Hey guys,
Like the the title says I am kinda panicked about my opt approval. I graduate in two weeks and I applied for OPT since February as soon as my 90 days was possible. I had biometrics March 11th and I understand that it might take longer than the 90 days to get approval but I am from one of the partial ban countries and many people say that all those applications are on pause right now.
I met with my DSO and she said they are most likely on pause the application but she is not certain as USCIS did not release any statement specific to OPT.
The only reason I am applying for OPT is because I plan to apply to medical school next cycle and I need the gap year to study for my MCAT, shadow, do some clinical research.
I really do not want to apply to master's or post back or programs like that because my GPA is very ok and since I will most likely be paying out of pocket again as an international student😪😪, I would rather save my money.
I am so confused because graduation is near and I have that 60 grace period and my DSO said I can stay as long as my application is pending but what happens if OPT gets denied after the grace period. Can I still transfer my i20.
Has anyone gone through something similar? What steps did you take to stay in status? Should I be worried being from a partial ban country?