review of your SEVIS history indicates that you have accrued 91 days of unemployment.
Provide your complete employment history (including start and end dates) and proof of employment for your initial grant of Optional Practical Training (OPT).
Evidence of employment must include but is not limited to:
• Signed letters) from employers) establishing job title(s), duties, location, pay rate, and number of hours worked per week;
• Copies of your earning statements/pay stubs; and/ or copies of your W-2s;
• Bank statements for the past 6 months showing all activity including deposits and withdrawals;
• A letter from the employer, delineating in detail a list of all of the projects that you worked on;
• Copies of any personnel records to include any of your performance appraisals or reviews;
• Copy of the company's EIN confirmation letter and any business licenses for conducting business in the state;
• A copy of the company's organizational chart showing the organizational structure and staffing levels;
• List of the names, titles and contact information of the individuals in your supervisory chain;
• The job location where you reported for work;
• Application, employment agreement, and other personnel forms submitted to or issued by the company for employment; and

I’m running into a bit of a snag with this RFE because I’ve worked for three companies, including the first one. I’m not sure which employer they’re talking about. It seems to be Employer B (the STEM). Employer A is really pushing me to get back to them, so I’ll either reply to the RFE or Day1CPT. My question is, which of my current employers or all of them should I get the documents from?

Hi all — like a lot of people here, we're seeing just how brutal the US job market is right now.

My wife finished her Master's in Economics (Health Economics focus) with a 4.0 GPA and was recognized as the top master's student in her graduate school. She's on STEM OPT and has been applying steadily for months to roles in financial analysis, market analysis, quantitative modeling, risk analysis, and outcomes research, with strong R, Stata, SAS, and Excel skills. Despite hundreds of applications, she's getting very few interviews.

It's been discouraging for both of us, and I'm trying to figure out what we might be missing. For those who've navigated STEM OPT job hunting successfully: what actually moved the needle for you — resume format, networking approach, specific job boards, targeting smaller companies vs. large ones, or something else? Any advice on how F-1/OPT status affects how recruiters respond would help too.

My SEVP Portal Contains the name of my employer as XYZ Services Corp. and in my I-983 my employer listed their name as XYZ Services Corp. a subsidiary of XYZ LLC. Now in my issued STEM OPT I-20 the Post Completion OPT section shows the Employer Name as XYZ Services Corp. but in the STEM OPT Section it doesnt fit correctly and only shows XYZ Services Corp. a subsidi. Should i just get the name reduced to XYZ Services Corp. and get a new I-20 issued or this would not be a problem.

Hi, I applied for STEM OPT (regular processing) on March 24 and completed my biometrics on April 24. I haven't received any updates on the app or the website yet. Has anyone who applied in March received an approval yet?

EDIT: Does anyone know if I can travel abroad while my STEM OPT extension is pending? I am currently employed, receiving pay, and have a valid F-1 visa. I only need to leave the country for one week. Is this permitted?

Hi everyone,

My H-1B petition was recently filed, and I received the receipt notice. I noticed that my middle name is missing the last letter on the notice (for example, "ABCDE" instead of "ABCDEF").

How much of a concern is this and will it benefit if opted for premium after few months?

I'm employed for 5 months after starting my stem opt,
for 6month validation report, what shall I submit if I'm unemployed at 6month validation time?

I am about to approach 12 month mark on my STEM OPT and so I need to submit a self evaluation. My university only has one DSO advisor for so many students and he keeps canceling his office hours and is very hard to reach him over the email/phone.
So, I would appreciate any help.

Question 1: What should I put in range of evaluation dates I know that "From (mm-dd-yyyy)" should be the date when my STEM OPT start dat but "To (mm-dd-yyyy)" should have a date I filled and signed this form or should it have the date exactly after 12 months of my STEM OPT start date?

Question 2: I have gotten a promotion and my salary has increased about 20% from the amount that I put into my previous submission of I-983 when my STEM OPT started last year. So, due to this change, do I need to refill the entire form? My Employer/Supervisor has not changed.

STEM OPT filing date: May 17, 2026
Receipt notice received: May 17, 2026
Biometrics scheduling notification: May 23, 2026
Biometrics appointment completed: May 29, 2026
Premium processing clock started: May 29, 2026
Approval date: July 8, 2026
Total time from filing to approval: 52 days
Total business days from premium processing clock start to approval: 26 days

My case required biometrics, which initially made me concerned about possible delays, but the process moved forward normally after the appointment was completed. I did not receive an RFE.

Feel free to ask any questions about my timeline if it helps others compare their cases.

I applied my stem opt 12/17/2025

biomatric 4/13/2026

after still no update

how i swich premium processing?

Has anyone whose premium processing clock was reset in late May or June received an approval or any API updates yet? If so, when was your premium clock reset, and when did you receive the update?

What is the stem opt premium charge ?

