What Is OPT Reporting and Why Does It Matter?
OPT reporting is the process of updating your Designated School Official and USCIS about changes to your employment status, employer information, and personal details. The SEVP Portal allows students to report some information directly, while other updates require contacting your DSO.
You must report changes within 10 days of any update. This includes starting a new job, ending employment, changing employers, or moving to a new address. Accurate reporting ensures your SEVIS record reflects your current situation.
Failure to report changes can result in your DSO terminating your SEVIS record. According to USCIS OPT guidance, maintaining accurate records is a condition of your OPT authorization.
What Information Must Be Reported During OPT?
You must report your employer name and address, your job title, start and end dates of employment, and whether the position is full-time or part-time. Your personal mailing address and phone number must also remain current.
For STEM OPT students, additional reporting requirements apply. The STEM OPT regulations require validation reports every six months and prompt notification of any material changes to the Training Plan (Form I-983).
How Does the OPT Unemployment Clock Work?
The unemployment clock tracks the total number of days you spend without qualifying employment during your OPT period. For standard post-completion OPT, you cannot exceed 90 days of unemployment. STEM OPT provides an additional 150 days, bringing the total allowable unemployment to 240 days across both periods.
The clock begins on your OPT start date, not when you receive your EAD card. Days without employment accumulate whether or not you have started looking for work. The clock pauses only when you begin qualifying employment.
According to ICE guidance, unemployment is calculated cumulatively. If you work for 30 days and then become unemployed again, your previous unemployment days still count toward your limit.
What Counts as Qualifying Employment to Stop the Clock?
Qualifying employment must be directly related to your field of study and can include paid employment, self-employment, employment through an agency, or working for multiple employers. The position must be at least 20 hours per week to qualify as employment that stops the unemployment clock.
Unpaid internships and volunteer work generally do not count as qualifying employment unless they meet specific criteria established by the Department of Labor. Paid positions are the clearest way to ensure your employment qualifies.
What Happens If You Exceed the Unemployment Limit?
Exceeding your unemployment limit results in automatic termination of your F-1 status. Your DSO is required to terminate your SEVIS record, and you begin accruing unlawful presence in the United States. This can affect future visa applications and your ability to return to the country.
There is no grace period or appeal process for exceeding the unemployment limit. The Department of Homeland Security enforces this rule strictly, and students must monitor their own unemployment days carefully.
If you are approaching your limit, you should consult with your DSO immediately about available options, which may include changing to a different visa status or preparing to depart the country.
Can You Reset the Unemployment Clock?
The unemployment clock cannot be reset during a single OPT period. However, qualifying for STEM OPT provides additional unemployment days as a new allocation, not a reset. Students who complete a new degree and receive a new OPT authorization would start fresh with a new 90-day limit.
Transferring schools or changing employers does not reset the clock. The cumulative count continues throughout your authorized OPT period.
How Are Reporting and the Unemployment Clock Different?
Reporting and the unemployment clock serve different compliance functions. Reporting keeps the government informed of your current status, while the unemployment clock limits how long you can remain without work. You can be fully compliant with reporting requirements while still violating the unemployment rule, and vice versa.
For example, a student who reports unemployment accurately but exceeds 90 days without work has satisfied reporting obligations but violated the unemployment limit. Conversely, a student who finds work immediately but fails to report it within 10 days has stopped the unemployment clock but violated reporting requirements.
Both violations can result in loss of status, so you must track both obligations independently.
What Tools Help Track Both Requirements?
The SEVP Portal allows direct reporting of employer information and address changes. Your university's international student office typically provides unemployment tracking worksheets and reminder systems.
Many students use calendar reminders to track their unemployment days and reporting deadlines. Maintaining a personal log of employment dates and reported changes provides documentation if questions arise later.
