u/Vsi2023

Hi everyone,

I applied for OPT early January 2026, did biometrics in February, and have not had any updates since then. My country was on the list of 39 countries that USCIS paused adjudication benefits for since Jan 1, 2026 and although it has been lifted on June 12th, the pressure from my 180 days automatic EAD extension is adding up.

I upgraded to Premium Processing on June 23rd. My 180 days ends August 1st and when I tried to contact my DSO to at least submit the 6 month validation report, she told me she will not be able to process it until I actually get approved and have the card.

And then the fact that this new rule to end Duration of Status MAY be implemented soon. I don't know what to do tbh. I am really confused on what to do tbh and really exhausted.

Could it be because I did volunteer/unpaid internship in my first year of OPT? I know the 30 business days is not up yet but 6 of my friends from school who applied AFTER me got approved even without PP. What am I doing wrong? In 2024, my OPT was approved in a month. I am always paranoid during this administration despite doing the right thing. Idk anymore

Hi everyone,

Is there anywhere I can see the percentage of Level 1 H1B that got picked. I have 2 friends on level 3 and level 4 that did not get picked, so I just wanted to get a mental assessment of how this new wage rule level works. I am scrolling through Reddit and also seeing countless posts of people on level 3 and 4 not picked as well.

Hi everyone,

I am a bit worried and do not understand what I did wrong. I applied for STEM OPT January 19th 2025, my country is among the 39 countries USCIS paused adjudication for and recently released the hold. Today all 30 of my classmates who applied without PP, after me were approved except me. And then on linkedin, i saw a UCSIS public safety professional viewed my profile and tbh I am really freaking out.

I upgraded to PP 2 weeks ago. All my classmates from the 39 countries got approved today. Could it be because I changed my name after entering USA or I worked for 7 months unpaid internship on initial OPT?

https://preview.redd.it/yli6shf9em9h1.png?width=1127&format=png&auto=webp&s=ae2e77ad69a5ab892b4b01157baf8502d9c56523

Hi everyone,

I applied for STEM EXTENSION in Jan 2025, but my country was one of the countries in the 39 country hold. I upgraded to premium yesterday, and I have been seeing recent news of USCIS checking Linkedin Accounts and issuing NOIDS to people if you have anything that looks like unauthorized employment. Infact, someone had a volunteer position in there and USCIS issued a NOID asking him for paystubs, evidence of CPT for that role etc.

To my horror, after reading that story, I went to Linkedin and checked that I also had a role under "Volunteering", I deleted it immediately and when I checked who had viewed my profile in the last 30 days, I saw the attached picture, "Public Safety Professional at USCIS", and tbh I don't know what to do and I am freaking out that they actually saw the volunteer role and will issue a NOID.

These NOIDs are a recent USCIS policy about extreme social media vetting. So many people have received NOIDS from what is on their Linkedin, whether true or not, volunteer or not. Or even if you had authorized CPT and forgot to put an end date.

I am really freaking out that this person may have seen what I entered as volunteer

Hi everyone,

I self filed, I am looking for a good lawyer/consultant that handles RFE. I have nor received an RFE yet, but given the extreme subjectivity of the NIW, and if I get RFE, I want to respond with a very knowledgeable consultant/lawyer. Preferably one who has STRONG experience with and has received approvals for people who have a mixture of industry and research profiles. I think this is the best decision to make. I do not want to get an RFE and have to start the search from scratch. I have paid for premium processing. But please, if you know anyone. please let me know.

Thank you.

Hi Everyone,

Is National Louis University legitimate? I filled out their information request form and someone from Howell Management School is the one emailing me back for the DBA program instead of an email with the National Louis University .edu itself.

Can anyone please verify?

Hi everyone,

I never believed a time will come in this century where my life will be on pause just because of my country of birth, despite being a very law abiding person. I am unsure of what to do.

I applied for OPT early January 2026, did biometrics in February, and have not had any updates since then. My country is on the list of 39 countries that USCIS paused adjudication benefits for and although it has been lifted, the pressure from my 180 days automatic EAD extension is adding up, and USCIS seems to not be processing anything at all despite the court order.

My 180 days ends August 1st and when I tried to contact my DSO to at least submit the 6 month validation report, she told me she will not be able to process it until I actually get approved and have the card.

I have an admission to a DBA program that starts August/September, and I was thinking if I was to withdraw my STEM OPT, and start that program this fall, if I am applying for a future benefit, won't USCIS deny me cos I never submitted the 6 month, 12 month and 24 month reports?

