Instructions for the Form I-983

Completing the Form I‐983:

Training Plan for STEM OPT Students

Nonimmigrant students participating in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)

extension of optional practical training (OPT) and their employers are subject to the terms of the Form I‐

983, “Training Plan for STEM OPT Students,” effective as of the start date requested for STEM OPT on

the Form I‐983.

Note on Acceptable Signatures: Students and employers may physically sign the Form I-983 or input

their own electronic signature. SEVP accepts electronic signatures in the following formats:

• Electronic signatures using software programs or applications. Students and employers may sign

all signature fields on the Form I-983 using electronic signatures produced with software

programs or applications.

• Electronically reproduced copies of a signature. Students and employers may sign all signature

fields on the Form I-983 using digitally reproduced copies of a signature. A digitally reproduced

copy may be a scanned image of a physical signature.

Section 1: Student Information (Completed by Student) .............................................................................. 2

Section 2: Student Certification .................................................................................................................... 3

Section 3: Employer Information (Completed by Employer) ........................................................................ 3

Section 4: Employer Certification.................................................................................................................. 3

Section 5: Training Plan for STEM OPT Students (Completed by Student and Employer) ........................... 4

Section 6: Employer Official Certification .................................................................................................... 5

Evaluation on Student Progress and Final Evaluation on Student Progress ................................................... 5

Section 1: Student Information (Completed by Student)

o Student Name: Enter your full name (Surname/Primary Name, Given/First Name) exactly as it

appears on your Form I‐20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status.”

o Student Email Address: Enter the email address where you can be contacted.

o Name of School Recommending STEM OPT: Enter the name of the school where you were

most recently enrolled. The designated school official (DSO) at this school will be the official

recommending the STEM OPT.

o Name of School Where STEM Degree Was Earned: Enter the name of the school from which

you earned the degree upon which the STEM OPT is based. This may or may not be the same

school recommending the STEM OPT depending on whether you are using a prior STEM

degree to qualify.

o SEVIS School Code of School Recommending STEM OPT: Enter the Student and Exchange

Visitor Information System (SEVIS) school code of the school recommending the STEM OPT

(include the three‐digit suffix) This will be your current school or the school where you were

most recently enrolled.

o DSO Name and Contact Information: Enter the full name and contact information, including

official address, phone number, and email address, of the DSO who recommended the STEM

OPT and issued the Form I-20.

o Student SEVIS ID Number: Enter your SEVIS identification (ID) number.

o STEM OPT Requested Period: Enter the period during which you are requesting to work on

STEM OPT (regardless of whether the authorized dates match the actual training dates). Note

that the STEM OPT extension may not end more than 24 months after the scheduled termination

of the student’s Employment Authorization Document for the current period of post‐completion

OPT. The start date for the STEM OPT extension should be the day after your current 12‐month

OPT ends.

o Qualifying Major and Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code: Enter your

STEM major that qualifies you for the STEM OPT extension, as well as the degree’s CIP code.

You can find your CIP code on your Form I-20. The DHS STEM Designated Degree list can be

found at https://www.ice.gov/sevis/schools.

o Level/Type of Qualifying Degree: Enter the academic level of your qualifying STEM degree.

(For example, enter bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate.)

o Date Awarded: Enter the date when the qualifying STEM degree was awarded.

o Based on Prior Degree? Check “Yes” if your STEM OPT participation is based on a previously

obtained STEM degree instead of the degree that is the basis for your current post‐completion OPT.

Check “No” if your STEM OPT participation is based on the STEM degree that is the basis for

your current post‐completion OPT.

o Employment Authorization Number: Enter your “A” number (this number is listed on your

Employment Authorization Document).

Section 2: Student Certification

o Student Certification: Review the certification and affirm the statement with your signature.

See Note on Page 1 on acceptable signatures.

Section 3: Employer Information (Completed by Employer)

o Employer Name: Enter the name of the employer (company, university, etc.).

o Street Address, Suite, City, State, Zip Code: Enter the employer’s mailing address.

o Employer Website URL: Enter the URL of the employer’s website, if available. If no website

exists, enter N/A.

o Employer ID Number (EIN): Enter the Employer Identification Number (EIN).

o Number of Full‐Time Employees in the United States: Provide the number of full‐time

employees in the United States.

o North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code: Enter the employer’s

NAICS code. (Federal statistical agencies use the NAICS code to classify business

establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing and publishing statistical data related to

the U.S. business economy.) Information on NAICS codes is available at

https://www.census.gov/naics/

o OPT Training Hours Per Week: Enter the agreed‐upon number of average training hours per

week. In order to qualify for STEM OPT, the student must work a minimum of 20 hours per

week.

o Start Date of Employment: Enter the date when the student will begin the STEM OPT training

with the employer.

o Compensation: Enter the dollar amount of salary, stipend and/or other compensation and the

frequency of compensation (for example, hourly, weekly, bi‐weekly, monthly). Other

compensation may include housing, tuition waivers or transportation costs, etc. Note: The terms

and conditions of a STEM practical training opportunity (including duties, hours and

compensation) must be commensurate with those applicable to similarly situated workers who

are U.S. citizens, except that a STEM OPT participant must work at least 20 hours per week

while employed.

