Report Your OPT

All F-1 students who have been approved for Post-Completion OPT or STEM OPT Extension must comply with the reporting requirements set by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Please use the links below for information about OPT reporting and to submit your OPT reports.

F-1 students on APPROVED POST OPT are required to report their employment information and any changes in their personal information, employment information, and employment relation to the major area of study on both SEVP Portal and the IESC Online Report Form within 10 days from the day of the change(s). Failure to do so may affect your OPT status.

To report your employment information, go to:

  • IESC Online Report Form

    *Completing this form is for IESC purposes, you must also complete your reporting to your SEVP portal.  

AND

IMPORTANT! A quick tip when updating your information on your SEVP Portal

If you change your employer, please edit your previous employer information and add your employment end date before you add a whole new employer information. DO NOT DELETE your previous employer information that you worked for as it will count against your allowable unemployment time. Please watch the following SEVP Portal training video for more information: Manage Employer Information While on Post Completion Optional Practical Training Video. Please be sure to report your new employer information both SEVP Portal and the IESC Online Report Form.

Check your email from SEVP:   for the link to create your SEVP Portal account. Be sure to check your spam or junk mail folder. If you do not receive the email from SEVP, please email us at iesc@csun.edu

For more information about the SEVP Portal, please go to SEVP Portal Help.

Your account may lock if you unsuccessfully log in three times with an incorrect SEVIS ID number or password or if you have not logged-in to your SEVP Portal account for more than 90 days once it has been created. Please contact the IESC office immediately if your SEVP Portal is locked.

When you report your "Employment Information" to the SEVP Portal, please use the following template to "explain how your current employment is related to your field of study" to meet the SEVP reporting requirement:

  • "I majored in (major). I work (Full-time / Part-Time or total number of hours you work per week) at (company name). I am working as a/an (Job Title). In my job, I (clearly state the relationship between job duties and your major area of study)."

WARNING!  Students may not accumulate more than 90 days of unemployment during their OPT period. Students who accrue more than 90 days of unemployment will be considered out of F-1 status.

IMPORTANT: IESC must have a copy of the (FRONT and BACK) of your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card. Email your EAD card to iesc@csun.edu. Please include your full name and CSUN ID number in the subject line.

To request a new I-20 with the updated employment information, please submit a Request for New I-20 form to iescrequest@csun.edu.

Before you report your employment, IESC must have a copy (FRONT and BACK) of your Employment Authorization Document (EAD). Email your EAD card to iesc@csun.edu, please include your full name and CSUN ID number in the subject line.

While on STEM OPT, students are responsible for reporting of any changes in the student's personal information and employment information to the online report form within 10 days of the change(s). Failure to do so may affect your OPT status.

While on STEM OPT, you are required to maintain F-1 status by submitting the following reports and evaluations. Please mark these important dates on your calendar.

STEM OPT important dates table

Report Type

Requirement(s)

Validation Reports are required to Report Every 6 months even if employment remains the same (count from the STEM OPT approved date that shows on your EAD card)

6-Month Validation

  • 6-month validation report ONLINE ONLY
12-Month Validation
  • 12-month validation report ONLINE
  • Evaluation on student progress (top portion of pg. 5 in the I-983 Form)

18-Month Validation

  • 18-month validation report ONLINE ONLY

24-Month Validation

  • 24-month validation report ONLINE
  • Final evaluation on student progress (bottom portion of pg. 5 in the I-983 Form)
Change of Employer
  • Change of employer report ONLINE
  • Final evaluation on student progress (bottom portion of pg. 5 in the I-983 Form)
  • New I-983 Form (Completed by you and your new employer)

*Change of Employment information

  • Change of Employment information report ONLINE
  • Updated I-983 Form (Completed by you and your employer)
*Change of employment information includes change of the work site address, employer’s EIN number, job title, training plan, reduction in student compensation that is not tied to a reduction in hours worked, and significant decrease in hours per week that a student engages in a STEM training opportunity
Ending Employment OR

Currently Unemployed
  • Ending employment report ONLINE
  • Final evaluation on student progress (bottom portion of pg. 5 in the I-983 Form)
PLEASE NOTE: For all the evaluations and new/ updated I-983 Form, you will need to scan and email the documents to iesc@csun.edu including your first name, last name and CSUN ID number in the email.

Please be reminded: STEM OPT students can use the SEVP Portal to update your current address, personal phone number, and to REVIEW employment information ONLY. Please DO NOT update any employment information on the SEVP Portal.

To report your employment information please click here.

When you report your "Employment Information" to the SEVP Portal, please use the following template to "explain how your current employment is related to your field of study" to meet the SEVP reporting requirement:

  • "I majored in (major). I work (Full-time / Part-Time or total number of hours you work per week) at (company name). I am working as a/an (Job Title). In my job, I (clearly state the relationship between job duties and your major area of study)."

PLEASE NOTE: if you need a new I-20 with the updated employment information, please submit a Request for New I-20 to the iescrequest@csun.edu to be processed.

Employers may report the termination and/or departure of the student’s employment by emailing details to iesc@csun.edu.

Scroll back to the top of the page