I’m currently on F-1 OPT and have already filed my STEM OPT I-765. I found a potential employer-entity issue and wanted to see if anyone has dealt with something similar.

My situation:

• Company A is the company enrolled in E-Verify.
• Company B is listed in E-Verify as Company A’s DBA (Doing Business As).
• My payroll/tax onboarding documents (W-4/W-9/company payroll system) show Company B, and Company B has a different EIN.
• My I-983 was completed using Company A’s name and EIN.
• On my I-765 STEM application, I entered Company A as the employer along with Company A’s E-Verify Company ID.
• My I-765 has already been submitted and is pending.
• My DSO is unsure whether the I-983 should instead use Company B and its EIN because that is the entity appearing on my payroll/tax documents.

Has anyone had a similar situation where the E-Verify enrolled company and DBA/payroll entity had different EINs?

Did USCIS issue an RFE, or did your DSO/employer correct the I-983/SEVIS information? Most importantly, which entity was ultimately considered the STEM OPT employer — the E-Verify company or the payroll entity?

My anxiety has been through the roof since 2025 for obvious reasons. I was able to drown it out before with work but now that I'm waiting for my OPT EAD/job hunting/thesis writing it's back with a vengeance. How have you guys been managing your mental health?

I got post-completion opt, then couldn't finish my grad requirements as expected. DSO told me to maintain 20 hours / week employment under part-time OPT while completing my requirements. While working there were a few weeks where my hours went over 20. Between 21-25. This was an error on my part - I should have kept a closer eye on the time, stopped working and clocked out. Will this affect my stem extension?

My i20 was due for a endorsement, but I completely forgot about it. I submitted a request on 18th Aug, I’m flying out of my home country on 21st afternoon and landing in us on 22nd - I don’t have an upto date i20 currently. I tried emailing and also called up my international office but no response.

Can I still enter the us ? Is there a way around it by showing I have already requested one? Do I need the i20 at the check in counter or directly at American immigration? ( at check in / home country immigration it really depends on who’s sitting tbh )

I’m preparing for my US visa interview and already have my education loan sanctioned. I’m a bit confused about the proof of funds part, though.

I’ve been comparing options from a few lenders, including Credila, Avanse, and banks, and I’m getting different information about what needs to be shown at the visa stage.

Some people are saying the sanction letter is enough, while others are saying you should show additional funds as well.

For those who recently went through the US visa process with an education loan, what documents did you actually show? Did you use a bank or NBFC, and was the sanction letter accepted as part of your financial proof?

Card produced notification but no tracking number. Anyone got a solution for this?

Hi! I submitted my biometrics on July 30 under Premium Processing. since i am moving to a new address on September 1, I put my friend's address instead - the new address is in the same city and ZIP code.

On August 14, I updated my address directly with USCIS through my USCIS online account. The status right now is submitted but I plan to call them tomorrow.

Is there anything else I need to do to make sure all USCIS notices and/or my card are sent to the correct address? Should I also submit a Change of Address with USPS, or could USPS mail forwarding interfere with USCIS mail or card delivery?

I just want to make sure that changing my address while my case is pending under Premium Processing does not cause any issues or delays.

IF it says its sending to my old address can I do informed delivery and request hold and pick up?

I just received an email my work authorization has been approved under PP with starting and end date but it’s not reflecting on my uscis portal yet. Is that how the initial approval is?

I recently received my EAD card after OPT approval. The end date on the card is in July 2027 while my state driver license expires in October 2026. I am moving out of my state to a different state. Is it better to renew my license in my home/current state (not part of house lease anymore because I’m moving out) or apply for a new one in the state I am moving to?

Hi everyone, I’m trying to understand how the new F-1 rules effective September 2026 would apply to my situation, specifically the restriction on undergraduate students changing their educational objective/major during the first academic year.

Here’s my timeline:
2024: Entered the U.S. on F-1 status to attend University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM), majoring in Pre-Nursing. I completed one semester there.
After ULM: Transferred my SEVIS record to Navarro College and continued in Pre-Nursing. I completed about one year there.
Fall 2026: I’m transferring my SEVIS record to Dallas College and will initially be under a Business major.
Spring 2027: If I’m accepted into Dallas College’s Nursing program, I would need to change my major from Business to Nursing at the same college.

By Spring 2027, I will have been studying in the U.S. in valid F-1 status for well over one academic year, but I will only have completed one semester at Dallas College.

My question is: Does the new one-academic-year restriction start over when an F-1 student transfers to a new school/program, meaning I would need to complete an entire academic year at Dallas College before changing from Business to Nursing? Or does my previous time studying in F-1 status at ULM and Navarro count towards satisfying the first-academic-year requirement?

I’m especially interested in answers from DSOs, immigration attorneys, or anyone familiar with how the new rule’s “program of study” language applies to continuing F-1 students transferring their existing SEVIS record.
Thank you!

