Tips for completing the I-983

Important Tips

Take care to avoid some common errors:

1. Check your name is in the correct format, and double-check spelling, data/date accuracy.
2. Most common error: the start date of employment on the I-983 is the start date of your employment on STEM OPT. This will not be the same date as your original start date with your employer if you worked with them during your post-completion OPT. For example if you started working with your employer on June 1, 2023 while on post-completion OPT, but your STEM OPT period will start on August 1, 2024, then your start date on the I-983 should be August 1, 2024.
3. Your proposed training plan must relate to your STEM degree. Be sure to explain how it relates to your specific degree field of study (ex. Computer Science), rather than a generic comment about your “STEM degree”.
4. Your “Goals and Objectives” section should be clear and specific, and future-oriented. The tasks you will undertake to meet those goals should also be clear and specific.
5. Don’t wait until the last minute! Completing the I-983 training plan takes time. It also takes time (7-10 business days) for ISS to review your plan, and edits are often needed before your STEM OPT I-20 can be made. You will need the STEM OPT I-20 before you can make your application to USCIS. You can complete and submit the I-983 training plan in the 90-day window before your OPT period ends.
6. The I-983 training plan is not submitted to USCIS as part of your STEM OPT application but it can be requested at any time for review by SEVP.

Students and employers may physically sign the Form I-983 or input their own electronic signature. Electronic signatures in the following formats are accepted:

– 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.

Once complete, you can upload your I-983 form into the STEM OPT I-20 Request form

Section 1: Student Information (completed by student)

Student Name: Enter your full name as it appears on your I-20. Please be sure to write your name in the requested order (Surname/Primary Name, Given Name)

Student Email Address: Enter current email address

Name of School Recommending STEM OPT: Boise State University

Name of School Where STEM Degree Was Earned: Enter the name of the U.S. school where you earned your qualifying STEM degree. This may or may not be Boise State University if you are applying based on STEM degree earned earlier in your academic career.

SEVIS School Code of School Recommending STEM OPT: This is listed on your I-20. Boise State’s SEVIS School Code is HEL214F00101000.

DSO Name and Contact Information: You can use Ruth Prince’s contact information here, with internationalinfo@boisestate.edu as the email and (208) 426-3652 as the phone number.

Student SEVIS ID Number: This is listed at the top of your I-20, and begins with “N”

STEM OPT Requested Period: This start date is immediately after your current OPT ends (check your Employment Authorization document (EAD) card). Add 24 months to calculate the end date.

Qualifying Major and Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code: Enter your major followed by the code on your I-20 for the school/degree program that you are using as a basis for your STEM OPT request.  Your CIP code can be found in the “Program of Study” section of your I-20. It is a six-digit code (XX.XXXX) following the major.

Level/Type of Qualifying Degree: Enter the academic level upon which you are basing STEM OPT. (For example, Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D.)

Date Awarded: Enter the date when the degree, upon which STEM OPT will be based, was awarded.

Based on Prior Degree?

• Check “No” if your STEM OPT is based on your most recently obtained degree at Boise State University.
• Check “Yes” if your STEM OPT is based on a previously obtained U.S. STEM degree that is not the same degree upon which your current OPT was granted.

Employment Authorization Number: Enter your “A” number found on your EAD card. This will be in the format of 123-456-789

Section 2: Student Certification (completed by student)

Student Certification: Review each item carefully and affirm the statements by signing the Form. Students may physically sign the Form I-983 in ink or input their own electronic signature.

Section 3: Employer Information (completed by employer/supervisor)

Employer Name: Enter the name of the business

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

Employer Website URL: Enter the specific website for the employer.

Employer ID Number (EIN): Ask your HR office for this number. Please note that it is not the same as the E-verify number. You need the EIN for the I-983 form, and you will need the E-verify number for your I-765 application with USCIS. You can only work for E-verify employers on STEM OPT.

Number of Full‐Time Employees in the United States: Enter the total number of employees of the business. Your HR office can provide this information.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code: Ask your HR office for this code. This code is used by federal statistical agencies to classify business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy.

OPT Training Hours Per Week: Enter the agreed upon number of average working hours per week. In order to qualify for STEM OPT, you must work a minimum of 20 hours per week for each job.

