F-1 international students who are on OPT, whether the Standard 12-month OPT or the 24-month STEM OPT Extension, are required by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulations to report home address and employment changes to keep their SEVIS record updated. The student must provide a report within 10 days of gaining employment, changes to employment, and changes to the student’s physical home address in the U.S.
EAD Card
Both 12-month OPT and 24-month STEM OPT Extension students must submit a scan copy of their EAD card to UFIC:
Change of Address
To provide an update regarding the U.S. home address only, students must update their address in ONE.UF and the SEVP portal. To update the home address in ONE.UF, guidance is provided on the Change of Address page. Both OPT and STEM OPT students can use the SEVP portal to complete a change of home address update.
Standard 12-month OPT
Standard 12-month OPT students must report all employment changes through the SEVP portal first, and then to UFIC:
Failure to report employment while on OPT may cause the student’s SEVIS record to be automatically terminated, due to accruing unemployment days against the total cumulative days of unemployment allowed. Students on Standard OPT are allowed 90 total days of unemployment for the entire 12-month period.
If a student is not able to access the SEVP portal, an email should be sent to UFIC-ISS@ufic.ufl.edu with a brief explanation that includes the student’s UFID. UFIC will provide further guidance as necessary.
Unemployment/ Job Termination: If the student is employed and the employment has come to an end, the employment end date must be updated in SEVIS. Students on the 12-month OPT will report the job end date (the last day worked) through the SEVP portal. Once the report has been completed through the SEVP portal, 12-month OPT students must submit an OPT Employment Update to UFIC with the explanation about “How employment is related to course work (*)” that was entered in the SEVP portal:
(*) Explaining the relationship of the work to the field of study
When entering this explanation via the SEVP portal, please ensure the written explanation includes the information requested by DHS. Specifically, provide “the student's job title, employer name, average hours worked per week, major area of study, and a brief explanation of how the job is directly related to the student's studies. The regular job duties should be explained and the connection between those duties and the degree should be described.” This Sample Explanations document provides some examples of acceptable responses.
24-month STEM OPT Extension Reporting
Failure to report employment while on STEM OPT may cause the student’s SEVIS record to be automatically terminated, due to accruing unemployment days against the total cumulative days of unemployment allowed. Students on the STEM OPT extension (24-month duration) are allowed an additional 60 days of unemployment. Added to the initial 90 days allowed during the Standard OPT period, this brings the total to 150 days of unemployment for the entire 36-month period.
Students on STEM OPT must report the following:
STEM OPT Participation/Validation
A student on approved STEM OPT is required to report home address and employment information every 6 months starting from the date the STEM OPT period began. The DSO, who is your International Student Advisor, will have a window of time in which to complete the validation in SEVIS. The reports are due at the 6-month, 12-month, 18-month, and 24-month marks, from the STEM OPT extension start date.
To complete the STEM OPT reporting (also called validation) we need you to confirm the home address and employment details to make sure they are correct in SEVIS as of the present time. You are required to submit this to UFIC by the validation due date.
To submit your reporting/validation, please complete the STEM OPT Participation/Validation report.
STEM OPT Participation/Validation
Employment Update, Unemployment, and Job Termination
Students on STEM OPT may not attempt to update the employment information through the SEVP portal since review of the completed I-983 is required prior to making any employment changes in SEVIS. Changes in employment must be reported to UFIC; a DSO (same as the International Student Advisor) will make the employment update in SEVIS. Once the update is made in SEVIS, the information will be visible in the SEVP portal when the system refreshes overnight.
Explaining the relationship of the work to the field of study: When completing the OPT Employment Update request, please ensure the written explanation includes the information requested by DHS. Specifically, provide “the student's job title, employer name, average hours worked per week, major area of study, and a brief explanation of how the job is directly related to the student's studies. The regular job duties should be explained and the connection between those duties and the degree should be described.” This Sample Explanations document provides some examples of acceptable responses.
Unemployment/Job Termination: Students on the 24-month STEM OPT Extension will report the job end date submitting and OPT Employment Update to UFC. This report should include the name of the company with whom the student was last employed, the employment end date and the completed Final Self-Evaluation found on the last page of the I-983.
