SEVP Portal Closed During OPT or STEM OPT: What to Check

Quick answer

Save the exact notice and contact your DSO if a portal closure conflicts with your current OPT or STEM situation. A failed login, a locked account, and an account-closure notice are different events. The portal message alone is not enough to establish why the account closed or whether you can keep working.

The SEVP Portal Student User Guide describes account closure associated with the OPT end date, including a six-month access cutoff and notification emails. If you are waiting for a STEM decision or recently changed status, ask your DSO to check the actual SEVIS record rather than diagnosing it from the email. Official portal user guide.

Gather a concise timeline

1. Copy the notice text, sender, date, and whether it says locked, closing, or closed. Open the portal through the official site rather than an unfamiliar email link.
2. Record your EAD start and end dates and whether you have an OPT or STEM application pending or approved.
3. Include your application receipt date and any relevant approval or change-of-status notice.
4. Save employment reporting confirmations and note any updates you were unable to submit.
5. Ask your school which secure channel to use for receipt notices and identifying documents.

Questions for your DSO

Ask the DSO to verify the SEVIS status, the OPT dates on record, and whether a pending or approved STEM extension appears correctly. Ask whether the problem is account access, a record correction, or an expected consequence of the recorded end date or a status change. Request the reporting process while portal access is unavailable.

DSO message

Hello [DSO],

I received a SEVP Portal [closure/closing/locked-account] notice on [date]. My current OPT EAD dates are [start–end]. My STEM application is [not filed/pending/approved], with receipt date [date] and decision date [date, if known].

Could you verify my current SEVIS status and the OPT/STEM dates in the record, and advise whether this is an access issue or a record issue? I also need to report [employment/address change, if applicable]; please confirm the reporting method while portal access is unavailable.

I can provide the notice and supporting documents through the school’s secure channel.

Thank you,
[Name]

If your employer asks whether you can continue working

Give HR the relevant authorization documents and ask the DSO or qualified counsel to review the situation. Do not assume that portal closure ends authorization, or that a pending application automatically permits continued work. If an authorization extension may apply, have the employer verify its category and conditions.

Related resources

• Late SEVP employment updates
• Track your actual unemployment dates
• SEVP Portal help

Reviewed October 5, 2026. This checklist organizes questions; it does not determine your individual immigration status.