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Form I-983 Instructions for STEM OPT

November 3, 2026 · 21 min read

Form I-983 instructions STEM OPT students can trust start with one rule. The training plan must be complete, signed by the student and employer, and reviewed by the DSO before the school issues the STEM OPT recommendation on Form I-20. USCIS does not normally receive Form I-983 with the I-765 filing. The school keeps it, and DHS can ask for it later.

That single workflow causes many mistakes. Students upload the wrong document to USCIS, employers leave the compensation fields vague, supervisors sign without checking the site address, or a later job change happens without a new plan. This guide walks through how to complete Form I-983 line by line, when to update it, who stores it, and how to prepare for a DHS site visit.

If you are still comparing OPT, STEM OPT, and later H-1B timing, Avisa has a broader OPT guide for F-1 students. This article stays focused on the Form I-983 training plan itself.

Quick table of contents

What is Form I-983 used for?

Form I-983, Training Plan for STEM OPT Students, is the document that connects the STEM OPT job to the student’s STEM degree. It is also the employer’s written promise that the student will receive structured training, proper supervision, and compensation and working conditions similar to comparable U.S. workers.

The form is required for the 24-month STEM OPT extension. It is separate from Form I-765, which is the work authorization application filed with USCIS. The usual sequence is simple.

  1. The student confirms that the degree appears on the DHS STEM Designated Degree Program List and that the employer participates in E-Verify.
  2. The student and employer complete and sign Form I-983.
  3. The student gives the signed Form I-983 to the DSO.
  4. The DSO reviews the plan and issues a STEM OPT recommended Form I-20.
  5. The student files Form I-765 with USCIS within the allowed filing window.

The filing window matters. USC’s Office of International Services states that a STEM OPT student may file no earlier than 90 days before the post-completion OPT EAD expires, must file on or before the OPT EAD end date, and must file within 60 days after the DSO issues the STEM OPT recommended I-20, as described in USC’s STEM OPT Extension guidance.

USCIS confirmed STEM OPT eligibility points in its 27 Aug 2024 Policy Manual update, including degree and CIP list rules and timing corrections for STEM OPT applications, in Policy Alert PA-2024-22. Students should match the Form I-983 STEM degree and CIP code to the SEVIS record and the school’s recommendation process.

Practical rule. Form I-983 is a school and DHS compliance record. It usually stays with the DSO, but every student and employer should keep a complete copy because USCIS, SEVP, or ICE may ask questions later.

What must be done before the STEM OPT recommendation?

The DSO should receive the completed and signed Form I-983 before issuing the STEM OPT recommendation in SEVIS. The 8 Oct 2026 proposed rule, Optional Practical Training, STEM OPT Extension, published in Federal Register Vol. 91, No. 194, would expressly require students to submit the completed Form I-983 or successor form before the DSO recommendation and would clarify employer attestations about non-replacement of U.S. workers and commensurate wages, hours, and working conditions, as stated in the Federal Register proposed rule. A proposed rule is not effective law until finalized, but it shows DHS’s continued focus on the training plan as the core STEM OPT compliance document.

Before the student sends the form to the DSO, the employer should confirm four items.

  • E-Verify participation. The employer named on the Form I-983 must be enrolled in E-Verify and must provide the employer identification information requested on the form.
  • At least 20 hours per week. STEM OPT employment must be at least 20 hours per week with each STEM OPT employer. A 10-hour consulting arrangement or occasional project work does not meet the rule.
  • Supervision at the training site. The employer must have a person responsible for the student’s training, performance review, and skill development.
  • Compensation and terms. Pay, hours, and working conditions must be similar to those offered to comparable U.S. workers with similar duties, education, skill, and experience.

Employers that have never sponsored H-1B workers can still host STEM OPT students if they meet the STEM OPT rules. STEM OPT is often a bridge to H-1B planning, so students should also understand F-1 cap-gap and H-1B work rules if the employer plans to register them in the lottery.