Section 4: Employer Certification

o Employer Certification: The Employer Official with Signatory Authority, who is an

appropriate individual in the employer’s organization who is familiar with the student’s goals

and performance and has signatory authority for the employer, should review the certification

and affirm the statement with their signature. See Note on Page 1 on acceptable signatures.

o Note for Employer Official with Signatory Authority: The Employer Official with Signatory

Authority attestation includes the certification at Section 4(d), which states “The student on a

STEM OPT extension will not replace a full‐ or part‐time, temporary or permanent U.S. worker.

The terms and conditions of the STEM practical training opportunity—including duties, hours,

and compensation—are commensurate with the terms and conditions applicable to the

employer’s similarly situated U.S. workers or, if the employer does not employ and has not

recently employed more than two similarly situated U.S. workers in the area of employment, the

terms and conditions of other similarly situated U.S. workers in the area of employment.”

Section 5: Training Plan for STEM OPT Students

(Completed by Student and Employer)

To better ensure the academic benefit and integrity of the STEM OPT extension, Federal regulations

require each STEM OPT student to prepare and execute with their prospective employer a formal

training plan that identifies learning objectives and a strategy for achieving those objectives. The

STEM OPT student and their employer must work together to finalize the plan.

o Student Name: Enter the student’s name (Surname/Primary Name, Given/First Name) exactly

as it appears on the student’s Form I‐20, “Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student

Status.”

Employer Name: Enter the employer’s name as it appears in “Section 3: Employer

Information.”

Site Name: Enter the employer’s site name, which may be the same as the employer name listed

in Section 3. However, if the student is working for a branch or subsidiary of a large entity, or

anywhere other than the employer’s headquarters, provide the name of this work site.

Site Address: Enter the exact address of the work site where the STEM practical training will

take place.

Name of Official: Enter the name of the appropriate individual in the employer’s organization

who is familiar with, and will monitor, the student’s goals and performance. This may or may

not be the same Employer Official listed in Section 4.

Official’s Title: Enter the title of the appropriate individual in the employer’s organization who

is familiar with, and will monitor, the student’s goals and performance.

Official’s Email: Enter the email address of the appropriate individual in the employer’s

organization who is familiar with, and will monitor, the student’s goals and performance.

Official’s Phone Number: Enter the phone number of the appropriate individual in the

employer’s organization who is familiar with, and will monitor, the student’s goals and

performance.

o Student Role and the Training Program’s Direct Relationship to the Student’s Qualifying

STEM Degree: Describe what tasks and assignments the student will carry out during the

training and how these relate to the student’s STEM degree. The plan must cover a specific span

of time and detail specific goals and objectives.

o Goals and Objectives: Describe the specific skills, knowledge and techniques the student will

learn or apply; how the student will achieve the goals set out for their training; and the training

curriculum, including the timeline.

o Employer Oversight: Explain how the employer provides oversight and supervision of

individuals filling positions such as the one being filled by the named F‐1 student. If the

employer has a training program or related policy in place that covers such oversight and

supervision, a description of this program or policy may suffice to answer the question.

Measures and Assessments: Explain how the employer measures and confirms whether

individuals filling positions such as the one being filled by the named F‐1 student are acquiring

new knowledge and skills. If the employer has a training program or related policy in place that

covers such measures and assessments, a description of this program or policy may suffice to

answer the question.

o Additional Remarks. Provide any additional pertinent information.

Section 6: Employer Official Certification

o Certification of Official with Signatory Authority: The individual who signs this section may

be the same official who signed the Employer Certification in Section 4, or it may be another

official. An employee with signatory authority for the employer should review the certification

and affirm the statement with their signature. See Note on Page 1 on acceptable signatures.

o For the material change certification (Item 4 in Section 6), please note that material changes in

the plan can include (but are not limited to) the following: any change of EIN resulting from a

corporate restructuring; any reduction in compensation from the amount previously listed on the

Form I‐983 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 for STEM OPT.

Evaluation on Student Progress and Final Evaluation on Student Progress

o Student evaluations are a shared responsibility of the student and the employer to ensure that the

student’s practical training goals are being satisfactorily met. The student is responsible for

conducting self‐evaluations of their training progress. The employer must review and attest to

their accuracy.

The student must complete the first evaluation within 12 months of their STEM OPT start date and

then complete a final evaluation after their STEM OPT ends that recaps all the training and

knowledge acquired during the complete training period. The student must submit the 12-month

and final evaluations no later than 10 days following the conclusion of the appropriate reporting

period. If a training opportunity ends early, the student must submit the final evaluation within

10 days following the conclusion of the training.

When completing the evaluations, the student must enter the date range covered by each

evaluation.

o The student must physically, electronically, or digitally sign the evaluations; print their name; and

enter the date of their signature.

o The Employer Official with Signatory Authority must physically, electronically or digitally sign

the evaluations; print their name; and enter the date of their signature to show concurrence with

the assessment information that the student has entered.