A growing number of international students in the U.S., especially those on Optional Practical Training (OPT), are receiving strict notices from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) warning of potential SEVIS record termination and possible deportation.
The warnings are triggered by missing or outdated employer information in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which tracks students’ employment status.
Under OPT regulations, students are allowed a maximum of 90 days of unemployment during the standard 12-month program. Those in the STEM-OPT extension get an additional 60 days.
ICE letters give students just 15 days to update their SEVIS records. Failure to do so could result in removal proceedings.
One letter reviewed by TOI states: “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.”
Indian students are among the most affected. During the 2022–23 academic year, of the 270,000 Indian students in the U.S., nearly 69,000 were enrolled in OPT programs.
Immigration attorneys are urging students to report any job changes, losses, or new employment within 10 days to remain in compliance.
