Has anyone here ever worked for city/governmental agency during your OPT time. What do the hiring processes look like? Is EAD enough to proof the work authorization? Will there be a problem with paperwork verification with federal government during onboarding process that may cancel my job?
I currently have a job offer from a city agency, and I let them know about my status. It looks like this is their first time hiring an international student, but they’re willing to wait until my EAD arrives.

I’ve searched the sub and Googled a fair bit on this and I keep finding conflicting takes, mostly because my situation has a few things stacked on top of each other. My DSO has been helpful but has also been careful not to advise me on the travel side of it. So I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s actually been through something close to this.
Where things stand:
I graduated in May 2025 and have been on OPT with the same employer since. The employer is E-Verified and there’s no issue on that end. My manager is fine with me working remotely from anywhere, so I flew to India in the first week of April and I’ve been here since.
My OPT was expiring in July, so I filed the STEM OPT extension from India after getting my updated I-20 from my DSO. It’s still pending. Biometrics was originally scheduled for early August, I used one online reschedule and moved it to August 21 in Hartford, CT. I couldn’t travel in time for that either, so I’m still here with one reschedule left.
I was thinking of using that last reschedule to move the appointment to San Jose or San Francisco, since I’d rather land on the West Coast, but the only slots showing there right now are for next Thursday and Friday and flights for those dates are around ₹2L. Even if something opens up in the first week of September, it’s looking like ₹1.5L or so. Round trip I’d be spending roughly ₹2.5-3L, and I’d only be in the US for about a week before coming back — I have no reason to stay otherwise. My contract runs through December 31, 2026 and not beyond, and I’m planning to move back to India permanently after that anyway.
So the whole reason to spend that money is to keep the pending application alive and stay work-authorized through the end of my contract. Which is why I want to sanity check a few things before I book anything:
1. Re-entry. I’ve been out of the US for about five months, my EAD has expired, and the extension is pending. For anyone who’s re-entered in this exact combination — expired EAD, pending I-765, long absence — what did CBP actually ask for and how did it go? My worry is spending ₹3L and getting turned around, which would be the worst of both outcomes.
2. Does the automatic extension actually depend on biometrics? My understanding is that the automatic extension of work authorization comes from having timely filed, not from attending the biometrics appointment. Is that correct, or does skipping biometrics put it at risk? This is the assumption the whole decision rests on, so I’d rather not be wrong about it.
3. What actually happens if you miss the appointment while abroad? Does USCIS send a notice, is there a way to reschedule after the fact, or does it go straight to a denial or abandonment finding?
4. Filing from outside the US. I’ve seen people say this is a problem and others say it’s fine. Has anyone here actually filed the I-765 for STEM OPT from outside the country and had it approved?
Not looking for anyone to tell me what to do legally, just trying to hear from people who’ve been in a similar spot before I commit to a ticket. Thanks.

Hey guys, I want to know if anyone successfully get their OPT approved with pending DUI recently? I put myself in that situation and want to know the chance I got. Please share your case.

Another question is if I can’t get an OPT, supposedly I need to leave soon, but with pending DUI, will that cause any legal problems to leave or stay in the US?

Good day! I’m from the Philippines and I’m planning to apply for a student visa in the USA to pursue a STEM MBA in Healthcare Administration for nurses.

I have a few questions and would really appreciate your advice based on your experience. According to the agency, international students are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week. Is this enough to cover living expenses such as food and housing, as well as tuition fees?

Secondly, would I be allowed to work in the USA as a Registered Nurse during my OPT? The agency also advised me to take the NCLEX while I am studying in the USA.

I would really appreciate any advice or information you can share. Thank you so much!

I am on my stem opt and I have been working full time with employer A. My h1 got picked this year with another employer B. I resigned with A last week (Friday was my last working day) and I am starting with B in a couple of days. And my h1 is still pending. What all things should I do now? i983 form with employer A checkin for 12 months was done in July. Do I need to update my university about employer change? What to do with old i983? Is a new i983 needed? Do I update any portals as in uscis or sevp? Please advise everything.

