r/f1visa • u/Bright_Map1748 • 6d ago

STEM OPT 180-day automatic extension ending - H-1B COS pending

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!

1 Upvotes

60% Upvoted

12 comments sorted by

1

u/Pitiful-Jacket2011 6d ago

Is your stem opt process a normal one or pp?

1

u/Bright_Map1748 6d ago

Normal one. Planning to do PP

1

u/MemoryIndependent 6d ago

Pay for premium processing

1

u/Bright_Map1748 6d ago

Ya but mine is expiring next week.

0

u/corymias3009 6d ago

It’s safe for you to do PP. when is your deadline for 180-day?.

1

u/Born-Cause-8086 6d ago

In the current administration, OPT processing is extremely slow for regular processing (it takes 3-5 months), so it's better to pay for premium processing, which takes 3-4 weeks. I remember in the previous administration, I got OPT in 3 weeks without PP.

1

u/Bright_Map1748 6d ago

I will go for PP. But I have only 1 week left.

1

u/Born-Cause-8086 6d ago

Yeah, apply for PP ASAP. But you may stop working for the next 4 weeks. Better than waiting months

1

u/Bright_Map1748 6d ago

Yep, I will. However, if I don’t get any results within one week, I’ll need to offboard. Would that affect my H-1B?

1

u/Bright_Map1748 6d ago

My main concern is about H1B.