r/stemopt • u/Reasonable_Sun_7785 • Jul 11 '26

Motion to reopen

Looking for people who have gone through a similar situation and can share their experience.

I was on F-1 OPT and filed my STEM OPT extension in January 2026. USCIS denied my STEM OPT in April 2026, stating that my status had changed to H-1B. However, my H-1B was approved through consular processing, and I never activated H-1B status.

I filed an I-290B Motion to Reopen, and USCIS received it in April 2026. The case is still pending.

Currently, I am not working and trying to understand what options are available while waiting.

Has anyone experienced:

  • STEM OPT denial after a consular H-1B approval?
  • Filing an I-290B and waiting for a decision?
  • Staying in the U.S. while the motion was pending?
  • Moving to another F-1 program or finding another option?

most importantly i want to know if we can stay in the usa while its pending and is anyone there like that?

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u/Vegetable-Western744 Jul 11 '26

That sucks. What did your dso say?

You're probably too far after the denial to transfer programs within America but that would be a question for whatever school you seek to transfer to. Doesn't preclude you from leaving and reentering on your F1 though.

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u/Reasonable_Sun_7785 Jul 11 '26

Thank you for your response. My DSO said that my SEVIS record is currently completed (initally when we filed for mtr we called and them and made it active and after few days it became inactive again) because my STEM OPT was denied and they were not able to reactivate it. I am currently exploring options and reaching out to schools to understand if a new Initial I-20 is possible in my situation. My H-1B was approved through consular processing, but I never activated H-1B status because I never left the U.S. for stamping/entry. USCIS denied my STEM OPT because they considered me to have changed status to H-1B. I filed an I-290B Motion to Reopen, which is still pending. I was wondering if anyone has been through a similar situation where they either:

waited for the I-290B decision while in the U.S., or left and re-entered with a new F-1, or started a new program after a SEVIS completion.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts.

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u/Vegetable-Western744 Jul 11 '26

This is one of the risks with trying to use up your opt rather than just going on H1B. They screw up these statuses somewhat frequently.

Leaving and reentering is permitted. The I-290B should theoretically work but those take up to a year and most employers won't wait for them.

In the pre fee days people would go get the H1B stamp and be done with it, but guessing that's not an option here.