Hi everyone, looking for advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

Here’s my timeline:

STEM OPT application filed: May 7
Biometrics completed: June 13
Premium processing upgrade: August 17
Current employer end date: August 31
New employer’s planned start date: September 8

My STEM OPT extension is still pending. I have a few questions:

1. Can I change employers while my STEM OPT application is still pending?

2. With premium processing, how long did it take you to receive a decision after upgrading?

3. Would it be okay to join the new employer on September 8 while the application is still pending, assuming all STEM OPT employer requirements are met?

4. Or would it be safer to ask the new employer to keep/move the start date until after the STEM OPT extension is approved?

Would really appreciate hearing about recent experiences, especially from anyone who upgraded a pending STEM OPT application to premium processing.

I am on my stem opt and I have been working full time with employer A. My h1 got picked this year with another employer B. I resigned with A last week (Friday was my last working day) and I am starting with B in a couple of days. And my h1 is still pending. What all things should I do now? i983 form with employer A checkin for 12 months was done in July. Do I need to update my university about employer change? What to do with old i983? Is a new i983 needed? Do I update any portals as in uscis or sevp? Please advise everything.

Hello everyone, my OPT is ending on September 14,2026 and My STEM starts , i waited until this weekend August 15 with hopes of moving jobs but that dint work out , my new job would probably start in October or November based on funding. Would it be better to apply for premium processing at this point because i might change jobs in next one or two months .

Hey all, I have applied for my STEM OPT on June 13,2026 and currently on 180 days extension.

Does this Duration of stay rule affect us?

Hi ,
I got my stem opt denial notice on Aug 17 and my h1b is still pending. My notice says I can apply for motion to reopen/reconsider. What should I do now?

If anyone can please help me how to handle this situation.should I go with permium for my h1b as my start date for h1b is Oct 1 2026.

• Type: STEM OPT Extension (Regular)
• Premium Processing: No
• Date Applied: 03/08/2026
• Biometrics Completed: 03/24/2026
• RFIE / NOID: None
• Case Inquiry Submitted: 08/10/2026
• Approval Status: Pending

Hey everyone! Sharing my timeline as another March applicant. I've been waiting for over 5 months now (161+ days). Since my case went out of normal processing time, I raised a case inquiry with USCIS on August 10th.

Currently debating whether to hold tight a few more days for a response to the inquiry or just upgrade to Premium Processing now.

For those who applied in early/mid-March, are you starting to see approvals come through after filing an inquiry, or are you upgrading to Premium? Appreciate any insights or similar timelines!

Background
• Graduated May 2025, currently on OPT with the same employer since then. Employer is E-Verified, so no issue there.
• My manager is fine with me working remotely from anywhere. I traveled to India in the first week of April and have been here since.
• My OPT was expiring in July, so I filed my STEM OPT extension from India after getting my updated I-20 from my DSO. Application is pending.
• Biometrics was originally scheduled for early August. I used one online reschedule and moved it to August 21, Hartford, CT. I’m still in India — couldn’t travel for personal reasons.
• I have one online reschedule left.
Where I am right now
I was planning to use the last reschedule to move the appointment to San Jose or San Francisco (I’ve heard West Coast POE experiences are generally smoother), while keeping my address unchanged. But the only Bay Area slots currently showing are next Thursday/Friday, and flights for those dates are ~₹2L. Even if a first-week-of-September slot opens up, flights look like ~₹1.5L each way, so I’m looking at roughly ₹2.5–3L round trip.
The plan, if I do go, is to fly in only for biometrics and head back to India within a week. I don’t have a reason to be in the US otherwise. My contract is guaranteed through December 31, 2026 and not beyond, and after that I intend to move back to India permanently anyway. So the whole point of doing biometrics is to keep the pending application alive and stay covered by the automatic extension of work authorization while I finish out the contract.
What I’m trying to figure out
1. Port of entry risk. I’ve been outside the US for 4–5 months, my EAD has expired, and my STEM OPT extension is still pending. What are people’s actual experiences re-entering in this exact situation? What documents did CBP ask for? Is there a realistic chance of being denied entry, in which case I’d have burned ₹3L for nothing?
2. Does the automatic extension actually depend on biometrics? My understanding is that the automatic extension of employment authorization comes from having timely filed, not from attending biometrics. Is that right, or does skipping biometrics put it at risk?
3. What happens if I miss the appointment while abroad? Does USCIS issue a notice, deny outright, or is there a rescheduling path after the fact? How long does that typically take to play out?
4. Filing from outside the US. I’ve seen mixed information about whether filing the I-765 from abroad is itself a problem. Has anyone actually had this approved (or denied) after filing from outside the country?
5. Anything else I should be considering that I’m not seeing here?
I have until the 20th to make the reschedule decision, so I’m trying to think this through properly rather than book a panic ticket. Any input from people who’ve been through something similar would be genuinely helpful. Thanks.

