I have a master’s degree in electrical engineering. After I worked on the initial 12-month OPT for one year as a software developer, I applied for a STEM extension. …

… USCIS has now issued an RFE, requesting evidence that my degree is directly related to my OPT employment. What can I do to strengthen my response?

Answer

Because it is not immediately apparent how your degree relates to your OPT employment, for your request for evidence (RFE) response you may want to obtain an expert opinion based on the evaluation of your degree and employment, including your transcripts, course descriptions, any thesis or dissertation, and your OPT job duties, which would show how your degree prepared you for the job you’ve been performing while on OPT. Note that this evaluation cannot include your experience, because OPT employment has to directly relate to the degree on which it is based. (05.Aug.2016)

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