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Showing posts from August, 2018

STEM OPT: Questions About The SEVP Portal?

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*** This is literally a copy and paste from the Department of Homeland Security’s FAQ. Link to that the original document is at the end of this post.*** Top Questions from Designated School Officials (DSOs) about the Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Portal Note: This document provides answers that interpret U.S. government regulation, but does not serve as a replacement for federal regulation or official SEVP policy guidance. Questions have been edited for grammar and style. Questions were either received by SEVP or taken from the SEVP Special Report Webinar: SEVP Portal on March 20, 2018. SEVP Portal and policy 1. Does SEVP have plans to deploy additional functionality through the SEVP Portal? A. Yes, SEVP has plans to deploy additional functionality through the portal. The first release, deployed in March 2018, was a basic release to provide initial functionality to F-1 students engaged in post-completion optional practical training (OPT) and M-1 students engaged in practi

OPT: Can You Hear The Collective PHEWW??

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Huge sigh of relief to stem IT workers on stem OPT. They may work offsite, contrary to what was announced earlier this summer. However a strict employer-employee relationship must be maintained. To accomplish this, my recommendation is to follow employer-employee relationship guidelines spelled out in the 2010 Neufeld memo for H1B visas. https://www.uscis.gov/news/alerts/clarification-stem-opt-extension-reporting-responsibilities-and-training-obligations