This page answers the most common questions about Nobel University’s new online OPT Employment Reporting system at opt.nobeluniversity.edu/opt-employment.
Before May 2026 you submitted your post-OPT employment verification by emailing a single letter to the DSO and filing your details in the federal SEVP Portal. Now Nobel uses a digital portal so the school can keep its SEVIS record accurate and automate the supervisor check-in your record requires. The federal SEVP Portal step has not changed and you still must complete it within 10 days of any change.
Why this changed
Q1. I used to just email a verification letter. Why do I have to fill out a portal now?
Federal rule 8 CFR 214.2(f)(10)(ii) requires Nobel’s DSO to keep your employment information current in SEVIS and to be able to demonstrate that the employment is bona fide and related to your major. The portal collects the same information the letter used to, plus it lets your supervisor confirm the employment with one click — which is much stronger evidence than a single letter and protects you if your employment is ever questioned.
Q2. Does this replace the SEVP Portal?
No. The federal SEVP Portal at https://sevp.ice.gov/opt/ is required by USCIS / DHS and Nobel cannot do that step for you. You must report each employment, employer change, address change, and end-of-employment in the SEVP Portal within 10 days. Reporting only at Nobel does not satisfy that obligation.
Q3. When do I use this Nobel portal?
As soon as you receive your EAD card from USCIS and start (or are about to start) work. The portal lets you:
- Register each OPT employment (paid, unpaid, or self-employed)
- Upload the three required supporting documents
- Trigger an automatic one-click verification email to your supervisor
- End an employment when it stops
- See your accrued unemployment days against the 90-day limit
Getting in
Q4. The portal won’t let me in — it says “we could not verify these details”.
The four fields must exactly match the Nobel student record on file:
- Student ID — printed on your I-20 page 1, top right
- SEVIS ID — also on your I-20, format
N00… - Last name — must match the surname spelling on your I-20 (not a married name unless it is on the I-20)
- Date of birth — YYYY-MM-DD
If they all match and it still fails, you may not have an issued post-completion OPT I-20 on file with Nobel yet. Apply first at opt.nobeluniversity.edu/request-opt.
Q5. Do I need a username / password?
No. The portal verifies you with the four fields above each time you visit. There is no account to create or password to remember.
The three required documents
Q6. What exactly do I need for paid employment?
- Employer Attestation Letter on company letterhead, signed by an authorized representative. It must include the company name and EIN, company address and phone, your job title and start date, a 1–2 sentence description of your duties, how those duties relate to your major, and your direct supervisor’s name, title, work email, and phone.
- Offer Letter or Employment Contract — the original written offer from the employer.
- Your first paystub (or most recent paystub if you have been working for a while).
Q7. I haven’t received my first paystub yet — can I still register?
You must register your employment within 10 days of starting work regardless. If you don’t have a paystub yet, upload any other proof of payroll enrollment (offer-letter pay schedule, a screen capture of the payroll-system confirmation, or the employer’s first deposit notice). Then upload the actual paystub through the portal as soon as you receive it — the DSO will replace the placeholder.
Q8. I am doing an unpaid volunteer / unpaid internship. There is no paystub.
The portal automatically substitutes two unpaid-specific documents for the paystub:
- Volunteer / Internship Agreement — a written agreement signed by you and the organization that describes the duties, hours, duration, and unpaid nature of the engagement.
- Hours Log — a weekly or monthly attendance record signed by your supervisor. This is the unpaid-OPT equivalent of a paystub.
Unpaid employment does count as OPT employment under federal rules (it stops the unemployment clock) so long as the position is at a bona fide 501(c)(3) or otherwise legitimate organization and is related to your major.
Q9. I am self-employed (my own business / consulting). What do I upload?
- Self-Attestation Letter — written in your corporate capacity describing the business and how it uses your major.
- First client engagement letter or contract.
- Business Registration Document — state business license, articles of incorporation, DBA filing, or LLC formation certificate. This proves the business legally exists.
USCIS expects self-employed F-1 students to have proper licensure and to be actively engaged in their field of study.
Q10. My documents aren’t PDFs.
The portal also accepts .jpg and .png. Each file is limited to 15 MB. Phone photos are fine as long as the text is fully readable.
Supervisor verification
Q11. My supervisor says the email looks suspicious and refuses to click it.
That’s a good instinct from your supervisor. Show them this page and confirm the following:
- The sender is
info@nobeluniversity.edu— Nobel’s official mailbox. - The verification link always starts with
https://opt.nobeluniversity.edu/opt-employment-verify/— anything else is fraudulent. - The page asks them only to confirm, correct, or deny — it never asks for a password, bank info, or SSN.
- If still in doubt, your supervisor can call the DSO directly at 213-382-1136 to confirm the email is real before clicking.
Q12. My supervisor uses a Gmail / Yahoo / Hotmail address. Is that OK?
It is allowed but the system will flag it for the DSO to review, because a company-domain email is much stronger evidence that the supervisor actually works at that employer. If your company has its own email domain, use the company address. If the company genuinely uses a free webmail provider (common at small businesses or non-profits), submit and the DSO will follow up by phone if needed.
Q13. My supervisor never received the email.
First ask them to check spam / junk. The sender is info@nobeluniversity.edu and the subject begins with “ACTION NEEDED: confirm OPT employment of…”. If still missing, email info@nobeluniversity.edu with your name and employer; the DSO can re-send to a corrected email address.
Q14. What happens if my supervisor never responds?
The system automatically resends the verification email about a week after the first one expires. If we still get no response, the DSO will contact you to confirm the employment by another means. Repeated non-response will flag your record for in-person review.
Q15. My supervisor moved to a different company / left the role.
Email info@nobeluniversity.edu with your name, employer, and the new supervisor’s name, title, work email, and phone. The DSO can update the record and trigger a fresh verification email to the new supervisor.
EAD and unemployment
Q16. Where do I find my EAD number and dates?
They are printed on the physical EAD card USCIS mailed to you. The EAD number begins with three letters (often MSC, SRC, EAC, etc.) followed by ten digits. The “Valid From” date is the official start of your OPT period and the “Valid To” date is twelve months later for post-completion OPT. You only need to enter EAD info on your first employment report; subsequent reports skip those fields.
Q17. How is my “unemployment days used” number calculated?
The counter starts on the EAD “Valid From” date and counts every calendar day during which you have no active OPT employment of any kind (paid, unpaid, or self-employed). Days with at least one active employment do not count against the limit. Exceeding 90 days will result in SEVIS termination — please report any new employment as soon as it starts, including volunteer work.
Q18. I stopped working — what do I do?
Log into the portal, click “End” on the employment row, enter the actual last day worked, and sign. Do the same step in the SEVP Portal within 10 days. The unemployment counter will resume the day after your last working day.
Q19. I started a new job (changed employer).
End the previous employment in the portal, then click “Report a new employment” and submit the new one. Each employment is tracked separately and the DSO sees the full sequence. Don’t forget the SEVP Portal step.
Q20. The portal won’t load / is showing an error.
Try a different browser (Chrome / Edge / Firefox) and a desktop computer rather than mobile if possible. If the problem persists, email a screenshot to info@nobeluniversity.edu with the time it happened so the team can check the server logs.
Still stuck?
Email info@nobeluniversity.edu or call 213-382-1136 (Los Angeles Main Campus). For SEVP Portal-specific issues federal SEVP help is available at sevp@ice.dhs.gov or +1-703-603-3400.