Start Date of Employment: This is the date that the STEM OPT employment at your employer will begin. This may be later than the original start date of the employment if you began working for the employer during your post-completion OPT period. For example, if you started working on June 1, 2023 while on post-completion OPT, but your STEM OPT period will begin on August 1, 2024, then the start date of employment on the I-983 is August 1, 2024.

Compensation: Enter the dollar amount of salary, stipend, and/or other compensation, and the frequency of pay (per hour, per week, biweekly, monthly). Other compensation may include housing, tuition waivers, 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 U.S. workers, except that a STEM OPT participant must work at least 20 hours per week while employed.

Section 4: Employer Certification (completed by employer)

The “Employer Official with Signatory Authority” must be an individual who is familiar with the student’s goals and responsible for supervising the student during the employment period. The signatory must review each item carefully and affirm the statements by signing the Form. Employers may physically sign the Form I-983 in ink or input their own electronic signature.

More information on the certifications and other reporting requirements can be found on the Employers: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements section of the Study in the States website

Section 5: Training Plan for STEM OPT Students (completed by employer/supervisor and student together)

Section 5 requires specificity, outlining the specific tasks that will be completed during the STEM OPT, how the work relates to the student’s qualifying STEM degree, what knowledge and skills the student will gain, and how they will gain that knowledge and skillset. Generic plans that don’t appear to relate clearly to the student’s qualifying STEM degree, or don’t outline clear goals, will not meet STEM OPT requirements.

Student Name: Enter student’s full name (Surname/Primary Name, Given Name) exactly as it appears on their I-20 (will match section 1 of the I-983)

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 employer name in Section 3. However, if the student is working for a branch or subsidiary of a large entity, or anywhere other than the headquarters, provide the name of this work site.

Site Address: Enter the exact address of the work site where the STEM OPT 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 as in Section 4.

Official’s Title: Enter the title of the official listed in the “Name of Official” box

Official’s Email: Enter the email of the official listed in the “Name of Official” box

Official’s Phone Number: Enter the phone number of the official listed in the “Name of Official” box

Student Role and the Training Program’s Direct Relationship to the Student’s Qualifying STEM Degree: Describe specific tasks and assignments the student will carry out during their employment, and how these relate to the student’s STEM degree. The plan should be future oriented, rather than discussing what the student has accomplished so far. Ideally, the plan should mention the student’s academic discipline by name, rather than a generic statement like “the student’s STEM degree” and make it clear to a lay person how the work relates to the student’s degree.

Goals and Objectives: Describe the student’s specific goals (skills, knowledge, and techniques); and how the student will achieve those goals. Be specific about the projects and tasks. Again, this should be future-oriented. It should outline specific goals for the 2-year STEM OPT period. It should not discuss the goals or tasks you have already completed.

Employer Oversight: Explain how the employer provides oversight and supervision to the student.

Measures and Assessments: Explain how the employer measures and confirms whether the student is acquiring new knowledge and skills.

Additional Remarks (optional): Provide any additional information that you think is important related to the STEM OPT Training plan.

Section 6: Employer Official Certification (completed by employer/supervisor)

Certification of Official with Signatory Authority: The individual who signs this certification need not be, but can be, the same individual who signed the Employer Certification in Section 4. Employers may physically sign the Form I-983 in ink or input their own electronic signature.

More information on the certifications, what is considered a material change, and other reporting requirements can be found on the Employers: STEM OPT Reporting Requirements section of the Study in the States website.

Evaluation on Student Progress (shared responsibility of student and employer/supervisor)

*These are not due with the initial I-983 training plan *

Student evaluations are in place to make sure that the training goals are being satisfactorily met. The student is responsible for conducting a self‐evaluation based on his or her own training progress. The employer must review and sign the self‐evaluation to attest to its accuracy.

The first evaluation is due only after 12 months of STEM OPT. Depending on the your start date with your employer, this may or may not be due after 12 months of employment with them.

The second evaluation is due when the student leaves the position, or at the end of the STEM OPT period (whichever is earlier).

Student Signature: Signed and dated by student. Students may physically sign the evaluation in ink or input their own electronic signature.

Employer Signature: Signed by the supervisor, upon agreement with the assessment information that the student has entered for the evaluation. Employers may physically sign the evaluation in ink or input their own electronic signature.

Upon Completion of the Evaluation: Student must submit via the STEM OPT Participation form on the ISS Forms website.