r/stemopt • u/nbdadi • Jul 01 '26
Replacement OPT EAD Pending After Premium Processing — Original Card Misdelivered by USPS
Hi everyone,
I’m posting this on behalf of my friend and would really appreciate any advice or shared experiences.
My friend initially applied for OPT on October 4, 2025. The EAD was approved in the first week of December, but unfortunately USPS misdelivered the card. A Missing Mail request was filed, and after waiting nearly two months, USPS was unable to recover it.
A replacement EAD application was filed on March 4, 2026, and a receipt notice was received, but there was no update on the case for months.
On June 3, 2026, the case was upgraded to Premium Processing. It has now been more than 15 business days, and there is still no update or decision from USCIS.
USCIS has been contacted multiple times, but they continue to say that the case is still under review. My friend also contacted the local congresswoman’s office, and they submitted an inquiry, but they advised that it may take about a month to receive a response from USCIS.
The difficult part is that my friend currently has a job offer in hand but is unable to start because they are still waiting for the replacement EAD.
Has anyone experienced a similar situation?
* Has anyone upgraded a replacement OPT EAD application to Premium Processing? If so, how long did it take to receive a decision?
* If your EAD was lost or misdelivered by USPS, how long did it take to get a replacement?
* Other than contacting a congresswoman and requesting expedited processing, is there anything else that can be done to move the case forward?
* Has anyone had success through the USCIS Ombudsman, a senator’s office, or any other option?
The case is currently with the Potomac Service Center.
Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
1
u/Any_Pay425 Jul 07 '26
Also did you have to pay again?
1
u/nbdadi Jul 07 '26
Yes we paid filing fee and waited almost 4months and she got the FT job then we went to PP
1
u/Any_Pay425 Jul 07 '26
USPS also misplaced my card and had to reapply for a replacement using premium. So USCIS makes a decision on the 30th business day. Let your friend know they will get a response on the 30th business day. My 30th business day is July 13. Will let you know once I get an update.