Each day the student is unemployed will count against the total cumulative days of unemployment allowed, therefore, if/once the student is able to resume employment, a new OPT Employment Update is required.
OPT I-20 Travel Signature
The OPT I-20 may be used for re-entry of the student to attend the same school after traveling, when signed by an International Student Advisor in the Travel Endorsement section on page two. Each travel signature is valid for only for six months from the signature date during OPT. If you need a new signature, click on the request button. This online process takes one week. Your processed and signed I-20 will be sent to you by email, or attached to your student record, for you to print out. If you print in color, the Advisor signatures will print as signed, in Blue ink.
For all students on OPT or STEM OPT:
Starting New Program at UF
Students who have applied and been admitted to a new program at UF must request an Change of Educational Level. The request must be made and the I-20 must be issued before the OPT 60-day grace period expires. The new program must start within 150 days or less of the OPT expiration date in order for the student not to be required to depart the US before the start of the new program.
If the program will not start within 150 days or less, or if the I-20 update request is not made to the ISA at least 7-10 business days prior to the grace period deadline, the student will be required to leave the US by the end of the OPT 60-day grace period. An Initial I-20, which will have a new SEVIS ID, to apply for a new F1 visa abroad, will be mailed to the student’s home address abroad. Students are required to pay the SEVIS fee for the new SEVIS ID, along with the F1 visa application fee. The student will then be able to return to the US within the 30 days prior to the program start date indicated on the Initial I-20.
For a student that will begin a new program before the actual OPT end date, an I-20 for the new program will be processed. The OPT authorization will automatically end when classes for the new program begin.
Transfer to Another U.S. Institution
Students who have been admitted to a new program at a school other than UF must request a Transfer-Out from their ISA to transfer their F1 SEVIS record to the new school. The new program must start within 150 days or less of the OPT expiration date in order not to be required to depart the US before the start of the new program. The request must be made and the SEVIS record must be transferred before the OPT 60-day grace period expires. The request should be made at least 7-10 business days prior to the 60-day grace period expiration date. A SEVIS transfer is not possible after the Grace Period has expired.
If the program will not start within 150 days or less, or if the SEVIS transfer request is not made to the ISA at least 7-10 business days prior to the grace period deadline, the student will be required to leave the US by the end of the OPT 60-day grace period. The new school will provide the student with an Initial I-20, which will have a new SEVIS ID, to apply for a new F1 visa abroad. Students are required to pay the SEVIS fee for the new SEVIS ID, along with the F1 visa application fee. The student will then be able to return to the US within the 30 days prior to the program start date indicated on the Initial I-20 from the new school.
For a student with a SEVIS transfer date that occurs before the actual OPT end date, the OPT authorization will automatically end the day of the SEVIS transfer. If the student is working, the job end date must be the day before the SEVIS transfer date or earlier.
Leaving the U.S. Indefinitely
Students who will leave the U.S. indefinitely, with no current intentions of returning to continue their OPT/STEM OPT must report and End of Student Status update to provide a copy of the flight itinerary. This action does not include temporary travel for vacation or work if the student plans to return to continue their OPT. The student’s F1 SEVIS record will be terminated/completed, and the remainder of the OPT, if any, will become invalid. This decision is final and cannot be withdrawn/revoked. The student must depart the US within 15 days of the termination of their SEVIS record.
Change of Status from F-1 to another visa category
If the F1 student has applied for and received approval for a change of visa status, such as to F2, H1B, H4, J1, J2, Permanent Resident, etc., the student must report a End of Student Status update to provide a copy of the USCIS approval notice or Permanent Resident/Green Card to UFIC.
If an F1 student wishes to change visa status in order to be a dependent of another F1 student, the procedure will depend on where the new primary F1 attends school.
If the new primary F1 attends school at UF, then please visit the Change to F-2 Visa Status page as well as contact the ISA of the new primary F1.
If the new primary F1 attends school at another institution, then please contact the international advisor of the new primary F1 at that school.