{"id":24195,"date":"2024-01-16T19:43:29","date_gmt":"2024-01-16T19:43:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/?page_id=24195"},"modified":"2025-10-01T20:30:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-01T20:30:14","slug":"stem-opt-extension","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/f-1-benefits\/practical-training\/stem-opt-extension","title":{"rendered":"STEM OPT Extension"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"is-style-highlight-paragraph-grey-background\">The 24-month STEM OPT Extension is available to students with designated STEM degrees, who are completing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/?page_id=24149&amp;preview_id=24149\">Post-completion OPT<\/a> and want to extend their employment with a qualified employer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Basic rules and restrictions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Must have a STEM designated degree.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must have employment with an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.e-verify.gov\/\">E-Verified<\/a> employer.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must be working more than 20 hours\/week.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must have reported employment on Post-completion OPT.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Must report participation every six months during the STEM OPT Extension.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Application Timeline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Apply up to<strong> 90 days<\/strong> before your Post-completion OPT end date.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Request an OPT recommendation (a new I-20). The OPT request takes roughly <strong>7 &#8211; 10 days<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-highlight-paragraph-grey-background\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> If you apply with only a few days remaining in your current authorization, your request may be denied. Apply early. <strong>We do not expedite requests.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Use your STEM OPT extension recommendation to file an I-765 (using category C3C) with USCIS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Receiving approval from USCIS takes roughly <strong>90 days<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>As long as you file on time, your Post-completion OPT will be automatically extended by 6 months to cover any processing delay.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After receiving approval, you will be sent an Employment Authorization Document via USPS. This can take <strong>1 &#8211; 2 weeks<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is a STEM designated degree?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Each program of study at UWB is connected to a <a href=\"https:\/\/nces.ed.gov\/ipeds\/cipcode\/\">Classification of Instructional Programs<\/a> (CIP) code &amp; Title. You can see your program&#8217;s CIP code &amp; Title on page 1 of your I-20. The Department of Homeland Security provides a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ice.gov\/doclib\/sevis\/pdf\/stemList2024.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">list of all CIP codes &amp; titles<\/a> they have designated as STEM programs. Your program (as printed on your I-20) must be a match to one from this list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Eligible employment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Employment must be full-time with an E-Verified employer, offering on-site training in your field of study, who has completed Form I-983 with you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ineligible Employment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Volunteer\/unpaid positions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Self-employment<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Any work that is not related to your STEM major.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Any work that is not listed on your I-983 Training Plan.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Employment through a third party, such as a staff or temp agency, is still a gray area. The employer that signs the Form I-983 must be the same entity that provides the practical training experience to the student. Thus, we advise to be cautious when accepting this employment during STEM OPT period.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Informational links for employers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/studyinthestates.dhs.gov\/stem-opt-hub\">Study in the States<\/a> offers resources for employers. These are the currently offered pages<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/studyinthestates.dhs.gov\/stem-opt-hub\/for-employers\/employers-and-the-form-i-983\">Employers and the Form I-983<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/studyinthestates.dhs.gov\/stem-opt-hub\/for-employers\/why-stem-opt-is-good-for-small-business\">Why STEM OPT is good for small business<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/studyinthestates.dhs.gov\/stem-opt-hub\/for-employers\/employer-site-visits\">Employer Site Visits<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/studyinthestates.dhs.gov\/stem-opt-hub\/for-employers\/employers-stem-opt-reporting-requirements\">Employers: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Apply<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>See our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/f-1-benefits\/practical-training\/stem-opt-extension\/stem-opt-extension-application\">STEM OPT application page<\/a> for details on every step of the application.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Requirements &amp; FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>See our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/f-1-benefits\/practical-training\/stem-opt-extension\/stem-opt-extension-requirements-and-faq\">STEM OPT Requirements &amp; FAQ page<\/a> for everything you must know while on Pre-completion OPT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 24-month STEM OPT Extension is available to students with designated STEM degrees, who are completing Post-completion OPT and want to extend their employment with a qualified employer. Basic rules and restrictions Application Timeline Note: If you apply with only a few days remaining in your current authorization, your request may be denied. Apply early&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":0,"parent":24143,"menu_order":22,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_is_archived":false,"_archived_contact_email":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-24195","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":{"related_links":{"toggle_visibility":false,"link_1":"","link_2":"","link_3":"","link_4":"","link_5":""},"highlight_box":{"toggle_visibility":false,"title":"","content":"","button":"","button_style":"angled-purple-button","button_screen_reader_text":""},"contact_type_1":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"Contact Us","email":"test@uwb.edu","phone":"(206) 999-1234","box":"Box 358500","address_line_1":"18115 Campus Way NE","address_line_2":"Bothell, WA 98011-8246","location":""},"contact_type_2":{"toggle_visibility":false,"contact_title":"","email":"","phone":"","box":"","address_line_1":"","address_line_2":"","location":""},"social_media":{"toggle_visibility":false,"facebook_url":"","instagram_url":"","linkedin_url":"","twitter_url":"","youtube_url":""},"blog_archive_sidebar_visibility":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>STEM OPT Extension - International Student Services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uwb.edu\/international-student-services\/f-1-benefits\/practical-training\/stem-opt-extension\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"STEM OPT Extension - International Student Services\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 24-month STEM OPT Extension is available to students with designated STEM degrees, who are completing Post-completion OPT and want to extend their employment with a qualified employer. 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