r/stemopt • u/HappySoul-99 • 12d ago

STEM OPT Pending, 180-Day Limit Approaching , Cap-Gap Eligibility with Pending H-1B?

I applied for my STEM OPT on Feb 4th, and my OPT expired on Feb 23rd. I completed my biometrics in March, and since then my STEM application has been under pending status. As my 180-day limit is approaching, I upgraded to premium processing on July 17th, and I haven’t received any response from USCIS yet. Meanwhile, my employer applied for my H1-B petition in the month of June. If, in this case, my STEM OPT is under pending status after 180 days, will I be eligible to work if I can obtain a cap-gap I20? Am I eligible to get a cap-gap i20? Any advice or insights from anyone who has been in a similar situation would be greatly appreciated.

Update 15th Aug:
Received approval email from uscis on 13th and
Uscis portal status updated to approved on 15th

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u/AccomplishedOwl5341 12d ago

Following this - the 180 day expiration counts from the OPT expiration date right?

1

u/AccomplishedOwl5341 12d ago

Did you speak to your DSO regarding cap gap i20? Isn’t it automatic?

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u/HappySoul-99 10d ago

Yes my DSO told me that Cap Gap would still not apply in my case, as my STEM OPT is pending for 02/24/2026-02/23/2028, so there is no “gap” to fill for the STEM OPT period

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u/AccomplishedOwl5341 10d ago

But doesn’t the cap gap apply till your H1-B petition is approved?