And then the fact that this new rule to end Duration of Status MAY be implemented soon. I don't know what to do tbh. I am really confused on what to do.

Please help

Hi everyone,

I never believed a time will come in this century where my life will be on pause just because of my country of birth, despite being a very law abiding person. I am unsure of what to do.

I applied for OPT early January 2026, did biometrics in February, and have not had any updates since then. My country is on the list of 39 countries that USCIS paused adjudication benefits for and although it has been lifted, the pressure from my 180 days automatic EAD extension is adding up, and USCIS seems to not be processing anything at all despite the court order.

My 180 days ends August 1st and when I tried to contact my DSO to at least submit the 6 month validation report, she told me she will not be able to process it until I actually get approved and have the card.

I have an admission to a DBA program that starts August/September, and I was thinking if I was to withdraw my STEM OPT, and start that program this fall, if I am applying for a future benefit, won't USCIS deny me cos I never submitted the 6 month, 12 month and 24 month reports?

And then the fact that this new rule to end Duration of Status MAY be implemented soon. I don't know what to do tbh. I am really confused on what to do.

Please help

Hi everyone,

I never believed a time will come in this century where my life will be on pause just because of my country of birth, despite being a very law abiding person. I am unsure of what to do.

I applied for OPT early January 2026, did biometrics in February, and have not had any updates since then. My country is on the list of 39 countries that USCIS paused adjudication benefits for and although it has been lifted, the pressure from my 180 days automatic EAD extension is adding up, and USCIS seems to not be processing anything at all despite the court order.

My 180 days ends August 1st and when I tried to contact my DSO to at least submit the 6 month validation report, she told me she will not be able to process it until I actually get approved and have the card.

I have an admission to a DBA program that starts August/September, and I was thinking if I was to withdraw my STEM OPT, and start that program this fall, if I am applying for a future benefit, won't USCIS deny me cos I never submitted the 6 month, 12 month and 24 month reports?

And then the fact that this new rule to end Duration of Status MAY be implemented soon. I don't know what to do tbh. I am really confused on what to do.

Please help

Hi everyone,

I never believed a time will come in this century where my life will be on pause just because of my country of birth, despite being a very law abiding person. I am unsure of what to do.

I applied for OPT early January 2026, did biometrics in February, and have not had any updates since then. My country is on the list of 39 countries that USCIS paused adjudication benefits for and although it has been lifted, the pressure from my 180 days automatic EAD extension is adding up, and USCIS seems to not be processing anything at all despite the court order.

My 180 days ends August 1st and when I tried to contact my DSO to at least submit the 6 month validation report, she told me she will not be able to process it until I actually get approved and have the card.

I have an admission to a DBA program that starts August/September, and I was thinking if I was to withdraw my STEM OPT, and start that program this fall, if I am applying for a future benefit, won't USCIS deny me cos I never submitted the 6 month, 12 month and 24 month reports?

And then the fact that this new rule to end Duration of Status MAY be implemented soon. I don't know what to do tbh. I am really confused on what to do.

Please help

Hi everyone,

I DIY'd and filed my EB2 NIW petition and I am looking for a lawyer in case of RFE. I know several people have gotten approved without RFE and even responded to RFE by with lawyers, but I wanted to ask which lawyers offer response to RFE that I can contact.

Thank you

Hi everyone please don't skip;

My STEM OPT will end in September 2027. My company is a university h1b cap exempt and they have promised in a contract which was signed by me and the department head that they will file h1b in January 2027 because they have a new position they want to fill.

I was reading this sub and I am horrified to see that some people have been waiting for h1b approval since as far back as March 2025, over 1 year and I am shocked to my bone marrow.

If they file for me in January 2027 and my STEM OPT ends September 2027, that gives only 9 months processing. The dept said they don't offer premium processing and won't let me pay as well.

Should I ask the department not to file? Based on what I am seeing on Reddit, Current processing time in 1 year and would be devastated if it ends up getting denied in SEptember 2027. I am not a huge risk taker, so I was wondering if i should just enrol in PHD as I have been admitted to a PHD for Fall 2027 with full funding.

PLEASE HELP

Hi everyone,

I applied for stem opt Jan 2026, but unfortunately, my country is in the list of 39 countries that USCIS has paused adjudication for, and my application has been pending since Jan 2026. My initial OPT ended Jan 20th, and my 180 days of automatic extension ends July 15th or so.

I was wondering if I can still transfer my SEVIS. I have admission for a Jan 2027 PHD and an August 2026 DBA from a Day 1 CPT college. My initial OPT ended Jan 20th, can I still transfer to a school, I heard grace period is 60 days or so.

