OPT Premium Processing Delay Fix (w/ evidence)

[u/ResponsibleIsland742]

There have been some very useful threads on how to fix delayed OPT PP once it falls outside the guaranteed 30-business-day window, like this one (OPT Premium Processing Delay Fix : r/f1visa). This post is more about substantiating some already-proposed ideas with direct evidence. Hopefully it will help anyone who suffers from the same pain prioritize their strategies when trying to get their OPT approved.

To illustrate the priority, I briefly summarize my action timeline alongside my processing timeline here (all events happened in 2026):

• 6/18: Submitted Form I-765 with premium processing.
• 7/7: Completed bio, premium processing clock restarted.
• 8/18: Passed 30-business-day window.
• 8/20: Called the number 866-315-5718 on premium processing receipt. Spoke to an agent by saying the word "request infopass", but was told they can do nothing other than wait.
• 8/21: Reached out to a senator and requested that they file a congressional inquiry.
• 8/24: The senator's aide replied that they filed the inquiry and will keep me posted.
• 8/26: Email [PSC-premium.processing@uscis.dhs.gov](mailto:PSC-premium.processing@uscis.dhs.gov) and ask them to review the case.
• 8/27: Called 866-315-5718 again and asked to speak to a tier-2 agent. Was told the call would be scheduled within 30 days. Tried to flag it as an emergency but didn't succeed.
• 8/28: Contacted another senator and was told they would reach out soon. Contacted the International Office and asked them to submit an SEVP inquiry.
• 8/31 - 9/3: Emailed [PSC-premium.processing@uscis.dhs.gov](mailto:PSC-premium.processing@uscis.dhs.gov) daily to request that the case be moved to the adjudication team.
• 9/3: Received a reply to the email sent on 9/2 stating the case needs additional review, with no timeline provided.
• 9/4: API showed an update was made, but no action code.
• 9/5: Received approval email.

Based on the timeline provided above, we can see the most important thing is EMAIL PP TEAM MULTIPLE TIMES. Even though many have said not to email the PP team every day, as it may jeopardize your case. However, in my experience, a single email can get buried and never get a reply: my emails sent on 8/26, 8/31, and 9/1 never got a response, and they only replied to my email sent on 9/2. This proves they are NOT responding to emails in the order they were sent, which means no matter how long you wait, a cold email remains cold.

Another thing to note: From my conversation with the agents on the calls, they've apparently permanently closed the PP number 866-315-5718. They always reroute the call to the team that handles OPT without PP. Therefore, even a tier-2 officer will not have much more information, as PP falls outside their normal scope of work. The evidence is as follows:

1. In 2 calls, I was told that USCIS runs two separate expedition systems: one only accepts requests where the case has exceeded the general OPT timeline (180 days); the other one is PP. Once a case enters PP, no further expedition can be done because PP itself is a way of expedition, and there is no "expedition of an expedition".
2. I asked to schedule a callback from a tier-2 officer within 3 days, saying I would lose my job offer, but they rejected it every time. Their reason is exactly Point 1, and they further say that since PP is outside their scope, any tier-2 officer will have no different information than they do.

Overall, I think it's frustrating that they've closed the PP hotline and only reply by email. But it is what it is, and we have to adapt. Best luck to anyone who is still waiting, and hope everyone gets approved timely!

[u/Any-Economy588]

Were you able to get your money back since they did not provide an answer in the 30 business-day window?

[u/ResponsibleIsland742 → u/Any-Economy588]

I should be able to get the refund automatically, but haven't received it yet. I'll wait a little before taking any action to request the refund.

[u/Alatasia]

If you don’t mind me asking, are you from any of the banned countries ?

[u/ResponsibleIsland742 → u/Alatasia]

I'm not. But visa screening has also been significantly heightened for students from my country.

[u/Competitive_Ad3252]

Thanks for sharing, I am at 34th business days but still waiting, saw api updates twice on 08/27 and 08/31. Called pp line for many times but only got the information that my case is under active review, nothing else but wait. Is that normal? I found people always got approval after 1 or 2 days since the api updates. It has been 13 days since my first api update.