For hiring teams, Form I-983 should be treated like a controlled HR compliance document. It should be reviewed by HR, the direct supervisor, and anyone who manages immigration paperwork. Avisa’s separate guide to STEM OPT employer requirements covers the employer-side obligations in more detail.

How should Section 1 be completed?

Section 1 is the student information section. Mistakes here can create mismatches between the school record, EAD card, I-765, and employer records. Use the same identity information that appears in SEVIS and on the most recent Form I-20.

Student name and school information

Enter the student’s name exactly as it appears on the Form I-20 unless the DSO gives a different school-specific instruction. Do not shorten a legal name to a preferred name. A student named Xiaoyu Zhang should not write Alex Zhang on the I-983 if the I-20 lists Xiaoyu Zhang.

The student should enter the SEVIS school code and DSO information carefully. Many students copy the DSO email from an old I-20 or an international office website page. Use the DSO contact the school requires for STEM OPT processing. If the school has a portal, follow the portal instructions because many universities route STEM OPT requests to a team mailbox rather than one adviser.

SEVIS ID, degree, and CIP code

The SEVIS ID must match the student’s current SEVIS record. The STEM degree field should match the degree used for STEM OPT eligibility. For example, a student with an M.S. in Computer Science should avoid vague wording like technology program. Use the degree name and Classification of Instructional Programs code from the I-20.

The CIP code is central because STEM OPT eligibility depends on the DHS STEM list. USCIS’s 27 Aug 2024 Policy Manual update clarified degree and CIP list rules for F and M students in Volume 2, Part F guidance. If the student is using a prior STEM degree, the school may require extra documents showing that the prior degree institution was accredited and SEVP-certified when required.

Employment authorization dates

The STEM OPT requested start date usually follows the end date of the current post-completion OPT EAD. Students should confirm the dates with the DSO before filing Form I-765. A date mismatch can lead to school corrections, USCIS questions, or a filing that falls outside the allowed window.

As of the fee information listed by the University of Pennsylvania, the USCIS online filing fee for Form I-765 for STEM OPT is $470 in Penn’s F-1 STEM OPT extension guidance. Premium processing for Form I-765 is optional, and the premium processing fee rose to $1,780 under the FY 2026 CPI-U adjustment described in the Federal Register fee adjustment. Students should check USCIS’s fee page before filing because fees can change.

How should Sections 2, 3 and 4 be completed?

Sections 2, 3 and 4 are short, but they carry the legal promises that make STEM OPT different from ordinary post-completion OPT. The student, employer official, and training site contact should understand what they are signing.

Section 2 student certification

The student certifies that the information is true and that they will follow STEM OPT reporting rules. This includes reporting changes, submitting evaluations, and keeping the DSO informed. The student remains responsible even if the employer’s HR team prepared most of the form.

SEVP’s Ask the Experts FAQ states that the annual self-evaluation must be submitted within 12 months of the STEM OPT start date and that the final evaluation is due at the end of the training opportunity. Both must be signed by the employer and submitted by the student to the DSO, as explained in SEVP’s Form I-983 FAQ.

Students should calendar every reporting date as soon as the STEM OPT EAD is approved. Avisa’s STEM OPT reporting requirements and deadlines guide gives a deadline-focused checklist for six-month validation reports, evaluations, job changes, and address updates.

Section 3 employer information

Use the legal employer name, not a product name, office nickname, or client name. If the student works for Alphabet Inc. through a Google LLC employing entity, HR should confirm the correct legal employer. If the student is assigned to a client site through a consulting company, the employer on the Form I-983 must be the entity that controls the training, pays the student, and can make the required attestations.

The employer identification number should be the employer’s federal EIN. The E-Verify number should be the company’s E-Verify company ID or client company ID, depending on how the employer is enrolled. Do not guess. HR should pull the number from the company’s E-Verify account or immigration compliance records.

The compensation field should be specific. Good entries include annual salary of $92,000 plus standard health, dental, vision, and 401(k) benefits, or hourly wage of $38 per hour, 40 hours per week, eligible for company medical plan after 30 days. Weak entries include competitive, market rate, or TBD. DHS may verify wage documentation during a site visit, according to SEVP’s STEM OPT site visit guidance discussed below.