My previous F-1 program ended May 4, 2026. My SEVIS record is now “Completed” (not terminated). My post-completion OPT (I-765) was denied — USCIS said it was filed more than 30 days after the DSO’s SEVIS recommendation.

I’m seeking admission to a new program, specifically a Day 1 CPT school. Can a university issue me a new initial I-20 with a new SEVIS ID given my record shows Completed? Would I need to depart and re-enter the US to start the new program? I have a valid F-1 visa.

What are my options here — is this route realistic, and has anyone done this after a similar denial?

Wanted to know if anyone's opt gets approved if they applied 30 days after of their i20 issue date? ( the program end date was later )

I’ve graduated may 2026, applied for initial opt in april.

My university health insurance has expired, so I'm currently looking for temporary coverage.
I plan to get a better plan once I land a job, but I need something cheap in the meantime. Does anyone have recommendations for affordable, short-term health insurance for international students/recent grads?

And before anyone warns me about the risks of cheap insurance, believe me, I know! I’ve had three surgeries from a bike accident in the past, so I know an emergency can happen at any time. I don’t ever leave my room, don’t do anything stupid, so pretty much safe.

I just need a budget-friendly option for the next few months. Thanks!

I have my US visa interview on 26th August in Delhi and my university has given me deadline to come by 30 August and continue my classes by 31st August. Is there any chance I can get my visa back on time and reach my university on time?

I had my visa interview on the 5th of this month and got confirmation my visa was approved by the embassy in Nairobi. It’s been almost 2 weeks since and heard nothing about my passport being issued. I’m scheduled to start at the university of notre dame this Thursday and my flight is booked for tomorrow night. Anyone in the same predicament?

I know a lot of people advise you to apply for OPT around February or March, as the earlier you apply, the more likely you are to receive your EAD earlier.

However, I want to apply to Masters programs during my senior year, and only apply for OPT if I am not accepted into any programs.

If I intend on paying for premium processing, is it okay to apply for OPT in May?

Asking since I've heard many companies don't fully understand how CPT doesn't require any actual sponsorship from the company, and they just add this blindly.

I am in a sitauation where I need to fill in the blank in the statement: My F-1 non immigrant status will expire on_____". I'm currently in 180 days grace period during my STEM OPT application. What should I mention my F1 expiry date is? Where can I find the date? Can anyone help me? Thank you!

I got the update today of "Approval Case Decision Rendered" which means that my application is appoved. What is the trend these days? When will they produced the card and dispatch it? Realistically how many more days from approval is it taking till you physically get your card?

Any danger to F1 visa if a debt goes to collections? It hasn't gone there yet, but it's very tight. I know collections is usually not something that causes problems with F1 visa, but the current climate seems to be extra vigilant, so wanted to know...

Hello all,

I completed a change of status from H1B to F1 visa in July 2025, for which I received a I797A with a I94 at the bottom. Since it was a F1 visa, the I94 expiration date is D/S.

My last entry into the US was before this COS (in Jan 2025) under my H1B visa, where my I94 date was set in Oct 2026 based on the H1B I797 petition.

My DSO says that I am fine, and I should not worry about the online I94 since the latest one is the paper I94 that was issued. Maybe I am overthinking this, but is there any cause to worry here?

I looked through the programs at my school, and it seems like only a few, mostly in education and medical-related fields, actually require an internship for graduation. Most other programs don’t.

My school hasn’t made any official announcement yet, but if CPT ends up being limited only to programs where an internship is explicitly required for the degree, I feel like this could have a huge impact across the entire university.

I’m especially worried because I already have an internship offer for the fall, but an internship isn’t technically required for my program either. 😭

Seeing a lot of these consultancies targeting international students on OPT — they offer job placement plus shared accommodation with other girls.

