OPT local planning

I-983 preparation guide

Work through the six form sections and progress evaluations, then use the local checklist with your employer and designated school official. Complete the actual submission using the current official form.

Work through the official form

Use this section-by-section companion alongside the current official form and instructions. Fill in personal details only on the official form. This is preparation guidance, not legal advice or an eligibility decision.

Sources reviewed September 7, 2026. The form served by ICE displayed edition 7/16; always download the current copy instead of treating an edition or OMB date as your authorization expiry.

Official I-983 form (PDF)Official filling instructions (PDF)

Section 1: Student information

Student, with school details confirmed by the DSO

Identity and contact details: Use the name on your I-20, your email and your current SEVIS ID, even when relying on a degree earned under an earlier SEVIS record. Enter identifying details only on the official form, not on this website.
Recommending school and degree-awarding school: These may be different when using a prior degree. Ask the DSO managing your current record to confirm the recommending school code, including its three-digit suffix, and DSO contact information.
Qualifying degree: Check the major and CIP code, degree level, award date and prior-degree answer against your actual academic records. A matching field label does not establish STEM eligibility.
Employment authorization number: The official instructions identify this as the A-number on the EAD. Do not substitute a receipt number or card number. Keep this identifying number off this website.
Requested STEM OPT period: Record the requested authorization period, which may differ from actual training dates. For an extension of regular post-completion OPT, DHS describes the requested start as the day after the current OPT ends. Confirm the dates with your DSO.

Reconcile school, degree and authorization details before asking the employer to finish its sections.

Official guidance for Section 1: Student information

Section 2: Student certification

Student

Read the full certification before signing: Confirm that the information is truthful, that you understand and will follow the training plan, and that the training directly relates to the qualifying STEM degree.
Reporting commitments: Notify your DSO at the earliest available opportunity if the employer is not providing the agreed training or if there are material changes or deviations. Understand that noncompliance by either party may affect STEM OPT authorization.
Your own signature, printed name and date: Complete your certification yourself. The official instructions allow a physical signature, an electronic signature made by the signer, or a digitally reproduced copy. This website does not create or apply signatures.

A checked preparation item is not a signature, legal certification or completed government form.

Official guidance for Section 2: Student certification

Section 3: Employer information

Employer

Company identity and classification: The employer provides its name, mailing address, website, EIN, NAICS code and U.S. full-time employee count. Obtain these facts from the employer; do not guess them or enter them here.
Training start and weekly hours: The employer records the actual agreed training details. DHS describes a minimum of 20 hours per week for STEM OPT; ask the DSO and employer about any unusual arrangement.
Annual salary and other compensation: Use the current form’s annual salary field in U.S. dollars and list other compensation types with their estimated amounts or values. Do not enter only an hourly rate or pay frequency in the annual amount field. The employer must review commensurate terms with similarly situated U.S. workers.

Distinguish the requested authorization dates in Section 1 from actual employment and training details.

Official guidance for Section 3: Employer information

Section 4: Employer certification

Employer official with signatory authority

Employer commitments: Read every certification on the official form. Review the non-displacement and comparable-terms commitments, training resources and ability to provide the agreed opportunity.
Authorized reviewer: The signer must have authority to attest for the employer and be familiar with the student’s training goals and performance. A student cannot act as their own employer for this form.
Departure reporting: The employer certification requires reporting termination or departure to the DSO within five business days during authorized OPT. Read the form’s departure definition, including five consecutive business days of unapproved absence. This is separate from the student’s final-evaluation deadline.

Send this section to an authorized employer representative; a supervisor title alone does not establish signatory authority.

Official guidance for Section 4: Employer certification

Section 5: Training plan

Student and employer work together; employer completes its responsibilities

Training site and official contact: Identify the exact work-site address, which may differ from the Section 3 mailing address, and the official familiar with the student’s goals and performance. Keep the employer name consistent with Section 3.
Student role and degree relationship: Describe the actual tasks and assignments and how they apply the qualifying STEM degree. Do not invent projects or paste duties that do not reflect the job.
Goals and objectives: Identify the knowledge, skills and techniques to develop, the activities that will teach them, and the training curriculum and timeline.
Employer oversight: Explain who supervises the work and how oversight occurs. An existing employer training policy may be described if it meets the form’s requirements.
Measures and assessments: Explain how the employer will assess progress and acquisition of skills. Use measures that can later support the student’s progress evaluations.

The role, learning goals, oversight and assessments should describe one coherent, real training opportunity.

Official guidance for Section 5: Training plan

Section 6: Employer official certification

Employer official with signatory authority

Final employer review and signature: An authorized official verifies the training-plan information and signs their own certification. This may be the same person as in Section 4, but DHS does not require it to be the same person.
Material changes: Coordinate reporting with the DSO for material changes, including an EIN change caused by restructuring, a nontrivial compensation reduction unrelated to fewer hours, or significant hours reductions, including below 20 hours per week. These are examples, not an exhaustive list.

Give the completed, signed plan to your DSO before applying for the STEM extension. This site neither files nor submits it.

Official guidance for Section 6: Employer official certification

Progress and final evaluations

Student prepares; employer reviews and signs; student returns to DSO

Evaluation period and evidence: Enter the period being evaluated. Discuss performance against the agreed measures, skills learned, accomplishments and any changed goals or development needs.
12-month and final reviews: Prepare the first evaluation within 12 months of the STEM OPT start and a final evaluation at the end. DHS requires submission no later than 10 days after the applicable reporting period concludes.
An opportunity ends early or the employer changes: Provide a final evaluation within 10 days of the opportunity ending. Each evaluation needs the student’s and employer official’s signatures, printed names and dates. Coordinate review, then return the signed evaluation to the DSO.

The employer’s signature confirms review of your evaluation; checking this guide does not submit or certify it.

Official guidance for Progress and final evaluations

Your preparation checklist

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Transparent method

Shared student and employer responsibilities

DHS requires a formal training plan describing the degree relationship, learning goals, supervision, evaluation, and employer commitments. The student and employer prepare and sign the plan, and the student gives it to their DSO.

The guide summarizes preparation and ongoing responsibilities; it is not an exhaustive reproduction of every certification and does not determine eligibility. We do not collect SEVIS IDs, tax identifiers, signatures, or completed government forms. Section guidance reviewed September 7, 2026.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

Does the checklist submit Form I-983?

No. Download the official form, complete it with your employer, and provide it to your DSO following the current instructions.

What happens if the training opportunity ends early?

DHS states that the student must submit a final evaluation within 10 days after the opportunity ends. Coordinate the employer signature and submission with your DSO.

Where is checklist progress stored?

Only the checked item identifiers are stored in this browser. The checklist does not need any personal identity numbers.