Section 4 employer certification

The employer official signs the certification. This person should have authority to sign on behalf of the company, usually an HR manager, immigration manager, founder, department head, or authorized supervisor. The signer is confirming that the employer has enough resources and trained personnel to carry out the plan, will pay and treat the STEM OPT student similarly to comparable U.S. workers, and will not replace a full-time or part-time U.S. worker with the STEM OPT student.

ICE’s official Form I-983 instructions state that electronic signatures are accepted, including signatures produced by electronic software or a scanned image of a signature, in the Form I-983 instructions. A wet signature is allowed, but it is not the only valid signing method.

Employers should keep proof that the signer had authority. A PDF approval trail, HR policy, or email from the immigration team can help if the company is later asked who signed and why.

How should Section 5 describe the training plan?

Section 5 is the most important part of Form I-983 because it explains why the job qualifies as STEM practical training. Generic descriptions are the main weakness in many plans. The DSO should be able to read Section 5 and understand the connection between the student’s degree, job duties, supervision, skills, and evaluation method.

Site name and site address

List the physical or authorized work site where the student will receive training. If the student works hybrid, the employer should follow the school’s instructions and describe the primary training site accurately. If the student works remotely, the employer should be prepared to explain how direct supervision, training, and evaluation happen.

Address changes can require updates. If a software engineer moves from a Boston office to a New York office under the same employer, the site address and supervisor may change. The student should contact the DSO before or within the school’s required reporting window and ask whether the change requires a modified Form I-983 or a new one.

Training goals and relation to the STEM degree

The training goals should connect the job to the student’s degree with concrete skills. A data science graduate working as a machine learning engineer might write that the training will apply statistical modeling, Python, distributed data processing, model evaluation, and feature engineering to production fraud detection systems. A biomedical engineering graduate working as a quality engineer might connect the role to validation protocols, device testing, FDA documentation, and statistical process control.

A weak goal says the student will gain professional experience in technology. A better goal says the student will design and test backend services in Java and SQL, review latency and reliability metrics, and apply graduate coursework in algorithms and database systems to a payment processing platform.

Roles and responsibilities

Describe recurring duties, not every possible task. The description should be detailed enough to show a STEM connection but short enough to fit the form. Strong examples include developing Python pipelines for climate data, writing automated tests for embedded systems, building dashboards using SQL and Tableau, or validating lab results under a senior scientist’s review.

If the role includes non-STEM duties, keep them proportional and accurate. A product analyst might attend stakeholder meetings and prepare presentations, but the STEM training connection may come from A/B testing, cohort analysis, SQL queries, and statistical reporting. The plan should not claim that 100 percent of the job is model development if half the role is customer support.

Supervision and oversight

Explain who supervises the student and how. Good language identifies weekly one-on-one meetings, sprint planning, code reviews, lab protocol reviews, QA signoffs, or monthly performance check-ins. For a startup, the supervisor may be the CTO or lead engineer. For a large employer such as Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, or Pfizer, the supervisor may be a direct manager within a business unit while HR holds the immigration file.

The supervisor should know that their name may be on a DHS compliance document. During a site visit, DHS may ask to speak with the supervisor and compare the actual work to the training plan.

Measures and assessments

The assessment field should explain how progress will be measured. Examples include quarterly performance reviews, code quality metrics, completion of defined project milestones, lab validation reports, peer review, ticket completion, documentation quality, or manager evaluation against written goals.

Use measurements that match the employer’s normal process. If the company does annual reviews only, do not invent monthly written reviews unless the supervisor will actually do them. The training plan should describe a real process that the employer can show if DHS asks.

How do the 12-month and final evaluations work?

Form I-983 includes evaluation sections for the student’s progress. The first evaluation is due within 12 months of the STEM OPT start date. The final evaluation is due at the end of the STEM OPT period or when the employment ends, whichever happens first. SEVP’s 2026 Ask the Experts FAQ states that self-evaluations must be signed by the employer and submitted to the DSO, and that documents must be accessible to DHS within 30 days after the student submits them to the DSO, in the SEVP Form I-983 FAQ.