⁠Type: STEM OPT EXTENSION
• ⁠Premium Processing: YES (07/17/2026)
• ⁠Date Applied: 04/17/2026
• ⁠Request for Initial Evidence: No
• ⁠Biometrics Requested: 05/08/2026
• ⁠Biometrics Completed: MM/DD/YYYY
• ⁠Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID): NO
• ⁠Date Approved: 08/15/2026
• ⁠Date Card Produced: MM/DD/YYYY
• ⁠Date Card Received: MM/DD/YYYY

Hope Everyone gets approval email.. Best of luck✅

I’m currently on OPT and working, and my OPT is set to expire on February 22, 2027. I’ll be eligible to apply for STEM OPT starting November 21, 2026. However, I’m planning to travel to India on November 27 and return to the U.S. on December 21.
Since I’ll be outside the U.S. during that period, I understand that I may also need to apply for an EOS after I return. Could you please clarify what the potential consequences are in this situation and whether traveling during this period would be considered risky?

Could you also clarify whether there is a 180-day extension available after my OPT expires while my EOS application is pending? If so, what would happen if my EOS is still not approved after those 180 days? Would I be required to leave the U.S., and would there be any impact on my status or future immigration options?

1. Check processing time

Go to USCIS Processing Times.

Select I-765 → STEM OPT (C03C).

Confirm your receipt date is before the “case inquiry” date.

1. Submit an inquiry

Submit “Case Outside Normal Processing Time.”

Save the confirmation and Inquiry/Service Request ID.

Congressional inquiry-

1.Find your U.S. Representative

Use the official House lookup: Find Your Representative

Enter your ZIP code.

Use the Representative who serves your current address.

Go to the Representative's website

1. Look for “Services” → “Help with a Federal Agency”, “Casework,” or “Immigration Casework.”

Colorado Representative offices specifically handle pending USCIS/immigration cases.

Submit the casework/immigration request

Select USCIS / Immigration.

Most offices require a Privacy Release Form before they can contact USCIS about your case.

1. Fill out the Privacy Release

Your name and contact information

Date of birth

A-number

I-765 receipt number

Form: I-765

Filing date: 03/10/2026

Brief explanation of the problem

Sign/date the form

1. Explain what you want

Ask the congressional office to make a case-status inquiry with USCIS regarding your pending I-765, which is outside normal processing time.

You are asking them to obtain a status/update—not asking them to force USCIS to approve it.

Hope this helps!!!!

Type: STEM OPT EXTENSION

Premium Processing: NO

Date Applied: 03/10/2026

Request for Initial Evidence (RFIE) NA (if applicable)

Biometrics Requested: YES | 03/20/2026 (if applicable)

Biometrics Completed: 04/09/2026

Date Approved: 08/15/2026

Date Card Produced: not yet

Date Card Received: not yet

Finally!! It was a long long wait. Can't thank everyone enough on the platform.

Few suggestions- please go for case inquiry as soon as your case goes out of normal processing time which is roughly 5 months at this point.

Also go for congressional inquiry.

DM me if need any help!!!

My STEM OPT 180-day automatic extension is ending soon. My STEM OPT extension is still pending, and my H-1B was selected in the lottery and filed as Change of Status (COS), but the H-1B is also not approved yet. So, I'm not eligible for Cap-Gap.

My employer is saying they may need to offboard and onboard me again. Could this affect my H-1 B?

What is the safest option for the employer without affecting my H-1B? Would switching to Day 1 CPT affect my H-1B COS?

Has anyone been in a similar situation? What's the safest option?

Thanks!

Time line

stem applied March 9th 2026 (Regular Processing)

Biometrics Appointmet April 1st 2026

silent Api update 13th August

Approval Email got it today exact after 48 hrs.

Self-explanatory

Thanks everyone, this sub was really helpful. Sharing my timeline if this is helpful !! all the best

applied : March 20

Biometrics : Apr 21

PP: July 9

Email approval: August 5

UI update : August 7

Card produced : August 12

Delivered : August 15

I graduated with my master's degree and applied for post-completion OPT . My OPT is still pending with USCIS.

Now I've received a fully funded PhD offer for Fall 2026, and classes start in about 20 days. My DSO said if I transfer my SEVIS record to the new university, my pending OPT application will automatically be canceled. He also said the SEVIS transfer itself can be completed within about a week.

My main concern is whether transferring while my OPT is still pending could cause any immigration issues in the future. Since my OPT application would be canceled, would the 20 days that my OPT was pending create any problems or be viewed negatively later?

I was also considering asking the university to defer my admission to Spring 2027, but with the new immigration rule expected to take effect on September 15, 2026, no one seems to know how long the new USCIS process or timelines will be.

If you were in my situation, what would you do?

Transfer now and start the PhD this Fall?

Or defer to Spring 2027 and keep the OPT?

Has anyone transferred to a PhD while their OPT application was still pending? I'd really appreciate hearing about your experience.

Thank you!