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SEVP Portal for Post Completion and STEM OPT Reporting

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The Department of Homeland Security’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) maintains an online portal which students on Post -OPT and STEM OPT can access independently of Bechtel.  This allows students on post-completion optional practical training (OPT) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) OPT to meet their legal reporting requirements. 

  • Students on post-OPT: All address, telephone and employer changes must be reported in the SEVP Portal within 10 days of the change. You do not need to additionally update this information through Bechtel International Center.
  • Students on STEM OPT: You should report changes to your personal information using the SEVP Portal. You cannot, however, use the Portal to add an employer and or report any material changes to your employment because you must submit the Form I-983. You will make such changes through Bechtel International Center using the STEM Employer Updates Form in Bechtel Connect.

SEVP Portal Eligibility

You are only eligible to access the SEVP Portal from the post-OPT employment start date as noted on your Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) and for the duration of your post-OPT and STEM OPT period. SEVP will provide instructions on creating an SEVP Portal account on or a few days after the start date of employment on the EAD card (see below for further details).

Email Address

To create an individual account in the SEVP Portal, you must have a valid primary email address in Axess. This will most likely be your student email account. You should ensure that your primary email is also checked as your "preferred" in the box next to that email address. The primary and preferred email address in Axess is the email address that is saved in SEVIS. This is the only email address to which the account information is sent. You will also need to use this email address to log into your SEVP Portal account after the account is created.

If a student changes their primary email address in Axess when a SEVP Portal account already exists, the student’s Portal account will be automatically locked until the student can validate the new email address through an email link sent by SEVP.

The Bechtel International Center highly encourages students to continue using their student email accounts. Due to legally mandated reporting requirements, student email accounts for international students will remain active for the duration of post-OPT and the STEM Extension (for students eligible for the extension). International students may occasionally receives emails from the university that their student email account may close, but those warnings do not apply for international students on post-OPT or the STEM Extension. 

Creating an Account

Password and Log-in Address

Using the email address in SEVIS (as described above Email Address), SEVP sends you an email inviting you to open an account for the SEVP Portal. This email invitation is sent from: do-not-replySEVP@ice.dhs.gov. Follow the instructions in the email using your SEVIS ID number to create a password for the account.

Troubleshooting

  • You didn’t receive your SEVP invitation.
    • Check your spam or junk folder in your email.
    • Complete the Reset Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) Portal Password form in Bechtel Connect.
       
  • If you have recently updated your email address in Axess. Follow these steps:
     
  1. Select “Reset Password” from the SEVP Portal login page.
  2. Enter your old email address in the email field and your SEVIS ID in the SEVIS ID field. You will receive an error message stating that the email address is incorrect. You can ignore this message.
  3. Enter your current email address in the email field and your SEVIS ID in the SEVIS ID field. You will receive a notice that the temporary password has been sent to you via email.
  4. You can check your current email address for the temporary password to access your portal account.
     
  • You are locked out of your account.
    • Click the “Portal Reset” button.
    • If you receive an error message after attempting to reset your account, complete the SEVP Portal Reset request in Bechtel Connect.

Learn More 

For detailed information on the SEVP Portal, see SEVP Portal Help.