A large number of international students in the US, particularly those on Optional Practical Training (OPT), are receiving stern notices from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) warning of possible SEVIS record termination and deportation. The warnings stem from missing or outdated employer information in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which tracks students' employment status.
OPT rules allow a maximum of 90 days of unemployment over the standard 12-month period, with an additional 60 days for students in the STEM-OPT extension.
The ICE letter gives students just 15 days to update their SEVIS records. If employment details remain missing, students could face removal proceedings. A letter reviewed by TOI reads: "Because there is no employer information in your SEVIS record, you are accumulating unemployment days... failure to take corrective action may result in immigration proceedings."
The Indian student community is particularly affected. Of the 2.7 lakh Indian students in the US in 2022-23, nearly 69,000 were in OPT programmes.
Immigration lawyers are urging students to report job changes, losses, and new employment within 10 days.
