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As you begin to think about applying to participate in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) optional practical training (OPT) with U.S. Citizenship Immigration Services (USCIS), be sure to meet with your designated school official (DSO) to ensure your eligibility. Best Practices for Students

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a Federal Register notice on July 12, 2023, announcing the addition of eight Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) codes to the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has published additional online resources on uscis.gov to provide an overview of some of the temporary and permanent pathways for noncitizens to work in the United States in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This guide also highlights some of the most important considerations for STEM professionals who want to work in the United States. New pages:

While the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) works to ensure student employment compliance, it is important for both designated school officials (DSOs) and international students to be aware of potentially fraudulent employers and to report suspected fraud. Below are a few red flags that may indicate a potentially fraudulent employer:

For F-1 students and employers participating in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) optional practical training (OPT) program, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) may visit employer locations. Overview of Employer Site VisitsThe March 2016 STEM OPT rule allows the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct site visits of employers that train STEM OPT students. These are routine visits that SEVP initiated shortly after the rule became effective in 2016. 

The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) recently upgraded to Release 6.49. This latest release introduced new functionality, including the ability for designated school officials (DSOs) to upload the Form I-983, “Form I-983, “Training Plan for STEM OPT Students.”

If you are participating in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) optional practical training (OPT), you must regularly check in with your designated school official (DSO) throughout your training opportunity to maintain F-1 status.You are required to check in with your DSO to validate Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) information and report changes made to your Form I-983, “Training Plan for STEM OPT Students.”

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).

Since the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) launched the SEVP Portal on March 23, SEVP has collected the most common questions about the portal from its stakeholders.The following questions are among the top questions from designated school officials (DSOs) about the SEVP Portal.Can I be held accountable for fraudulent information entered by a student into the SEVP Portal?