The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) is scheduled to upgrade the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) to Release 6.41 on Oct. 26, 2018. The release will change how SEVIS calculates the days of unemployment that a student accrues while on post-completion and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) optional practical training (OPT).

Currently, SEVIS only counts the consecutive days of a current period of unemployment. After Oct. 26, 2018, SEVIS will calculate the total number of unemployment days, as required in regulation. SEVIS will check the record daily and count every day there is a gap in employment. The unemployment counter is displayed in the expanded view of the SEVIS Employment Information page.

Please note, while SEVP is assessing the SEVIS auto-terminate function it will not be turned on for students who go over the unemployment limits set by regulation. Once evaluation of the function is complete SEVP will fully engage the auto-terminate action. SEVP will communicate the implementation of the auto-terminate action to stakeholders at that time.

SEVIS Release 6.41 will not affect the functionality of the SEVP Portal. However, students participating in post-completion or STEM OPT should remember that:

• Students must report the termination of their practical training experience within 10 days of the event. They can do this through the SEVP Portal or work with you, their school official, directly.
• Students on post-completion OPT can be unemployed for a total of 90 days.
• Students on the 24-month STEM OPT extension have an additional 60 days of unemployment for a total of 150 days of allowable unemployment.
• Every day without noted employer information, the student will be considered unemployed.

International students risk accruing unlawful presence if they exceed the amount of allowable unemployment. Share these unemployment reminders with your OPT students and encourage them to contact you with questions about maintaining status while they study in the United States.

For more information about OPT and unemployment, visit the F-1 Optional Practical Training page on the SEVIS Help Hub.