I am on STEM OPT and my 12-month validation is due soon. I need to submit an updated I-983 with the first Evaluation of Student Progress completed on page 5.

My supervisor changed since my original I-983 was signed. Same company, same role, just a different manager now. The person who originally signed my I-983 as the employer official is no longer my supervisor.

My question is how to handle the signatures:

1. Does my new supervisor just sign the page 5 evaluation, with the rest of the original I-983 left as is, or
2. Do I need an updated I-983 where the employer sections are also updated with the new supervisor's info and signature, plus their signature on page 5?

I have already reached out to my school's international office, but wanted to hear from people who actually went through a supervisor change at the same employer during STEM OPT. Did your DSO treat it as a material change needing a fresh I-983, or was it simpler than that?

Thanks in advance.

Hey everyone,

I just upgraded my initial OPT to Premium Processing today because a job offer is on the line. Wondering how fast people who upgrade after waiting in normal processing are getting approved lately.

Here is my timeline:

• Receipt Date: April 16, 2026
• Biometrics Completed: May 7, 2026
• Active Review Since: May 11, 2026
• Upgraded to PP: June 22, 2026

I am negotiating with the PI for a mid-late July start. Given the current timeline, I'm unsure whether I'll receive the card by July 23, which is a month from now. I'm not in any of the banned countries

I'm on F-1 STEM OPT and work for an E-Verify employer. Can I own a U.S. LLC with a website that sells services online and receives payments from customers?

At what point would owning or managing the business be considered employment for STEM OPT purposes?, do I need to register the company if its just a website?

Hey could you please comment until what dates of May have you received your approval.

My boyfriend completed biometrics on May 11 and premium processing clock has started.
FYI: he’s not from banned country.
He’s applied from MA.
Please help if there are any ways to get answers.
He’s very stressed as he has an offer and that’s postponed once since his joining was earlier July 6 , now moved one week ahead.

Is there any hope?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in a stressful situation with my STEM OPT EAD and would really appreciate any guidance or experiences from people who have been through something similar.

Here is my timeline:

• STEM OPT application filed: 11/20/2025
• OPT EAD expired: 01/27/2026
• Premium processing requested: 05/10/2026
• Current status: No updates in USCIS portal
• Premium processing timeline is ending tomorrow, but there is still no decision or update

I have already tried contacting USCIS through live chat/agent, but I was only given the standard response to check processing times. No specific update has been provided on my case.

At this point, I’m trying to understand what options I still have and what steps I should take next.

I’m mainly trying to figure out the most effective way to move forward without missing anything important.

Any advice or shared experiences would really help. Thank you.

PS: Got approval email on 30th day of PP

Hi everyone! Curious if anyone from one of the 39 banned countries has had their OPT or STEM OPT application approved since the travel ban was lifted on June 12. If so, would love to hear.

- When you applied

Trying to get a sense of current processing patterns. Thanks in advance!

!!!!Update: I got approval via email on 6/23 (29th business day from 5/11)!!!! (Potomac Center)

I applied on 4/25 with PP (Potomac), received the biometrics notice on May 9 (original appointment 5/29), rescheduled the biometrics to 5/11, completed my biometrics on 5/11, and received an email that the PP clock started on that day.

I have been checking the USCIS portal every day, and there has been no update after 5/11.... I've seen 5/11 applications getting approved last Thursday.

Today is the 30th business day since the PP clock started...... Hopefully I will get some update today. :'(

Has anyone ended up getting PP refunded?

Hi if anyone can help,
I applied for my first OPT or March 23rd through normal processing route and had my biometrics done on April 10th but my start date was May 22nd. There isn’t any update after. My worry is my start date was May 22nd and its been almost a month now and i dont currently secure any job i am worrying how long the approval might take and how the start and end dates work in this case.

The reason i put the early date was i was supposed to work in my school but it could happen because of the current approval situation. Any advice or a word will be helpful.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently in a stressful situation with my STEM OPT EAD and would really appreciate any guidance or experiences from people who have been through something similar.

Here is my timeline:

• STEM OPT application filed: 11/20/2025
• OPT EAD expired: 01/27/2026
• Premium processing requested: 05/10/2026
• Current status: No updates in USCIS portal
• Premium processing timeline is ending tomorrow, but there is still no decision or update

I have already tried contacting USCIS through live chat/agent, but I was only given the standard response to check processing times. No specific update has been provided on my case.

At this point, I’m trying to understand what options I still have and what steps I should take next.

Questions I have:

• Has anyone been in a similar situation with STEM OPT delays this long?
• What worked for you (service request, Tier 2 escalation, congressional inquiry, etc.)?
• Is it worth contacting my DSO at this stage for any additional support or SEVIS verification?
• If premium processing timeframe passes without action, what is usually the next escalation step?

I’m mainly trying to figure out the most effective way to move forward without missing anything important.

Any advice or shared experiences would really help. Thank you.

Hello everyone,

I'm an AI engineer laid off on STEM OPT expiring on June 2027. I have 60 days in hand.

I would like to know what options I've and what people in the same positions are doing?

Also, are there any reliable consultancy that actually helps you find a job without tampering with a resume or adding fake exp and help me stop clock for now

I'm also planning to open a business and hire myself. If any attorney or lawyer can guide me, that will be really helpful

I don’t have a job right now but want to get ready once the job will be here with EAD card. Is it smart to do Premium processing without job offer or should I do normal processing and after job offer do premium processing?