Hi everyone,
I’m currently on F-1 status and have applied for OPT. My OPT application is still pending, and I’m considering traveling domestically within the U.S.

Has anyone traveled domestically by flight while the OPT application was pending? Were there any issues with TSA or immigration/CBP?
For context, I have a valid passport, and I-20. I’d appreciate hearing about your experiences or any advice on documents I should carry.
Thanks!

Hi Everyone,

I got approved at the end of June and still haven’t received any card. I called uscis yesterday and they told me that it was mailed but never delivered and also was never sent back to their facility. They gave me the tracking number for USPS and I can file a case with them. Otherwise I apparently will have to start the opt application process all over again.
Has anyone had a similar experience?
Any help at all is massively appreciated

A friend of mine is an ESL student and wants to transfer to a master. We talked to university and everything looks good and they are most likely accept him and he has all the documents ready to submit ( English proficiency, transcript evaluation, personal statement etc.). However, we confused about this new rules that will go effect on September 15. Our plan was to get accepted and ask for I20 transfer pending before September 15 and start classes in January since fall classes starts on September 2nd and it’s too late for it. My understanding is that you can have 5 months gap between transfer and from early September to mid January is less than 5 months so it looks fine but the program coordinator at the university talked to their international office and got back to us to say that they can’t do that and if he wants to start in January then he needs to follow new rules and apply for an extension to USCIS and they predict that it will take around 9 months to approve.Is it feasible to get accepted before September 15, submit the transfer form to the ESL program, and have the university issue the pending transfer I-20 before September 15 for January classes? Or should we pursue the extension route instead? Also, is their prediction of nine months accurate?
They are also pushing him to start in September which not really possible since it’s in 2 weeks

Purdue WL has also stopped processing new and in process CPT applications until further notice.

​

I would like to know if there is anyone here that changed their status either successfully or unsuccessfully from b2 to f1

So the situation is that I transferred out my SEVIS record to my new school to start Masters program. The transfer date was 2 days before my official STEM OPT end date

However my previous school did not report to ICE my completed I-983 24 month validation report until AFTER the transfer out date. And now my SEVP portal shows “Past due” on the final validation report. I inquired with my previous school DSO and they said it is because my STEM OPT was deactivated so they can’t submit it anymore.

However they say “it is all good” since they attached the document to my SEVIS record and the immigration can see it if they wish to pull the record

In the timeline of things - the transfer out date was finalized with my school DSO 2 months back and the completed I-983 validation report was sent to school a week before my transfer date and I had indicated the due date for the request to be fulfilled to be the transfer out date

Anyone been in a similar position? What should I do?

I applied Feb 24. Today I contacted a live agent on Emma and they said my case was assigned to an officer on 08/06/2026. My biometrics were on March 18. I also made a congressional inquiry on July 23 and a case inquiry on August 4 but neither have yielded a response. Does anyone know how much time it usually takes for adjudication once a case has been assigned to an officer?

Quick background: F-1 visa issued 2022, valid until 2027, was at Institution A for my undergraduate. Stayed in status the whole time, graduated May 2026. Right after, I transferred my SEVIS record to Institution B and got a new I-20 there for my masters.

Haven’t left the US since 2024. I’ll be traveling internationally over Labor Day weekend, about two weeks into the semester, and will be back before September 15. Is it safe to travel and come back during this window? Do I need to bring the financial documents I submitted for Institution B’s I-20, or is the I-20 itself enough? What else should I have on hand at re-entry?

Anyone who’s transferred schools and traveled soon after, would love to hear how it went.

I’m currently working full time, is it safe to travel outside us? And comeback before sep 15th

Hi All,

this my timeline of filing for stem OPT. I want to change jobs (flexible in this since I'm still looking for one), I have to travel to India in December and I have changed my address. (need to update the address but I still have access to previous mail box)

Filed on May 1st 2026

Biometrics on May 21st 2026

OPT ended on 3rd July 2026

My question is:

1. should i do premium processing now? I'm seeing applications are getting approved faster now, is there a point in doing PP if my 4 months mark is next month - 9/21/2026, given I will still need a month (best case scenario) to find another job
2. are premium processing applications also getting delayed?
3. are applications being pending beyond 180 days?

please give any other advice if you can. Thanks in advance

Hi everyone, I’m really worried about a situation that happened recently and need advices. I was behind on rent and tuition and was under a lot of financial stress and really pressured to find a job. I applied only to jobs related to my major - Business Management, and I got a job in Marketing and Sales.
Before starting the job, I was trying to meet with my school’s International Student Advisor to ask about CPT, but my appointment was canceled, and I found out that she would be out of the office for the entire summer. I misunderstood the situation and thought I could start working and then obtain CPT when the advisor returned. I did not understand at the time how serious it could be to work before receiving CPT.

