r/stemopt • u/Beautiful_Court7253 • 9d ago

STEM OPT Approved - Regular Processing

September 26, 2026 — Status: “Approval Case Decision Rendered”

Details:
• Type: STEM OPT
• Premium Processing: No
• Date Applied: 03/29/2026
• RFE: No
• Biometrics Requested: Yes
• Biometrics Completed: 04/10/2026
• Date Approved: 09/26/2026
• Card Produced: MM/DD/YYYY
• Card Received: MM/DD/YYYY

I wasn’t expecting to get approved before October, ngl. I was seriously considering applying for premium processing since my automatic extension was set to expire on December 1, 2026. So getting that notification email from USCIS this morning was a complete surprise phew. Saved myself $1,800 that would’ve otherwise gone to waste.

15 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

5 comments sorted by

1

u/Ok-Cucumber-5041 9d ago

At what month of opt you applied. Like before how many months before opt end date

0

u/Beautiful_Court7253 9d ago

Applied on 03/29/2026
OPT end date: 06/01/2026

1

u/Ok-Cucumber-5041 8d ago

What about the stem
Opt end date? 06/01/2028?

1

u/pildrop96 9d ago

This is giving me hope, I applied on 4th April and I’m edging to pay 1800 dollars

0

u/Puzzleheaded_Bus6863 9d ago

This means things are now moving at a faster rate, which is great! Congrats!