STEM OPT is a 24-month extension of post-completion OPT for eligible F-1 students with qualifying STEM degrees. In practice, most readers come here for one of a few concrete questions: do I qualify, how do I apply, what does my employer need to do, how do I stay compliant after approval, and can a startup structure actually work?

This wiki is organized around those questions. Start with the orientation page if you want the shortest path through the material, then branch into the pages that match your current stage.

Start Here

• Start Here gives the shortest guided path through the wiki.
• What Is STEM OPT explains the program, duration, and baseline structure.
• Initial OPT vs STEM OPT Extension is the quickest way to understand what changes once STEM OPT begins.

Choose Your Path

I am figuring out whether STEM OPT is possible

• What Is STEM OPT
• STEM OPT Eligibility Requirements
• Initial OPT vs STEM OPT Extension

I am applying now

• STEM OPT Application Process
• Employer Obligations and the Form I-983

I am already on STEM OPT and trying to stay compliant

• Common Pitfalls and Denials
• Employer Obligations and the Form I-983

I am working with a startup or thinking about founding one

• Working at or Founding a Startup on OPT and STEM OPT
• Initial OPT vs STEM OPT Extension
• Employer Obligations and the Form I-983

I am planning what comes after STEM OPT

• Cap-Gap Extension

What This Wiki Covers Best Right Now

The strongest coverage right now is the core rule set: eligibility, the application path, employer paperwork, common compliance failures, and cap-gap timing. Practical startup guidance is now being added, and more post-approval edge-case pages are still worth building.

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