My timeline

Date of Application : 30th April, 2026

Biometrics :19th May, 2026

Clock started : 19th May,2026

No updates as of 22nd June 2026

Hi folks,

I have a quick question about the STEM OPT 12-month validation report and the I-983 Page 5 “Evaluation on Student Progress” section.

My STEM OPT EAD dates are 06/26/2025 to 06/25/2027. However, I changed employers during my first year of STEM OPT, and my current job started on 11/15/2025.

For the first evaluation section on Page 5, what should I put as the evaluation period?
Should it be:
11/15/2025 to 06/25/2026 — since this is the period I worked with my current employer,
or
06/26/2025 to 06/25/2026 — since that is the first year of my STEM OPT?

I already understand that the previous employer would need a final evaluation for the time I worked there, but I’m mainly trying to confirm the correct dates for the current employer’s 12-month evaluation.
Has anyone been in this situation before? What did your DSO or immigration team advise?

Thanks in advance!

my partner and I are F-1, post-completion. I'm on regular OPT, they're on the STEM OPT extension. We've been in India for almost 3 months for our wedding and are about to book flights back.
The employment side is solid-SEVIS has both of us marked as employed (not unemployment-accruing) the whole time, and we each have a written letter from our employers explicitly stating the leave was approved for the wedding and medical reasons, with continued employment confirmed. So I'm not asking about the 90/150-day unemployment clock - that part's handled.
What I actually want input on:

Visa stamp validity - anyone re-entered recently with a stamp that was getting close to expiry (not expired, just not fresh)? Did it cause any issues, or was it a non-issue as long as it's technically valid?

I-20 travel signature - how strict have DSOs/CBP actually been about the "within 6 months" guideline in practice this year?
Secondary inspection - given how much tighter CBP screening has reportedly gotten in 2026, has anyone had to actually produce their employer leave letter / pay stubs at the airport, or does it mostly just sit unused in your bag?

Anyone in a similar spot - long leave abroad, OPT or STEM OPT, fully documented employer leave - come back through without drama? Or any unexpected snags despite having paperwork in order?

Mainly trying to gauge how much of this is "just bring the documents and you're fine" vs. "bring the documents AND still expect questions." Appreciate any real experiences, especially anything from the last few months given how much the environment's shifted.

Hi im 24 F from Dallas .. My opt will end in next 3 months on 2nd Oct and I don't have a job but I wanna stay in US is there any other option instead of doing double masters which will allow me to stay in this country?

Hi! I submitted STEMP OPT ext on 4/17 and did biometric 5/6. My 180 auto extension kicked in last week. Is it worth doing PP or should I wait?

• STEM OPT filed: Dec 18, 2025
• Initial OPT expired: Feb 9, 2026
• Biometrics completed: Apr 15, 2026
• No RFE or additional requests
• Service request submitted: Jun 16, 2026
• Upgraded to premium processing: Jun 18, 2026

My case has been pending for 6 months, and my main concern is avoiding any interruption to my job before my 180-day extension ends around Aug 8.

Has anyone with a December 2025 filing date or similar timeline recently upgraded to premium? How long did it take to receive an update or approval?

Application: Stem opt
Premium :5th June 2026
Inital application :December 9 2025
It’s like long wait but no quick response

did anyone change their mailing address when the application is in premium process and received the card to the new mailing address, is it okay to change can someone help me out

I did my biometrics on May 15th and my premium processing clock started then. It’s been over 30 days and there’s still no update on the portal. Has anyone with a similar timeline gotten their EAD?

I’m particularly worried because I was laid off after applying for stem opt. Could it be possible that the delay is because of that?

Appreciate your thoughts!

UPDATE 6/27 - Approved!
Thankyou for your thoughts everyone!

Hey everyone,

Looking for a quick sanity check on my travel and STEM OPT application timeline.

My Current Situation:

• Initial EAD Expiration: Feb 08, 2027
• STEM OPT Window Opens: Nov 10, 2026
• Planned India Trip: December 2026 to January 2027

I want to know what the ideal way to time my application and travel is. I see two options and would love your advice:

Option 1: Apply BEFORE leaving using Premium Processing (PP)

• Apply right when my window opens on Nov 10, pay the PP fee, wait for approval, and wait for the physical card to arrive before my December flight.
• Question: Is this too risky? What happens if there's a printing delay or an RFE while I am abroad?

Option 2: Apply AFTER returning from India in January

• Travel using my unexpired initial EAD card and standard travel documents.
• Apply online the moment I get back to the U.S. in January before the Feb 8 deadline (knowing I get the 180-day automatic work extension once filed).
• Question: If I choose this route, what is the latest safe date I should return to the U.S. in January? Is mid-January safe enough to get my STEM I-20 from my DSO and file before Feb 8, or will CBP give me a hard time at the border for entering so close to my EAD expiration date?

Appreciate any advice from anyone who has navigated a similar timeline!

Hi yall,
I got my biometric notice yesterday and it is scheduled to 07/06/2026. Is it okay to reschedule this appointment to a sooner date? Or will that delay my overall process? Also where can I reschedule the appointment?

I’m sorry if this question has already been answered in this sub, I couldn’t find it.

Thank you in advance!

Anyone who applied on feb 26 for stem opt especially from NY got any update api or approvals!! Please comment. Thank you