STEM OPT

F-1 students who completed a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in select government-designated science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) fields and are currently working with post-completion OPT may apply for the STEM extension of 24 months of additional employment if they have a job or job offer from an E-Verify employer and meet all the required criteria.

If you believe your area of study is classified as a STEM field and you don't see it on the NYU STEM programs list, contact us.

If you earned a previous STEM degree from an accredited US institution, you may be eligible for the STEM OPT extension. See the Department of Homeland Security’s STEM Designated Degree Program List. You can find the CIP code for your previous degree on page 1 of the current format I-20 or at the top of page 3 of the old format I-20. If you have questions about your eligibility, contact us.

Who Can Apply

F-1 students who:

have successfully completed a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree in a STEM field based on the government classification. You can find the CIP code for your previous degree on page 1 of the current format I-20 or at the top of page 3 of the old format I-20. If you have questions about your eligibility, contact us.
are currently authorized for post-completion OPT and have reported your current local US address and primary employer on the OPT reporting form.
have a job with a company enrolled in the government's E-Verify program. Find out if your employer is E-Verify enrolled. Please note, NYU is not an E-Verified employer. Review NYU's policy.
have paid employment that is directly related to the STEM degree and is at least 20 hours per week.
have not exceeded 90 days of unemployment on your current post-completion OPT.
have not previously used STEM OPT more than once. Please note that you cannot have more than one STEM OPT extension based on the same degree.
file an application with the OGS and to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services before the current OPT period ends.

When to Apply

The earliest you can apply is 90 days prior to the end date of your current OPT. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services must receive your STEM OPT application before your current OPT expires.

If you applied for STEM OPT before your current OPT expires, you can continue to work while your STEM OPT application is pending, until a final decision is made on your application or it has been pending 180 days with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, whichever comes first.

How to Apply

Gather and Prepare Your Documents.

Read all the steps in this process carefully. Make sure you have reported your employer and address information to our OPT reporting form. Then gather and prepare all the items you need for your STEM OPT application. Each document you print for your application should be single sided.

DOCUMENTS CHECKLIST

Gather and prepare these items for your STEM OPT application:

A check or money order for $410 made payable to the US Department of Homeland Security. If paying by check, be sure that your name and address are pre-printed on it. If you have to hand write in either your name or address on the check then we recommend getting a money order instead. Write your SEVIS ID on the memo line of the check.
A receipt showing you have paid the $100 Maintenance of Status fee. You can pay this fee on our ePayment page. Please note, if you paid this fee when applying for Post Completion OPT, you must again pay this fee when applying for STEM OPT.
A completed Form I-765; Be sure to review our I-765 explained so that you fill out the form correctly. It’s best to type your information into the form, print it, then sign it in blue ink.
A completed Form G-1145.
A completed Form I-983. Only pages 1-4 need to be completed when you apply. This form must be completed and signed by you and your employer. Please note that electronic signatures are not accepted; you and your employer must sign the form in ink. If you have multiple employers, you must work a minimum of 20 hours per week at each employer and submit a Form I-983 for each employer. Be sure to review our Tips for Completing Form I-983. If your employer has questions about the STEM extension or Form I-983, please direct them to the OGS Information for STEM Employers and the US government’s STEM OPT Hub.
Photocopies of all your previously issued I-20s; include I-20s from previous schools if applicable. You will also need to include a photocopy of the new I-20 with the OPT recommendation on it (see Step 4). If you are missing any I-20(s), review these instructions.
A photocopy of your F-1 visa (except for citizens of Canada and Bermuda)
Your printed I-94 record, clearly indicating that you are in F-1 status
A photocopy of your passport identification page, clearly indicating your passport name, nationality, date of birth, and the passport expiration date
Two passport-style photographs (name, date of birth, I-94 card number and SEVIS number written on the back). Photos must be taken within the last 30 days and cannot have previously been used for a passport, visa, or other US government-related application. If you need updated photos, the NYU StudentLink Center offers passport photo services.
Photocopies of any previously-issued Employment Authorization Documents (EAD).
Official transcripts for the degree upon which your STEM OPT extension will be based. E - Transcripts from NYU are not allowed. Only an official paper transcript is accepted.
If your STEM OPT extension application is based on a previous STEM degree, include a transcript from your previous school. If you do not have an I-20 showing the CIP code from that school, you must also include documentation from that school indicating the CIP code for that program.

