STEM OPT & Unemployment
Students with a 24-month STEM OPT Extension authorization cannot be unemployed for more than 150 days during their total OPT period; this includes the initial 12 months of post completion OPT and the 24 months of STEM OPT.
The number of unemployment days used during your post-completion OPT period will carry over to the STEM OPT authorization. For example:
- If you used 40 days of unemployment on post-completion OPT, you will have 110 days remaining on STEM OPT.
- If you did not use any unemployment days on post-completion OPT, you will have 150 days of unemployment available on STEM OPT.
How can I avoid exceeding 150 days of unemployment?
- Unlike post-completion OPT, your work on STEM OPT must be paid to count as employment.
- Unpaid internships or volunteering do not qualify for STEM OPT employment.
- You may work for more than one employer while on STEM OPT, but each employment must be related to your STEM program or major and must be for at least 20 hours per week.
- Each STEM OPT employer must provide an I-983 Training Plan.
- For each new employer (or change in job) you must submit a new I-983 Training Plan to ISSP and obtain an updated STEM OPT authorization on your I-20.
What happens if I exceed 150 days of unemployment?
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will terminate immigration records for students who have exceeded the allowable unemployment days. If your immigration record is terminated, you must leave the U.S. immediately; there is no grace period.If you exceed the allowable days of unemployment, you will no longer be in valid F-1 status. Exceeding the allowable days of unemployment can also:
- Affect your ability to remain in the U.S.
- Make you ineligible for future immigration benefits (such as a change of status to H-1B)
- Lead to the denial of a future visa application
The best advice is to engage in the activities outlined above and keep good documentation of your employment. If you are on STEM OPT and will soon exceed the allowable days of unemployment, and you have no plans to work in your field, then you should consider:
- Applying to continue your education by a change of education level or transfer to another SEVP-certified school
- Departing the U.S.
- Initiating a change of status
Additional Resources
If you need help assessing whether or not a job relates to your degree, we recommend these strategies:
- Contact your department and/or former professors
- Think about classes that you've taken in your program and skills that you've learned
- Summarize your job duties and how they relate to your degree
