Reporting Employment to Your DSO: What Changes You Must Report While Working on F-1 Status
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026
Report any new job, employer change, or address change to your DSO within 10 days, whether you work on campus, on CPT, or on OPT. Missing this deadline puts your SEVIS record at risk, since unreported days on OPT count toward your unemployment limit.
⏱️ Report changes within 10 days, not at the end of the semester.
📩 Report your new employer's name, address, and start date for CPT and OPT jobs.
🎓 Request CPT and OPT authorization through your DSO before you start working, not after.
🛂 Unreported gaps count as unemployment days against your OPT limit, even while you are working.
The 10-day reporting rule
As an F-1 student, report changes to your personal and employment information to your DSO within 10 days of the change.
This covers a new job, a change of employer, a change of address, and a change in your employment status, such as ending a position. Your DSO then updates your SEVIS record, and DSOs enter that update within 21 days of receiving it from you (Study in the States ).
This rule applies across every kind of authorized employment: on-campus jobs, Curricular Practical Training, post-completion OPT, and the STEM OPT extension. The specific details you report differ by category, but the 10-day clock stays the same throughout.
What to report for on-campus jobs
Starting a new on-campus position, even a second one alongside an existing job.
Any change in your combined weekly hours across on-campus jobs.
Ending an on-campus position.
What to report for CPT
CPT requires DSO authorization before you start, not after. Bring your job offer and confirm the position connects to your curriculum, and your DSO issues a new I-20 authorizing the specific employer and dates before your first day. Nothing needs separate reporting once you start, since the authorization already names the employer and the term, but a change of employer or an extension needs new authorization.
What to report for OPT and STEM OPT
OPT and STEM OPT carry the strictest reporting duties, because unreported employment gaps count against your unemployment day limit.
Report your employer's legal name and address within 10 days of starting a job.
Report a change of employer within 10 days of the change, not when convenient.
Report your home address within 10 days of moving.
STEM OPT students also confirm employment every six months through the SEVP Portal, even with no changes to report. The STEM extension carries a validation requirement the regular 12-month OPT period does not (Study in the States, STEM OPT Reporting Requirements ).
How to report
Most OPT and STEM OPT students report directly through the SEVP Portal, a self-service tool that updates your employer and address information without going through your DSO for every change. Submitting your report directly to your international student office within the 10-day window also satisfies the requirement, if your school prefers that route or the portal is unavailable to you.
Why unreported days cost you
SEVIS counts every day your record shows no employer on file as an unemployment day, regardless of whether you are working. A job started on time but never reported still counts those days against your 90-day limit, or your 150-day limit on the STEM OPT extension, until the report goes through. Late reporting is one of the more avoidable ways students run out of allowed unemployment days.
If your record falls out of compliance
A SEVIS record marked out of status because of unreported employment changes is hard to fix after the fact. Some schools correct a short lapse if you act quickly and show the report was only late, not missing entirely, but a long unreported gap leads to SEVIS termination, which cuts off your work authorization and your legal stay. Catching a missed report within days resolves far easier than catching it months later.
Building a habit around it
Report the same day you sign an offer letter or lease, not the day you start work or move in.
Keep a copy of every report you submit, with the date, for reference later.
Set a reminder for any date-based requirement, like the STEM OPT six-month validation, since it is easy to lose track of once settled into a job.
Contact your DSO directly when unsure whether a change needs reporting. A quick question costs nothing, and a missed report costs unemployment days.
Reporting during a job search
Post-completion OPT and STEM OPT both allow a period of authorized unemployment while you search for work, 90 days for regular OPT and up to 150 days total with the STEM extension. Keep your address current with your DSO during this time, even with no employer to report, since SEVIS tracks the unemployment clock against your last confirmed address and status.
Setting up SEVP Portal access
Your DSO sends an activation email for the SEVP Portal once your OPT is approved and your SEVIS record reflects it. Check your student email around the time your EAD arrives if it does not come automatically, and confirm with your DSO that your correct email address is on file, since the activation link only works once.
When a change affects your visa stamp too
An employer or address change reported to your DSO updates your SEVIS record, but it does not update your passport visa stamp. If you travel internationally during OPT, carry your updated I-20, your EAD card, and evidence of current employment, since a border officer sometimes asks to see proof that your SEVIS record and your actual situation match.