Student Reporting Responsibilities
International students must notify their school’s designated school official (DSO) within 10 days of any changes to their personal or employment information. The DSO must then enter this information into the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
Stakeholders, however, informed the Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP) that it was burdensome for DSOs to continue to update SEVIS records for F and M students engaged in post-completion optional practical training (OPT) who had graduated and were no longer enrolled in school.
In response to stakeholder feedback, SEVP worked to streamline the student reporting process and lessen the burden for DSOs.
In March 2018, SEVP launched the SEVP Portal, a tool that allows F and M international students participating in post‑completion practical training to report accurate and timely information directly to SEVP. By allowing students to share this information directly with SEVP, the portal enhances data integrity, holds students accountable for meeting regulatory reporting requirements and lessens the burden for some DSOs. Through the portal students can:
- Add or edit their phone number.
- Add or edit their mailing and physical address.
- Add or edit their employer information.
- Monitor their employment authorization.
The only exception is that science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) OPT students are limited in the kind of employer information they can enter on the Form I-983, “Training Plan for STEM OPT Students,” because it requires the student’s DSO to add or modify most employer information.
On Oct. 26, 2018, SEVP also upgraded SEVIS to Release 6.41. The release affected all SEVIS users, including portal users. The release allows SEVIS to calculate the total number of unemployment days that a student accrues while participating in post-completion OPT, as required by regulation.
For more information about the SEVP Portal, including step-by-step instructions and videos, visit the SEVP Portal Help section on Study in the States. Visit the SEVIS Release 6.41 Planning Guide for more information about the release. See the Unemployment Counter page on the SEVIS Help Hub for information about SEVIS unemployment calculations.