What Happens to Your SEVIS Record and OPT Clock If You Move Back to Canada Early

OPT time does not bank for later

OPT authorization ties to a single degree and a fixed clock: 12 months standard, plus 24 more months if you qualify for the STEM extension. Return to Canada after using only part of that time, and the unused months do not carry forward. The clock does not pause: moving home for a year and coming back does not restore the remaining months on the same authorization.

Tell your DSO before you leave

Contact your Designated School Official (DSO) as soon as you decide to end your OPT early. Your DSO shortens your SEVIS record to reflect your actual last day of employment and departure date, which closes your record cleanly instead of leaving it open past your original end date. An accurate record matters if you apply for a different US visa later, since immigration officers check SEVIS history during future applications.

What an open or overstayed record looks like

• A SEVIS record that runs past your actual departure date, with no explanation on file

• Unemployment days that accumulate past the 90-day, or 150-day STEM, limit because you stopped working but never told your DSO you were leaving

• A record terminated for a status violation instead of a normal program completion, which complicates a future US visa application

None of these is fatal to future US travel or study on its own, but each adds friction and questions the next time you apply for a US visa. A clean, properly closed record is simpler for you to explain and for an officer to review.

Your 60-day grace period still applies

Finish your OPT and decide to leave rather than pursue another status, and you get the standard 60-day grace period after your OPT end date, or after your last day of authorized status, as described on the SEVIS Practical Training page , to wrap up affairs and depart. Use this time deliberately: confirm your DSO updated SEVIS, gather any final pay stubs or employer letters you might need for future visa applications, and set a firm departure date rather than letting the grace period run out.

If you leave mid-way through the STEM extension

The same rule applies during the 24-month STEM extension. Leaving after using only part of the 24 months does not preserve the rest. Return to the US later for a new degree at a higher level, and you become eligible for a fresh 12-month OPT period, plus a fresh STEM extension if that new degree qualifies, independent of what you used before. A repeat of the exact same degree level generally does not generate new OPT eligibility.

Practical steps before you go

• Notify your employer and DSO of your planned departure date as early as possible

• Ask your DSO to confirm your SEVIS record shows program completion or authorized withdrawal, not an unexplained gap

• Keep copies of your EAD, I-20, final pay stubs and any termination or resignation letters

• Check whether your program allows a formal leave of absence instead of full withdrawal, if you plan to return to the same school later

Why this matters even if you do not plan to return

A messy SEVIS record also affects Canadian family members who apply for US visas later, since officers sometimes review a family's collective travel and immigration history. It affects your own eligibility too if you later apply for a different visa category, such as a work visa tied to a Canada-US trade agreement or a graduate program. A clean record costs a short conversation with your DSO. An open one costs an explanation years later.