In Progress
3) STEM OPT Extension (Your Time Multiplier)
Complete reporting requirements (or lose your status)
STEM OPT comes with strict reporting requirements that regular OPT doesn't have. Every 6 months, your employer must validate your employment through your DSO—set calendar reminders. At 12 months and 24 months, you must complete self-evaluations on I-983 Page 5, describing what you've learned. Any material change—new salary, new supervisor, new job duties, new work location—must be reported within 10 days. If you get laid off, you have 10 days to report it and only 60 days of unemployment allowed (vs 90 days on regular OPT).
You cannot apply for CPT the moment you land in the U.S.
- Most students must be enrolled full-time for one full academic year (two consecutive semesters, like Fall and Spring) before becoming eligible for CPT.
- Some Master’s or PhD programs require an internship in the first semester. If your official program catalog states that an internship is mandatory for all students on "Day 1," you may be eligible immediately.
Free Resource:DAY 1 CPT - What you need to know!
**[CPT, OPT, EAD Explained | How to work in the USA as an International Student](https://youtu.be/mkIeJzsfvRI)**
Resources
Record your progress
Mark this subsection complete to track your progress.