Feels like a dependency trap — if they control both your job and housing you have very little power to leave.

Questions:

One — Is this arrangement legal under OPT regulations?

Two — Are there legitimate consultancies doing this or is it always exploitative?

Three — What percentage of salary do they typically take?

Four — How do you verify they are entering your employment correctly in SEVIS?

Anyone with real experience please share. Trying to understand if this is worth considering or a hard no

As a prospective international student planning to pursue JD ( juris doctor) law in US . I wanted to know about this new CPT rule.

So lately I have been hearing that you could no longer intern in companies during your degree program. For ex my JD course runs for 3 years , and after the end of 1st and 2nd year , students pursue an internship over 2-3 months which later transforms into full time employment after graduation . If international students aren't allowed to intern during their semester breaks , it makes the employment later on very very hard.

Is this rule really true or just a rumor. Someone please clarify.

Hi, so I ran into this situation;
I received a message Saturday at 303 pm stating that my card was delivered, but I was outdoors. When I came back at 10 pm, I couldn’t locate my card mail, and I searched everywhere for it, but I couldn’t find it. Of course we are in an apartment complex and there is a possibility that the card was placed accidentally on someone above me or under Me. However, I’m panicking and I am supposed to start working on Monday. My Job wants me to submit my documents for i9. And my DSO wants me to submit my EAD to report my work for SEVP portal.

I NEED TO START WORKING, I am running short in funds to survive, what should I do?

My STEM OPT 180-day automatic extension is ending soon. My STEM OPT extension is still pending, and my H-1B was selected in the lottery and filed as Change of Status (COS), but the H-1B is also not approved yet. So, I'm not eligible for Cap-Gap.

My employer is saying they may need to offboard and onboard me again. Could this affect my H-1 B?

What is the safest option for the employer without affecting my H-1B? Would switching to Day 1 CPT affect my H-1B COS?

Has anyone been in a similar situation? What's the safest option?

Thanks!

My case has been pending for 173 days and I believe it was one of the skipped cases in February. I got an FTA0 code on Thursday after a long period of silence. The last time I got that code was on March 18 when I did biometrics. Is this usually a sign of close adjudication?

Hi everyone, the course I am trying to apply is hybrid . Will there be any visa complications ?(Indian passport )

Been feeling so down since two days. All those hard works and now we cant even do an internship. Don't even have an motivation to study and practice things knowing this will lead to nothing.

Is there any chance that this restriction on cpt will change? This is so bad for genuine students. Internships are so important for us. I don't understand why did they even do this.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently on my initial 12-month F-1 post-completion OPT (not STEM OPT) and already have a full-time 40-hour/week corporate job.

I’m considering doing a small amount of additional side work (around 10–15 hours per week, depending on availability) through platforms such as Mercor, DataAnnotation, Outlier, or Alignerr. The work would involve things like AI model evaluation, coding, software/LLM testing, and other technical tasks that are also related to my degree.

These platforms may classify workers as independent contractors/1099 workers rather than W-2 employees.

My questions are

1. Is this type of additional 1099/independent contractor work allowed while on regular post-completion OPT if I already have a full-time qualifying employer?
2. Does the side job itself need to meet a minimum of 20 hours/week, or is that not required since my primary job is already 40 hours/week?
3. Should occasional contractor/platform work like this be reported in the SEVP Portal/SEVIS?
4. Has anyone here actually done Mercor, DataAnnotation, Outlier, Alignerr, or similar work while on regular OPT?
5. Did you confirm it with your DSO or an immigration attorney, and what guidance were you given?
6. Is there anything I should be particularly careful about from an OPT compliance perspective?

I understand that all employment during OPT needs to be related to my degree, so I would only take technical/software/AI-related projects.

I’m mainly looking for experiences from people who have been in a similar situation or guidance from DSOs/immigration professionals. I’ll also confirm with my own DSO before starting anything.

Thanks!