You are eligible to apply for a 24-month STEM OPT extension if you have all of the following:

• You currently hold F-1 status

• You are participating in standard post-completion OPT

• You have a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in a designated STEM field conferred by an accredited, SEVP-approved US college or university

  • • Designation is determined by the CIP code assigned to your major

• Your STEM OPT employer is registered in E-Verify and agrees to the USCIS STEM OPT employer reporting requirements

• Your STEM OPT job will be at least 20 hours per week and a paid position related to your STEM degree

• You will be reporting to an on-site local supervisor in the U.S. 

Additional Considerations: 

You may also apply for STEM OPT based on a previously earned STEM degree conferred by an SEVP-approved, accredited U.S. college or university within the past 10 years.

Continued employment: As long as you apply for the extension before your standard post-completion OPT ends, you can continue working for 180 days after the original end date while the extension is pending.

Students can apply for a STEM-OPT extension as early as 90 days before the expiration of their EAD card. The application must be received before the expiration date of your EAD card. USCIS will not accept your STEM OPT application after your post-completion OPT period ends.

*USCIS must receive the application within 60 days of when Simmons University recommends a students I-20 for STEM OPT extension.*

YES! You must be employed or have a future job offer for at least 20 hours per week or more, directly related to your STEM field of study from an employer who is registered in the USCIS E-Verify Program

STEM-eligible employers must have:

1.  E-Verify 

2. EIN numbers (Employer Identification Number)

3. Student must have a "bona fide employer-employee relationship". 

To establish a bona fide relationship, the employer may not be the student’s “employer” in name only. Employment must be paid and "commensurate with the terms and conditions of employment for other similarly situated U.S. workers in the area of employment”. 

*Volunteer (unpaid) employment is NOT permitted.*

USCIS takes approximately 90 to 100 days to process your STEM-OPT approval. You can continue working up to 180 days after your post-completion OPT ends while your application for STEM OPT is pending with USCIS.

Check if: 

1. Your Simmons major is STEM eligible using the CIP Code List or the current STEM Designated Degree list. You can find your CIP code listed on your I-20. 

2. The STEM OPT employer is registered in E-Verify and agrees to the USCIS STEM OPT employer reporting requirements

3. The job position will be at least 20 hours a week 

You will want to begin your I-983 Training plan. 

1. Download the Form I-983 from the Study in the States website 

2. Fill out the form electronically 

Please complete the CGE STEM OPT Acknowledgement and Request Form. Please remember to upload your I-983 training plan. 

Prepare documents for your I-765 application

For the online I-765, prepare digital copies of:

• Signed STEM OPT I-20

• Official transcript of your STEM-eligible degree

• Current post-completion EAD and any previous EADs(front and back)

• Current I-94

• Institutional accreditation documentation, if applicable

Recommended but not required:

• ID page of your valid passport

• F-1 visa (except citizens of Canada and Bermuda)

• All previous I-20s

Optional:

• Form I-907 Request for Premium Processing

For the paper I-765:

• 2 US-style passport photos

• Completed Form I-765

• Copy of your signed STEM OPT I-20

• Official transcript of your STEM-eligible degree

• Copy of current post-completion OPT EAD and any previous EADs (front and back)

• Copy of your current I-94

• Copy of institutional accreditation documentation, if applicable

• Copy of the ID page of your valid passport

• Copy of your F-1 visa (except citizens of Canada and Bermuda)

• Copies of all previous I-20s

• Form G-1145 (optional, but recommended)

• Form I-907 Request for Premium Processing (optional)

• Payment for the I-765 application filing fee payable to US DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

*Do not submit both the online and paper I-765 applications. USCIS processing time is the same for both.*

Your I-797C (receipt) will list the date USCIS received your I-765. The estimated 90-to-100-day processing time for your I-765 begins on this date. The 13-digit number listed on your I-797C is your Receipt Number. You can use this number to track the status of your I-765 application on the USCIS website. You will wait 3-4 weeks for your STEM OPT receipt notice to be delivered in the mail.

While your STEM OPT application is pending, you may continue to work up to 180 days after your current OPT end date

It will take about 90-100 days for your employment authorization document (EAD) to be approved and delivered in the mail 

Once you recieve your EAD Card, please review it for any errors. On the designated start day of the EAD, you can begin or continue working under your new Work Authorization. 

During your 24-month STEM OPT extension, you must report and/or submit:

• Any changes to the following information within 10 calendar days:

  • Legal name

  • Immigration status

  • Change of employer or work address (will require a new I-983 training plan)

  • Change of supervisor

  • Adding a new employer (will require a I-983 training plan for the new employer)

• Any of the following within 10 business days: 

  • End of employment (voluntary or involuntary)

  • Any unapproved absence from work for five consecutive business days

• Regular validation and evaluations of your STEM OPT employment:

  • Validation of employment and residential address every six months

  • The 12-month evaluation section of your I-983 (refer to last two pages of I-983)

  • The final evaluation section of your I-983