The evaluation should be written in the student’s voice but reviewed by the supervisor. It should describe what the student learned, how the work related to the STEM degree, and how the student performed against the training goals. A strong evaluation states that the student applied machine learning coursework to improve a recommendation model, completed testing milestones, received code review feedback, and expanded skills in model monitoring. A weak evaluation says the student did a good job and learned many things.

The final evaluation is often missed during job changes. If the student leaves Employer A for Employer B after eight months, the student needs a final evaluation for Employer A and a new Form I-983 for Employer B. The student should not wait until the annual mark to close out the first employer.

Schools may add their own process requirements. Georgetown University lists a $300 administrative fee for STEM OPT I-20 recommendation requests effective 1 Jul 2026 in its STEM OPT guidance. The University of Virginia lists a $240 non-refundable processing fee for OPT and STEM OPT I-20 requests in its F-1 24-Month STEM OPT Extension guidance. These university fees are separate from USCIS filing fees and do not replace reporting duties.

When is an updated or new Form I-983 required?

A new Form I-983 is required for a new STEM OPT employer. The student must submit the new plan within the required timeframe when beginning practical training with the new employer. The employer also must report termination or departure to the DSO within five business days of becoming aware of it under the STEM OPT employer reporting rule.

Material changes also require action. Common examples include a change in employer EIN, a change in compensation that affects the commensurate terms analysis, a material change in job duties or learning objectives, a change in the employer’s commitments, a change in training site, or a change in the person responsible for supervision. If the role changes from data analyst to product marketing associate, the student should assume the DSO needs to review the plan before relying on the old document.

Some changes are administrative but still should be reported. A new supervisor email address, updated HR contact, office suite change, or department rename may not always require a full new plan, but the student should ask the DSO. Schools differ in how they collect updates, and the DSO’s record must remain accurate.

Students who are changing from STEM OPT to H-1B should keep their I-983 file clean because future immigration filings may ask about work history, work site, duties, and status maintenance. If the employer files H-1B after lottery selection, review Avisa’s guide on changing employer after H-1B lottery selection before making any move that could affect both F-1 and H-1B timing.

Who stores Form I-983 and for how long?

The DSO is responsible for storing Form I-983 and evaluations as part of the student record. SEVP’s Ask the Experts FAQ says DSOs may store the documents electronically or in hard copy and that they must be accessible to DHS within 30 days of the student’s submission to the DSO, as stated in the SEVP Form I-983 FAQ.

Students should keep their own copies even though the school is the official record holder. Keep the original signed I-983, every amended version, annual evaluation, final evaluation, STEM OPT I-20s, EAD cards, job offer letters, pay records, W-2s, and resignation or termination emails. Use clear file names such as 2026-07-01 Employer A I-983 signed, 2027-07-01 12-month evaluation, and 2027-11-15 final evaluation Employer A.

Employers should keep the same documents in the immigration or HR file. The file should also include the E-Verify confirmation process records required by the employer’s normal compliance system, the job description, compensation support, supervisor name, work site address, and copies of any updates sent to the DSO. The employer should retain older versions rather than replacing them. SEVP guidance states that DSOs must retain all versions, including amendments, and employers should follow the same practice for consistency.

Do not upload Form I-983 to USCIS with the STEM OPT I-765 unless USCIS asks for it. SEVP’s STEM OPT webinar guidance states that the training plan is maintained by the school and does not need to be sent to USCIS with the I-765 in the ordinary filing package, as discussed in the SEVP STEM OPT webinar script. USCIS can issue a request for evidence, and the student should be able to provide the signed plan quickly if asked.

What should employers expect during a DHS site visit?

DHS may conduct site visits at employer locations that train STEM OPT students. SEVP’s STEM OPT webinar materials state that DHS generally provides 48 hours’ notice, but notice is not required if the visit is triggered by a complaint or evidence of noncompliance, as explained in the SEVP STEM OPT webinar script.

