STEM OPT Extension & E-Verify Guide

By Yijing Li, US Immigration Attorney (admitted in Arizona and the District of Columbia), at Concord Visa.

A STEM OPT extension buys another 24 months of US work authorisation, but only if your degree qualifies, your employer is enrolled in E-Verify, and your Form I-983 holds up. This guide walks founders and grads through every step, plus the timing rule most people find out about too late.

What's inside:

• Who qualifies for the 24-month extension, including the degree code detail people get wrong
• How an employer enrols in E-Verify, step by step. It's free and takes 2 to 3 business days
• What makes a Form I-983 training plan compliant, and the mistakes that sink it
• What happens if your current EAD expires while USCIS is still processing
• Fillable templates for the I-983 and the 12-month and final evaluations

One thing worth checking today: the extension cannot begin until your employer is enrolled in E-Verify, and USCIS processing runs 3 to 5 months. If your OPT expires within the next six months, this is the week to start.

Want us to look at your specific situation? Book a time and we'll tell you what's possible.

This article is general information about US immigration law as at October 2026. It isn't legal advice for your situation and doesn't promise any outcome. Reading it, or contacting us about it, doesn't create an attorney-client relationship. US legal services are provided solely by Crimson Talent Immigration, LLC, an Alternative Business Structure licensed by the Arizona Supreme Court, under a separate client agreement.