STEM OPT Extension Requires Form I-983 Training Plan Signed by Student and Employer, Filed With the DSO
F-1 graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics who apply for the 24-month STEM OPT extension must first complete one document: Form I-983, the Training Plan for STEM OPT Students. According to the Form I-983 overview on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Study in the States site, the student and the employer must complete and sign the form together and submit it to the student's designated school official (DSO) before the student may apply for the extension.
A properly completed Form I-983 explains how the training directly relates to the student's qualifying STEM degree, the specific goals of the training opportunity, how those goals will be achieved through work-based learning with the employer, including the knowledge, skills and techniques to be imparted, the performance evaluation process, and the methods of oversight and supervision.
The plan must also establish that the employer has sufficient resources and personnel to provide the training at the identified locations, that the student will not replace a full-time or part-time, temporary or permanent U.S. worker, and that the duties, hours and compensation are commensurate with those of the employer's similarly situated U.S. workers in the area. If the employer has no more than two similarly situated U.S. workers, the plan must affirm commensurate terms by comparison with workers elsewhere in the area. Students may take part in entrepreneurial ventures as employees, but may not act as their own employer or sign the form as the employer.
The plan must stay current. Material changes, such as a new Employer Identification Number after an ownership change, a cut in compensation not tied to fewer hours, a significant decrease in weekly training hours, or changes to the employer's commitments or the student's learning objectives, must be reported to the DSO with an updated form.
Evaluations carry firm deadlines. The student must submit a first self-evaluation within 12 months of the STEM OPT start date and a final evaluation at the end of the training, each no later than 10 days after the close of the reporting period, with the employer reviewing and signing to verify accuracy. If an opportunity ends early, the final evaluation is due within 10 days of its conclusion; failing to submit it violates the terms of Form I-983 and may jeopardize the student's nonimmigrant status. (Source: Study in the States, U.S. Department of Homeland Security)
Source: Study in the States, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：工程专业学生在实验室车间实作。Wikimedia Commons 图片（CC BY 2.0）。 / Photo: An engineering student works in a fabrication laboratory. Image via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).