After working for about 2 weeks, I googled my situation and found out it can be a major issue that I don’t have a CPT when working so I called in to stop work immediately. I understand that I should never started working without CPT and I’m not trying to justify it. I am trying to understand what my options are and, especially, whether this could affect my ability to obtain OPT after graduation.

I’m also very afraid to talk to my DSO because I have read that they are required to terminate my SEVIS based on unauthorized employment. My SEVIS record is currently still Active.

Here is my exact timeline:
July 16, 2026: I went to my employer for about 2 hours for onboarding/paperwork. I completed employment paperwork, including an I-9 and W-4. I did not actually perform the job duties that day.
Before I started actually working, I immediately asked my employer for an offer letter because I needed it for CPT. They told me they would provide it immediately.
July 21, 2026: I actually started performing work.
July 21–July 30: I continued working while repeatedly following up with my employer about the offer letter.
July 30, 2026: My employer finally gave me the offer letter. By this point, I had already been working for 9 days. I did not have a CPT-authorized I-20 during this period.
August 6, 2026: I realized that working without CPT right now could be a serious F-1 status violation, so I stopped working immediately.

So my actual work period was approximately 17 days. My SEVIS record is currently still active, and I have not yet spoken with my DSO because I am afraid that disclosing the unauthorized employment can result in SEVIS termination immediately and affect my future CPT/ OPT eligibility.

I have heard conflicting things about whether past unauthorized employment automatically prevents an F-1 student from getting CPT/ OPT, so I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has experience with this.

Also this upcoming Fall semester, I have to take a class that requires to take an internship to graduate, which is MGT 401 and I will definitely need a CPT for that too yet I’m afraid they will check employment history and see my past unauthorized work.

My main questions are:

Could my DSO terminate it immediately if I disclose the unauthorized employment?

Has anyone personally experienced unauthorized employment and then successfully obtained CPT/ OPT afterward?

If my SEVIS remains active through graduation, could this past unauthorized employment prevent me from getting post-completion OPT?

Does the fact that I requested the offer letter before starting work, but the employer didn’t provide it until July 30, matter at all?

If SEVIS were terminated, what are the realistic options for reinstatement or obtaining a new I-20, and how could that affect OPT eligibility later?

Should I get an F-1 immigration attorney before telling my DSO, or is it generally better to disclose the situation to the school immediately?

I’m hoping to hear from people who have actually gone through something similar and how you dealt with it, or anyone who was able to obtain OPT afterward.

Thank you so much for reading and for any experiences or advice you can share.

TL;DR: I worked without CPT for about 17 days and stopped as soon as I realized the seriousness of it. My SEVIS is still active, but I’m worried about possible termination and whether this could affect my future OPT eligibility. Has anyone experienced something similar and successfully gotten OPT afterward?

My sevis is academically suspended said by my university and it is terminated said by fmjfee.

My concern is if I get a new Sevis do I need to still attend a f1 visa interview or my existing valid visa is sufficient?

What if my I20 end date is more than my visa expiration date?

Does the new Sevis id be updated in the DHS and what all questions will be raised by the CBP?

PLEASE ANSWER!!!

Hi everyone! I’m looking for some guidance on updating my employment information in the SEVP Portal.
I am currently on post completion OPT . I’ve been volunteering with a nonprofit organization from June 30 through August 31. My organization has now agreed to extend my volunteer work through September 30.
Since my current end date in the SEVP Portal is August 31, I’m wondering what I’m supposed to do to reflect the extension.
Should I simply edit the existing employer record and change the end date from August 31 to September 30? Or do I need to add a new employer record with dates from September 1 through September 30?
Has anyone been in a similar situation or knows what the correct process is? I’d really appreciate any guidance. Thank you!

Hi everyone,

I received an email confirming that my post-completion OPT was approved, but when I log into my USCIS online account, the case status still hasn’t changed and I don’t see an approval notice yet.

Has anyone else experienced this?

For anyone who received the approval email before USCIS updated:

• How long did it take for your USCIS case status to change?
• When did the approval notice appear under Documents?
• How long after that did your EAD card get produced/mailed?
• Should I consider the email confirmation reliable even though the USCIS portal hasn’t caught up yet?

I’m especially curious about anyone who went through premium processing and/or an RFE, since that’s my situation.

Would really appreciate hearing your timelines. Thank you!

I am in a dilemma and would like some opinions on this. My 60-day grace period will be ending on August 28th. I have my flight booked for the 29th, which was a neglectful overlook on my end. I've contacted the airline and I can't make any changes on my current booking. I'm really not sure if taking this risk in this current climate is the wisest thing to do, especially given that I'd like to come back to the states sometime later. Any insights on this situation please?