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ICE, Sept. 27, 2019 SEVP Policy Guidance Practical Training - Determining a Direct Relationship Between Employment and a Student's Major Area of Study

Cyrus Mehta, July 8, 2019 "DHS promulgated the F-1 STEM optional practical training (OPT) benefit, with the publication of the “24-month STEM OPT Rule” that became effective on May 10, 2016. See 81 FR 13039 . This rule has been the...

Elizabeth Redden, Inside Higher Ed, June 25, 2019 "Colleges are seeing increases in processing times for international students applying for work authorization through the Optional Practical Training, or OPT, program, leaving some students with...

USCIS, Aug. 17, 2018 - "USCIS is updating the Optional Practical Training Extension for STEM Students (STEM OPT) page of our website to clarify the reporting responsibilities for participating in the STEM OPT program. Students and employers must...

ICE, May 18, 2018 - "Volunteer positions that are not directly related to your course of study do not qualify as optional practical training (OPT) and must not be listed as OPT employment. Reporting non-qualifying volunteer opportunities as OPT employment...

Cora-Ann Pestaina, Apr. 30, 2018 - "Recently, without any prior notice, USCIS quietly updated its STEM OPT webpage to reflect a ban on the placement of STEM OPT workers at third-party client sites. As background, on March 11, 2016 the Department...

Laura D. Francis, BNA, Oct. 10, 2017 - "The “next target” of the Trump administration’s changes to the immigration system may be a work program for foreign graduates of U.S. colleges and universities, Stuart Anderson of the National...

WashTech v. DHS, Jan. 23, 2016 - "DHS’s motion for limited relief will be GRANTED, and the Court’s August 12, 2015 stay of vacatur will be extended until May 10, 2016."

This document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on 10/19/2015 - Improving and Expanding Training Opportunities for F-1 Nonimmigrant Students with STEM Degrees and Cap-Gap Relief for All Eligible F-1 Students ICE Media Release, Oct...

Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 201 / Monday, October 19, 2015 Improving and Expanding Training Opportunities for F–1 Nonimmigrant Students With STEM Degrees and Cap-Gap Relief for All Eligible F–1 Students "The Department of Homeland...

SUBJECT: 17-Month Extension of Post-Completion Optional Practical Training (OPT) for F-1 Students Enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Degree Programs "The purpose of this policy memorandum (PM) is to clarify the...

Cora-Ann V. Pestaina, June 13, 2016 - " The most frequently asked question in response to my recent blog entitled, “A Closer Look At The Form I-983 – Training Plan for STEM OPT Students” , is whether a STEM OPT student can be employed...

Cora-Ann V. Pestaina, Apr. 27, 2016 - "In order to obtain this new 24-month STEM OPT, the employer must have an Employer Identification Number (EIN) and be enrolled in and using the E-Verify program at the STEM OPT worksite. The employment opportunity...

Cyrus D. Mehta, Mar. 21, 2016 - "F-1 employers must attest that the F-1 employee is paid a salary commensurate with similarly situated workers and that: “(1) it has sufficient resources and trained personnel available to provide appropriate...

This document is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on 03/11/2016 - "The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is amending its F-1 nonimmigrant student visa regulations on optional practical training (OPT) for certain students with...