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Important OPT Information

If you have applied for OPT, if your OPT has been approved or if you are on OPT already, please read this important information about your responsibilities as an international student.

The Student & Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Portal

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program has created a portal that you will be able to access to perform different functions that are MANDATORY for all FIU international students who have applied or who are already on OPT.

Please follow these instructions carefully-these actions are effective starting Monday, March 26, 2018.

What is the SEVP Portal?

The Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Portal is an important tool that lets students on post-completion optional practical training (OPT) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT meet their legal reporting requirements.

Effective March 26, 2018 - FIU Students on OPT are responsible for reporting:

  • Changes to their address and phone number.
  • Changes to their employment.
  • Students can use the SEVP Portal to report these changes.

How to access the SEVP Portal: Create a portal account

Step

Player

Action

Step 1

SEVIS

  • When the status of an OPT request in SEVIS changes to “Approved” and on or after the Actual OPT Start Date, SEVIS sends the following OPT-related student data to the SEVP Portal:SEVIS ID
  • Email address
  • Biographic Information
  • Contact Information
  • Information on the OPT Authorization
  • Employer information

Step 2

Portal

  • The Portal emails the student with instructions for creating their Portal account:Email contains a link the student must use to create the account.
  • Link is unique to the student.

(Students will only receive this message when they have been approved)

Step 3

Student

  • Clicks the link.
  • Enters the SEVIS ID and creates a password.

Note: The student’s email address will be the student’s user name. Therefore it must be unique in the Portal.

Step 4

Portal

Establishes the account.

 

What will students be able to do with the SEVP Portal?

Students who have been approved for OPT or who are already on OPT can:

  • Update their physical home addresses.
  • Update their mailing addresses.
  • Update their telephone numbers.
  • Monitor their employment authorization
  • Update employers’ information (ONLY students on post-completion OPT will be able to do this- STEM OPT students MUST report to the ISSS Office for this function)

What if students do not receive an email to get access to the SEVP Portal?

Students who do not receive the email with their unique link should:

  • Check their spam or junk mail folders.
  • Contact their DSO. DSOs are able to request that the Portal re-send the email.

Students cannot change the email address associated with their Portal account. Students need to contact their DSOs in order to update the student’s email address in SEVIS. When the SEVP Portal gets the updated email address, the Portal:

  • Locks the student’s account.
  • Sends the student an email with a temporary password. The student must use the new email address and the temporary password to log in to the Portal
  • The student will be required to change the password.

Please visit this link to learn more about this and get specific screenshots:

Additional information regarding the SEVP Portal can be found on the Study in the States website.

Please be reminded that these steps are COMPULSORY for all international students on OPT. You are responsible for maintaining this information up-to-date. Failure to do so can jeopardize your OPT benefits and/or lead to the termination of your status.