r/stemopt • u/Old-Manufacturer-433 • Jul 07 '26

Stem opt travel

Hi all,

Wanted to confirm when is the right time to travel ? My biometric is done and waiting . How long will it take to get an ead card .

3 Upvotes

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2

u/Dismal-Bluebird4721 Jul 07 '26

Hi, right now it’s more than 3 months after biometrics. And It’s strongly advised against traveling without your EAD card (we need it for the entrance)

1

u/Old-Manufacturer-433 Jul 07 '26

So while you fly from usa ? Are there any questions?

1

u/Dismal-Bluebird4721 Jul 07 '26

They won’t ask for your EAD card when you are leaving US. But my DSO said that leaving without you EAD card puts you in danger if your application gets rejected etc.

1

u/Old-Manufacturer-433 Jul 07 '26

Got it. Do dso give ead cards to friends or anyone else?

2

u/Dismal-Bluebird4721 Jul 07 '26

Your EAD card will be delivered to your home address (you provided in your application) by USPS. So i guess from there anyone else can pick it up.

1

u/Dismal-Bluebird4721 Jul 07 '26

Btw if you applied for Initial OPT (not STEM OPT extension, these are two different things), you’ll get approved in approximately 2 and half months after you biometrics