Status
While you are on the STEM Extension of your OPT, you are still in F-1 student status under the jurisdiction of Pomona College. As such, the following still applies:
- You still have a SEVIS record that must be kept up-to-date
- Your residential address and phone number must be current. Report changes within 10 days via the SEVP Portal or by emailing iss@pomona.edu to enter into SEVIS.
- You must be complying with STEM specific reporting requirements – 6-month validations, 12-month evaluations – by submitting the STEM OPT Employment Report Form [pdf].
- Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months into the future
Travel: Outside the US During STEM Extension (and during the application process)
From Homeland Security
"Students on STEM OPT extensions (including those whose application for a STEM OPT extension is pending) may travel abroad and seek reentry to the United States in F-1 status during the STEM OPT extension period if they have a valid F-1 visa that permits multiple entries and a current Form I-20 Certificate of Eligibility endorsed for reentry by the DSO within the last six months."
Please note that during STEM OPT, Travel Signatures are valid for 6 months only
In all cases, to exit the US and return during STEM OPT, the following must be true: (See additional details below for special circumstances.)
- Your passport is valid
- Your F-1 visa is valid*
Additional Items you need to have
- I-20 with STEM extension recommendation or approval (page 2)
- Current travel signature from ISA (within the last 6 months) – You can email a request for an I-20 with a travel signature by emailing iss@pomona.edu to have a new I-20 emailed to you.
- EAD card – new one if received; old one even if it has expired. Your work authorization and card are automatically extended and considered valid for 180 days while your extension application is pending.
- If still waiting for approval of your extension, paper receipt from USCIS showing that your extension application has been received by USCIS. Email notification probably not sufficient.
- A letter from your employer verifying current employment.
*If your F-1 visa has expired, you would have to apply for a new F-1 visa while out of the US. This carries some risk as your purpose in getting the visa is no longer to attend school, but rather to work. When applying, it is recommended that you emphasize that the work you are doing is a continuation of your education. Since you will be applying for a non-immigrant visa for a temporary stay in the US, it would not be appropriate to volunteer any expectation or hope of sponsorship for a work visa or for a green card.
H-1B Application During STEM OPT
The H-1B sponsorship policy and procedures are the same whether you are on Post Completion OPT or STEM OPT. Go to the H-1B and the Cap Gap Extension page on this website.