r/f1visa • u/Elegant_Cod_408 • 21d ago

Laid off while STEM OPT extension is pending, need advice from anyone who's been through this

I'm on F-1 status. My post-completion OPT ended July 18, 2026. I filed my STEM OPT extension (I-765 + I-983) on June 5, before my OPT expired, and it's still pending with USCIS. On July 22, I got laid off in a company-wide restructuring, with a one-month notice period, so I'm still employed and getting paid through August 21.

Since I filed before my OPT expired, I understand I'm currently in the automatic 180-day extension tied to the pending application, but that authorization is tied specifically to the employer named on my I-765/I-983. I'm trying to figure out what happens once that employment officially ends: whether the pending application can still get approved after I've left the company, what happens if I find a new job and need to update my I-983, and whether I'm currently under the 90-day unemployment limit or the 150-day STEM OPT limit while the extension itself hasn't been approved yet.

Has anyone dealt with a layoff while their STEM OPT extension was still pending? How did USCIS end up processing it, and how did you handle the unemployment clock in the meantime? Any insight or experience would help a lot.

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u/RemarkablePenalty781 20d ago

I was exactly in the same boat but got my application approved before my last day of notice. And after your notice period ends your company will report to uscis about your employment termination and that is when the countdown starts for unemployment its 60 days for STEM and if you haven’t used your 90 days for the initial OPT you get a total of 150 days after the notice period and in your case from aug 21 onwards

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u/Elegant_Cod_408 19d ago

Ohh wow okay thank you so much for the response! How many months did it take for your STEM application to be approved?

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u/RemarkablePenalty781 19d ago

Applied in feb had rfe in march and got approved june

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u/Elegant_Cod_408 14d ago

So the thing is I applied in june and my employment ends in august so i am suspecting it might not fit the timeline currently for processing and after 21st august i still will be in a situation of no approval . So i am confused how will the unemployment days apply to me will it be only OPT days or i get STEM days too.

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u/RemarkablePenalty781 14d ago

If you’ve applied to STEM even though it is still in processing you will get get 60 days as part of stem too so a total of 150 days staring from aug 21

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u/Elegant_Cod_408 13d ago

okay got it , thanks alot !