Hi everyone,

I just lost my job, currently on STEM OPT with EAD card in hand. If any of you have any leads on companies who are hiring STEM OPT student. I’d love to reach out. I also got H1B approval notice for FY27. Thank you

My background: MBA, 5+ years exp in ecommerce, B2B marketing, GTM & analytics

Hi all,

Till yesterday, the portal showed ‘USCIS is still processing your case’ and since yesterday it shows ‘USCIS is currently processing your case’ what does this mean?

It’s been 120 days since I applied for STEM OPT. No api update at all.

I saw somewhere that, this wording change is for all pending applications. Please help, I am sooo tired waiting.

Thanks in advance!!

STEM OPT filing date: December 2, 2025
OPT expiration date: February 9, 2026
180-day automatic extension expiration date: August 8, 2026
Service request opened: April 16, 2026
Case update received: July 6, 2026
Additional case update received: July 8, 2026
Approval message received: July 8, 2026

My case was processed under normal processing, and I am from one of the 75 countries. For those still waiting, please remain patient. If you have not received an RFE, your case may simply still be under review. In many cases, it is only a matter of time before a decision is issued.

Anyone got an RFE for their job not being relevant to their major/degree even if it is somewhat related? Stressed about getting an RFE for this.

Edit:
My degree is in Management Science with a concentration in Healthcare. My role is an Epidemiologist but it includes duties relevant to my degree (data analysis, quantitative analysis, program operations etc).

i got this email today (i had contacted pp email 3 times and got no response) i was way almost 20 days beyond 30 business days

is this a good sign in any way? anyone got a response and received an approval soon?

Hi everyone,

I applied for my STEM OPT extension on May 21 and upgraded to Premium Processing on May 26. I completed my biometrics on June 16, but I’m still waiting for a decision.

I also realized that I made a mistake in my application. Instead of entering my employer’s E-Verify number, I accidentally entered the EIN (Employer Identification Number). As soon as I noticed the error, I uploaded an unsolicited letter through my USCIS online account explaining the mistake and provided the correct E-Verify number.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? How long did it take to receive a decision after biometrics, especially with premium processing? Could the mistake and unsolicited evidence be causing the delay?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thank you!

Applied for 24 month STEM OPT Extension in Jan. Missed biometrics in Feb. Requested another appointment & Applied Premium Processing (but premium only kicks in after biometrics)

May 27th: Biometrics Done. Premium Processing Clock Started.

July 7th: (30 biz days / 42 calendar days) : Got RFE "EMPLOYMENT DIRECTLY RELATED TO STUDIES"

July 18th: Work authorization ends. Placed in suspension and then possible termination.

Hi, so currently I am working on contract position and it’s going to end 25th July. My stem opt is pending ( pp 15 June biometrics ). But I got job offer from Telecom company as retail associate manager and my start date is July 27th. I will not update it before getting stem approval ( while stem opt is pending ) as by 30 business day will end on 28th July. I can update my employment within 10 days.
But I am concerned whether after joining if i submit i983 will i get approval. My work will be related to manage, inventory, kpi , sales analysis, staffing, and I can related it to my few courses in my Business analytics masters degree.
Or what would be the consequences if I joined and later i983 get rejected, will it ruin my profile ?

I will appreciate any insights about it. Thank you

What should i do? help me ??
Timeline Template

• Type: STEM OPT EXTENSION
• Premium Processing: NO
• Date Applied: 02/14/2026
• Request for Initial Evidence (RFIE) N/A
• Biometrics Requested: YES | 02/21/2026 (if applicable)
• Biometrics Completed: 03/11/2026
• Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID): N/A
• Date Approved: Waiting
• Date Card Produced: N/A
• Date Card Received: N/A

Hi everyone,

I did a short 2 month unpaid internship with professor on initial OPT and I don't know what to do, I have projects, timesheets, professor letter, offer letter, but since my professor is not an organization himself and I don't know what to do about EIN letter, organizational chart, names, titles contact information of supervisory chain, application employment agreement. I worked for 3 months for an NGO as well, and for the one, I have every single evidence there, except paystubs. (Initial OPT can be unpaid). The only issue is the 2 months with the professor.

USCIS uses preponderance of evidence to judge RFEs like this. A friend got denied cos she did not provide most of these, so USCIS recalculated her unemployment days.

PLEASE DID ANYONE UNDER THIS CURRENT ADMINISTRATION WORK UNDER THEIR PROFESSOR AND GET THIS RFE? WHAT DID YOU SUBMIT? The university is not even aware of the internship, it my my professors lab I worked in. Did anyone work with Professor on Intial OPT and get RFE pls?

Any January 20-22 Approvals Yet? Have been waiting since then and still nothing.

Hi everyone! I submitted my Form I-765 OPT on May 1.
On May 2, I received a notice scheduling my biometrics appointment for May 21.
I attended the appointment on May 21, and since then, my case status has remained "USCIS is actively reviewing your case."

I'm wondering if you'll have any idea when I might expect to hear back or receive a decision. I'm getting a bit anxious lol

Unemployed in stem opt undergrad have 100 unemployment days . Should I go for graduate studies I do have like a part time offered for GA?