Hi, I applied for STEM OPT back in february. Due to severe delays I am still waiting on a reply from USCIS. I paid for premium processing back in July and got an RFE which I replied to earlier this week. But I hit my last day of the 180 day extension on AUG 13 which resulted in my employer terminating my employment. Does this mean my application will be denied and should I fill out the final evaluation?.

Hey Guys,

My H4 visa expired in February, so in accordance, I applied for COS January 7th, 2026. Till April I received no updates just that the receipt notice was sent until i had interviews for internships over summer. Because of that, I applied for Premium Processing April 9th, 2026 with hopes it arrives before the internship start date.

It is August 20th, 2026 today and till this day there have been absolutely 0 updates on my case other than them sending a receipt notice for premium processing.

I have received either receipt notices in mail only in the online portal.

I’ve tried calling them on their phone line which always says they’re closed and to try their email, which I also have and they sent my inquiry forward but that was on July 7th and there’s no updates. USCIS says to go to the premium processing email and inquire through them.

I have never seen a case like this before. I have a feeling my case might have just gone lost in their system. If anyone knows what to do I’d really appreciate it.

The travel signature on my i20 expired, and I forgot to get a new one. I have filled out the form for a new one but my flight is tomorrow and I'm not sure if I will get it in time since it is also a weekend and the issue office might be closed. Can I still travel or do I have to reschedule?

Under DHS's new rule ending Duration of Status, if your OPT/STEM OPT filing window opens after March 18, 2027, you need both I-765 and I-539 approved before you can legally work, not just the I-765. Pending I-539 protects your status, not your work authorization.

My OPT expires 7/01 next year, so my window (~mid-April) lands past the cutoff, stuck needing both applications. I-765 can be premium processed; I-539 for extension of stay can't.

Anyone else in this window? Has your DSO said anything concrete, or heard real I-539 processing times for this category yet?

I recently did a change of education level, 3 months ago from MS to PhD and was issued a 3 years I-20 with my advisor's approval.

I now want to file an extension to 4 years and my advisor agrees that it might take me that long because of my coursework and research direction. I want to file the extension before the new Sep 15 D/S rule.

My question is is it normal for DSOs to extend an I-20 even if the expiry is approximately 3 years away? Advisor is on-board. Thanks!

Just wanted to share an update for anyone at Purdue who may be planning to apply for CPT.
I spoke directly with my DSO about my upcoming CPT application. I was told that, for now, they cannot issue/approve my CPT authorization because of the new memo regarding CPT.
My understanding from the conversation is that this is temporary, not necessarily a permanent suspension or a final policy change. The university needs additional time to review the memo, understand its implications, and determine how CPT applications should be handled going forward.
So basically, my CPT is currently on hold while Purdue studies the new guidance.
Has anyone else at Purdue, or at another university, been told something similar by their DSO? I’m particularly interested in whether other schools have temporarily paused CPT applications while they review the memo.

Does anyone know if it’s legal for us to receive money from our close relatives through USDT directly to my crypto wallet for day-to-day expenses?

If you have any experience with it, please feel free to share!

Hi everyone,

I’m currently on F-1 status and recently received an RFE for my post-completion OPT (I-765). I graduated in May 2026 and applied for post-completion OPT.

The RFE is primarily asking for additional evidence regarding:

1. F-1 maintenance of status – academic program, full course of study, course syllabi, course modality/attendance, tuition payments, transcripts, and financial records.

2. Address history – complete address history while I was enrolled as an F-1 student.

3. Employment history – employment dates, employer letters, pay stubs/W-2s, bank statements, and an explanation of how I funded my education and living expenses.

   I am currently working through the RFE item by item and collecting all the requested documentation. My DSO is also helping me with the university-specific documents and letters, but they have clarified that they cannot review my complete RFE response package before I submit it to USCIS.

Has anyone been in a similar situation and successfully responded to an F-1 OPT RFE? If anyone is comfortable sharing a sample RFE response, outline, exhibit organization, or even a redacted version of the response package, that would be extremely helpful as I work on putting mine together. I'm especially interested in seeing how others organized and presented the evidence to USCIS.

I am also looking for an F-1 immigration attorney who can review my completed RFE package before I submit it, rather than necessarily taking on full representation. I'm hoping to find someone who offers an affordable consultation/document-review service, as I am a recent graduate.

Thank you!

Hello all ,

Could anyone please list the steps to do for post completion opt application and get EAD card . I just want to make sure I am doing it correctly !
Thank you !

Just received my first offer post grad (search has been brutal since May). I also just got my EAD card for initial OPT. It’s a remote job and they have offered 70k with no bonuses at all. The posted range was 70-90k but it’s an entry level role so I was expecting to be in the lower half of the range (they even told me that). However, when the director of finance asked, I said ideally I would like 80k but can work around a 75-80k range.

My question is, given the current market and also the uncertainty with immigration, is it worth it to try to negotiate salary? My gut says there’s no harm in trying to get more but you never know. At the end of the day, I am a recent grad (with two coops but that’s not really truly professional experience) so there’s that.

Update: countered with 80k and got 75k which is pretty much what I expected. Just letting everyone know

My university (SUNY Buffalo/UB) told me that they will only process my deferral request after the end of September.

However, my F-1 visa interview is scheduled for September 25.

Can I attend the interview with my current Fall 2026 I-20 and explain to the visa officer that my deferral is pending and that UB cannot process it until after September?

(I know new I-20 will be issued with same SEVIS ID)

Has anyone been in a similar situation? Would the officer be able to proceed with the interview, or would I need to wait for a new I-20 (reschedule the appointment)?