A site visit may review whether the employer has adequate supervisory personnel, whether the student’s duties match the I-983, whether compensation and working conditions are commensurate with comparable U.S. workers, and whether the training opportunity is real. The employer should be able to identify the student’s supervisor, show the work location or remote supervision process, and explain the training goals.

A practical site visit file should include the signed Form I-983, job description, offer letter, payroll records, proof of work schedule, supervisor contact information, performance review materials, and any emails documenting updates to the DSO. For a remote or hybrid role, include documents showing recurring supervision, such as calendar records for one-on-ones, code review tools, project management tickets, or lab review logs.

Employers that also sponsor H-1B workers may already have site visit protocols for FDNS. The STEM OPT site visit is different from an H-1B site visit, but HR teams can use similar habits. Avisa’s guide to H-1B site visits and FDNS explains how employers can prepare staff to answer government questions accurately and calmly.

What mistakes cause the most STEM OPT problems?

The most common Form I-983 problems are easy to prevent. They usually come from rushing the plan near the OPT EAD expiration date or treating the form as a school form that HR can sign without review.

  • Submitting Form I-983 to USCIS as a routine I-765 document. The DSO stores it. Submit it to USCIS only if requested.
  • Using a generic training description. The plan should connect the duties to the student’s STEM degree, not just list a job title.
  • Leaving compensation vague. Use salary or hourly wage, expected hours, and benefits where applicable.
  • Listing the client instead of the employer. The entity signing the plan must be able to supervise, pay, and make the required promises.
  • Missing the final evaluation after leaving a job. A final evaluation is due when the training opportunity ends, even if the student starts another STEM OPT job.
  • Forgetting older versions. Keep every version and amendment so the work history is clear.
  • Assuming wet signatures are required. ICE’s instructions accept electronic signatures, including scanned or software-based signatures.
  • Letting hours fall below 20 per week. STEM OPT employment must meet the minimum hours requirement with each employer.

Students should also watch the overall unemployment cap. Fordham University states that the total unemployment limit during OPT and STEM OPT is 150 days in its STEM reporting requirements. A job change that creates a gap should be tracked carefully, especially if the student is also preparing for H-1B registration or travel.

Travel adds another layer of documentation. A student with pending or approved STEM OPT should carry the correct I-20, EAD, passport, visa, job proof, and school travel signature. Review Avisa’s OPT travel and re-entry risks guide before international travel during a STEM OPT filing or job transition.

What checklist should students and employers use before signing?

Before the student submits Form I-983 to the DSO, run this final review.

  1. Student identity. Name, SEVIS ID, school code, STEM degree, and CIP code match the I-20 and school record.
  2. Employer identity. Legal name, EIN, E-Verify number, address, and contact information are accurate.
  3. Work terms. Compensation, benefits, and hours are specific, with at least 20 hours per week.
  4. Training connection. Duties and learning objectives clearly connect to the STEM degree.
  5. Supervision. The plan names a real supervisory process and evaluation method.
  6. Signatures. Student and employer signatures are complete, dated, and accepted by the school’s process.
  7. School timing. The student has enough time for the DSO review, the STEM OPT I-20, and the USCIS filing window.
  8. Storage. Student, employer, and DSO each have the signed copy and can find it later.

Students searching for employers that understand OPT, STEM OPT, and sponsorship planning can use Avisa’s visa-sponsored job search by field and city to focus on roles with a stronger chance of immigration-aware hiring. For Form I-983, the best employer is not only a company that hires F-1 students, but a team that can describe the training, supervise the work, sign accurate attestations, and keep records if DHS asks.

The next action is concrete. Before the DSO request, open the current Form I-983, compare every student and employer field against the I-20, offer letter, E-Verify record, and job description, then ask the supervisor to review Section 5 for accuracy before anyone signs.

Sources

This guide draws on the following official and institutional sources. Immigration rules change often — check the original source for the current position before acting on it.

Related guides

See the full OPT Guide for International Students →