Address, Phone, and Employer Update Instructions

If you are on your first anniversary of Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT you must provide the following information to ISSA: 

  • Information regarding employment, your local U.S. address and valid phone number information.
  • If you are on STEM OPT, you must also validate your employment information every 6 months and submit an evaluation of the I-983 within ten days of your start date and within 10 days of the second 12 months of start date of the STEM OPT.
  • In addition, you must also submit an I-983 evaluation of the conclusion of all STEM OPT regardless of the time you spent working for a company. 

Note:  Failure to provide this information will affect your OPT and legal stay in the U.S.

How to update this information:

  1. Log into iStart.
  2. For Limited Access, you will need to enter your 9 digit Penn State ID, your date of birth, and your limited access pin.  If you do not know your limited access pin, select "Email Me My Limited Access Pin."  If you don't receive your Limited Access Pin, contact issa-adviser@psu.edu to update your email address for access.
  3. On the left, go to Employment Authorization Requests and select OPT Employer and Local Address Update."
  4. Students on STEM OPT must also use this form to validate their STEM participation every six months.
  5. If you still have access to your access account, log onto https://accounts.psu.edu/ and update your ocal address.
  6. Update ISSA using this form as often as necessary -- when employer changes, when employment address changes, when personal address changes, when employment ends, when the I-983 must be submitted, etc.