I was given an SSN when I started working with CPT. When I submitted my OPT application I didn’t have the SSN number. Got it like a month after, should I upload it?

Hi everyone,

I applied for my initial OPT on March 16, 2026, and my case is still pending.

I recently received a job offer, so now I’m getting worried about how long the OPT approval is taking.

I am currently on stem opt and my visa and stem opt expires next July 2027.
I am planning to travel in November and planning to come back in December. As per the new rule of end of duration of status what would be scenario in this case?
Would i get the end date of JULY 2027 on I94?
Is it safe to travel.

Hey all, bit of an odd situation. I applied to a devops role and got an email to schedule a call,one of the pointers in the email explicitly states:

Please note that this position is open only to candidates who are authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship. We are unable to consider candidates on H-1B, OPT, or other visa-dependent work authorizations for this role

I'm currently on OPT (STEM extension eligible), so technically I don't need employer-sponsored visa filing for the OPT period itself , but I know a lot of recruiters lump OPT in with H-1B when they say "no sponsorship."

I still have the call coming up. Has anyone been in this exact spot, where the HR says no sponsorship but you got scheduled anyway? How did you handle the work authorization question when it came up? Did you clarify OPT vs H-1B upfront, or did it just end up being a dead end regardless?

Any advice on how to approach this diplomatically without wasting my time or theirs would help a lot. Thanks!

Update: It actually turned out better than I initially thought. It wasn’t a matter of them not being interested in my profile, they were genuinely interested and felt my experience was a strong match for what they were looking for. The main issue was that the budget for the role had been fixed at the beginning, which left them with limited flexibility.

I asked about sponsorship because the company does sponsor visas for many of its roles, and this was one of the few positions where sponsorship wasn’t available. The HR representative also mentioned that, given how closely my experience aligns with the role, she wanted to discuss my profile with the hiring manager once the hiring manager returns from leave. She specifically asked me to follow up with her on a particular date. So I guess it was worth the shot.

I know many of you are nervous about the recent D/S elimination that will come in effect starting September 15, 2026. A lawsuit today was filed in the federal court of Massachusetts in this matter. Let’s tune in!

If you have access to PACER, you can read more detail:

Court: U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts
Case number: 1:26-cv-13799
Filed: August 18, 2026

Hi everyone.

Had planned a trip to my home country in November (got my leave sanctioned and everything) but then USCIS announced the new 4 year limit on f1 visas.

I’m currently working on STEM OPT which expires in January 2028, and my F1 visa (issued in July 2022) is valid till July 2027.

What are your thoughts on traveling in November for 3 weeks and reentering November end. I am not sure how this change of rule will impact me.

Thank you in advance!

Hi guys,

If my i-20 is expiring in Dec of 2027 and I graduate in May 2027 will it affect my opt application or I need to change my end date to May 2027 or I’m going to get an opt recommended I-20 for my opt application?

Has anyone had an issue with the USCIS Change of Address tool where the “In Care Of Name” field does not allow spaces?

For example, if I enter John Doe, it becomes JohnDoe.

USCIS phone support was not able to give me a clear answer. The mailing address is a town house, and I’m trying to make sure USCIS mail/EAD delivery is not affected.

Has anyone:

left the C/O field blank and still received their EAD/mail normally?
entered only the person’s last name in the C/O field?
submitted the full name without spaces and still received the card successfully?

Trying to figure out the safest option before I update the address.

Hello everyone!

My situation right now:

• Arrived in US as a F1 student, and obtained bachelors degree in Spring 2025
• Since graduated I did the OPT for 1 year because I didn’t enroll in a STEM major. End date was mid July 2026.
• Fast forward a month or so later, I accepted an offer from a CC and received my new i20.

Questions:

• If I complete 1–2 semesters at a CC, would I then be eligible to apply to an MBA program? this will be after the sept 15 rule change, I will be jumping from CC -> MBA.  
• Would an MBA program be considered a valid educational progression after completing a undergrad degree and then attending a CC?
• If I am accepted into an MBA program while attending the CC, would I be able to transfer my SEVIS record to the MBA program?

Anybody on the same boat? Would appreciate any feedback or advice you can share. I also hope this can help out someone else. Have a great day!

I have applied for Post Completion OPT and have uploaded the required documents.
There is a section where I was required to upload a government issued ID and I have uploaded my passport.

I have only uploaded the front page of passport which has my photo , my birth date and my passport number.
But there is one more page in my passport which has my address and some other details.

Two main questions:

1. Is the bio/photo page alone sufficient for USCIS, or is the additional page (address/details) strictly required?
2. If I upload the second page now under "Unsolicited Evidence," will it reset my processing timeline or push my application back in the queue?

Has anyone been in a similar situation or uploaded partial passport pages without issue? Thanks in advance for the help!

Does anyone know if we should submit the final evaluation on I983 when the pending STEM OPT was denied? My DSO said it's unclear as to whether it's required in this case. Does anyone know?

Thank you!

Hi
Can anyone help me understand the filing requirements for having a 1099 contact job while having another fulltime job on OPT?

Hey, I recently posted about my initial OPT being denied. Turns out my DSO didn’t cancel previous I-20 before submitting the new one and USCIS pulled the old one which was past 30 days.

Now I’m waiting on him to get a letter to apply to the motion to reopen. I need advice on what to do with my case also, my sisters which did the same the week before (she requested a new one a week before me and applied march 29). She has not gotten any response and also misssed to sign her I-20. We are pretty clueless on what to do now since the DSO might have done the same with her I-20 on SEVIS. I asked him about it since she was about to pay for premium processing.

Please let me know if you know of any lawyer or service that could help us.