final evaluation at the bottom of page 5 on the Form I-983 with your employer and submit evidence of your status change via the HIO reporting page. Evidence of your status change may include the I-797 Approval Notices and/or I-94. 

You should be in touch with your employer, firm, or attorney regarding any of the nuances of your H-1B application since the HIO is not sponsoring your H-1B visa.  

For you to remain on STEM OPT, your employer will file your H-1B petition via consular notify. Upon receipt of your I-797B approval notice, please send a copy to your HIO Advisor. Your HIO Advisor will need to make sure your F-1 status remains active in SEVIS, so it is important to keep in touch. 

Once you are ready to switch to H-1B, you will need to complete the final reporting requirement for STEM OPT. This is the final evaluation at the bottom of page 5 of the I-983 that you will need to complete with your supervisor. You’ll also need to scan a copy of your H-1B approval notice and I-94 showing H-1B status. You’ll use these documents to complete the HIO STEM OPT reporting form. You’ll pick “I am ending my STEM OPT early.” 

Each time I travel on OPT or the STEM extension, I am sent to secondary inspection. Can you fix this?

This has been a common issue with Customs & Border Protection (CBP) for many years and it is not necessarily problematic. It is our understanding that CBP officers at primary inspection have very little time to spend with each visitor who is entering, so if they have any questions for you, they will just send you over to secondary inspection. Most frequently, this happens to students on OPT or STEM OPT because cross-departmental government databases do not update or interact dynamically.  

You can confirm your SEVIS status but logging into your SEVP portal and bringing a printed screenshot from the student side of your portal showing that you have an active record. You can also submit a request to have your portal reset if you are unable to login.

Please be sure to use our F-1 STEM OPT Reporting Form when you need to make any updates/changes or report your participation every 6 months. 

It is also possible to file an inquiry through DHS Trip. You can learn more here: https://www.dhs.gov/dhs-trip. You will receive a redress number that you can then add into your future airline reservations.  

You can change employers while on STEM OPT by reporting the change of employer to the HIO so that we can update your SEVIS record with the new employer information. All employers must meet the STEM OPT criteria even if you have already been approved by USCIS. Please select the option on our reporting page that applies to where you are in the application process.  

• You will need to complete your final evaluation of Form I-983 (page 5) with your current/previous employer.  

• You will need to provide a new Form I-983 completed and signed with your new employer. 

Once I have been approved for the STEM extension, can I switch to an employer that does not meet all the requirements?