Step 1

Submit a Request to OGS.

Complete the request for a STEM OPT recommendation I-20. In order to submit your request successfully, you will need to upload scanned copies of your:

receipt showing new payment of the $100 Maintenance of Status Fee
passport photo/biography page
most recent I-94
current EAD card
completed and signed Form I-765
completed and signed (in ink) Form I-983
If your application is based on a previous STEM degree, you will need to provide copies of I-20s and a transcript from that degree.

Files should be in pdf or jpg format and no larger than 20mb. Learn how to reduce your pdf file size.

Note that the online request form contains several sections. You will need to complete each section of the form in order before moving on to the next section.

If you have any problems submitting the online request, review our troubleshooting tips.

An OGS advisor will review your application and issue your new I-20. This can take up to 10 business days to process. We will email you when your new I-20 is ready.

Step 2

Receive Your New I-20.

Pick up your new I-20 at the OGS once you receive an email telling you that your new I-20 is ready. If you requested to have your new I-20 shipped to you, we will ship it via UPS. You will receive further instructions with your new I-20.

Step 3

Review and Sign.

Once you have received an updated I-20 with the STEM OPT recommendation, make sure to sign your new I-20, photocopy it, and include the photocopy of your new I-20 with the rest of your STEM OPT application materials (see the list of materials in Step 1), Make any suggested changes to your I-765 application as recommended by an OGS advisor.

IMPORTANT MATTERS

• Incomplete or incorrect applications can cause serious delays so go over the checklist one more time and make sure you’ve included everything.

• Make sure to include the original check / money order, original photos and original I-765, and original and official transcripts. Everything else should be a copy.

• Keep a photocopy of your complete OPT application for your records.

Step 4

Send Your Application to the US Government.

Send your application to USCIS by FedEx or UPS. USCIS must receive it within 60 days of the date your I-20 was issued AND before your current OPT expires.

You can use eShipGlobal to get your shipping label at a discounted rate. Learn how to use eShipGlobal. Register with eShipGlobal to get started.

If living in the New York area, mail your application to:

USCIS, Attn: AOS
2501 S. State Hwy. 121 Business, Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067

If living outside of New York, mail your application to the address as specified by an OGS advisor.

Step 5

Keep your NYU Email Account Active.

All important alumni communication from NYU (not only our office) will be through your NYU email account. Find more information about keeping a LifeTime NYU Email account.

Obligations on STEM OPT

Employment requirements

Your employment on STEM OPT must meet the following criteria:

Full-time (at least 20 hrs/week)
Paid
Related to your STEM degree
Employer is e-verified
Submitted to OGS a completed and signed Form I-983.
Have not exceeded the limit for unemployment days.

Notify the OGS

You must report any and all updates to your employment, name, status, etc. while on STEM OPT. Review what, when, and how to report updates while on STEM OPT.

Changing Employment on STEM OPT

You're required to give us an update while you are on STEM OPT within 10 days of any changes in your work, address, or status. Students approved for the 7-month or 24-month STEM OPT extension must submit a new Form I-983 to the OGS within 10 days of any changes in employer or other specifics to their employment information.

Changes in the plan can include (but are not limited to):

any change of Employer Identification Number resulting from a corporate restructuring,
any reduction in compensation from the amount previously submitted on the Form I‐983, “Training Plan for STEM OPT Students,” that is not tied to a reduction in hours worked,
any significant decrease in hours per week that a student engages in a STEM training opportunity, and
any decrease in hours below the 20‐hours‐per‐week minimum required under this rule,
changes to the employer’s commitments or student’s learning objectives as documented on the Form I-983.

We will issue an updated I-20 showing your new employer. Students on the 17-month STEM OPT extension who have not applied for an additional 7-month extension do not need to complete Form I-983.

Changing employers with a pending STEM OPT application

Students changing employment with a pending 24-month STEM OPT application at USCIS will need to complete the steps below.