The school I am hoping to register in is a day 1 cpt college, but since my initial OPT ended in January, I am unsure what to do.

Hi everyone,

I applied for stem opt Jan 2026, but unfortunately, my country is in the list of countries that USCIS has paused adjudication for, and my application has been pending since Jan 2026. My initial OPT ended Jan 20th, and my 180 days of automatic extension ends this month.

I was wondering if I can still transfer my SEVIS. I have admission for a Jan 2027 PHD and an August 2026 DBA from a Day 1 CPT college. My initial OPT ended Jan 20th, can I still transfer to a school, I heard grace period is 60 days or so.

Hello,

I spoke with a USCIS officer today, and when I asked about my case and if the hold was lifted, the officer refused to answer directly and he said, based on a document he has in front of him, it seems to be affected and nothing has been lifted. Is it worth joining Kameli's Lawsuit for $1000 or paying premium processing for $1700? It is regarding my STEM OPT i765 EAD.

I honestly don't have the money for both.

Hey everyone,

I am in a bit of a dilemma. I applied for STEM OPT extension on Jan 20 2026, and my 180 days automatic extension ends on August 8th. To top it off, my country is one of the countries listed in the USCIS adjudication pause that USCIS is pausing on final adjudication.

My intial opt ended Jan 25th or so, and I have passed my 60 day grace period. Is it possible to transfer to a PHD/DBA program or is it too late? I am very exhausted to be honest.

I have never been in a situation where my life is paused just because I hold a certain passport or my parents decided to birth me in a certain country. Is it too late to enrol in PHD since my initial opt ended Jan 25th?

If I can still enrol in PHD when will be the deadline for me to enrol? I heard once the 180 days is over, USCIS does not care and unemployment days still count. I accrued 60 days of unemployment in initial OPT. What is the way forward?

Hey guys.

I filled a form to join Kameli's lawsuit a week ago and they said they will send the lawyer retainer, but I did not receive it until today. I woke up this morning and saw the Dorcas case victory where a judge vacated this pause and essentially "lifted" it. 3 hours later I received a retainer for Kameli law to sign the agreement to join the lawsuit.

Should I go ahead and join the kameli lawsuit? The only reason I did not join a lawsuit before now is despite all the preliminary injunctions granted on the mass action lawsuits/individual lawsuits, ABSOLUTELY NO ONE has come out to say USCIS approved their i765 EAD for OPT and STEM OPT.

Also is this a coincidence that Kameli sent me the contract for the lawsuit few hours after the Dorcas case victory? Should I still join or is today's victory sufficient for me to pay the $1500 premium processing fee to USCIS? or I should still join Kameli? I am just curious why they chose today of all days, or could it be a coincidence? Do I go ahead and join or use the money for premium processing?

Hi everyone,

I am considering the DBA program at Westcliff University with the Data Analytics concentration. I have seen countless times even in Regular/NON- DAY 1 CPT programs where USCIS rejects/denies STEM OPT extension because they said you cannot use a specialization as STEM. For example MBA or DBA with Data Analytics will not qualify. Just as seen in this OPs story here; https://www.reddit.com/r/f1visa/comments/1tuqto2/need_advice_on_a_stem_opt_noid/

Now, I am looking into Westcliff DBA program, and it is marketed as STEM designated. But it looks to be a Doctor of Business Administration with STEM concentrations, which follow the patterns to which USCIS is denying cases for. I would me LIVID if I paid for Westcliff DBA and won't get the STEM extension upon completion, when there are cheaper DBA options I could have gone for. This is the reason I am here asking before choosing between National Louis University DBA (Non-STEM) and Westcliff DBA (Marketed as STEM).

Did anyone actually go to westcliff DBA and was able to get STEM extension? USCIS seems to keep denying Business degrees with stem concentrations.

Hi everyone,

I am trying to make a decision between Kameli and McBean Law. Kameli seems to be free for students, but later on claims to charge $1000. McBean is charging $1500.

I am asking because I have a pending i765 STEM OPT with USCIS since Jan 10th 2026.

The money for a lawsuit is not really the issue. The issue is I have been going through this thread and I am yet to see anyone that got approved for any benefit after joining a lawsuit. I see some preliminary injunction, but has anyone actually been granted an EAD?

EADs are just work permit and don't have the same permanence or irreversibility like a green card, and I am yet to see someone announce approval for EAD.

I see some i130s approved , but from my understanding i130 was never banned?

Is this lawsuit worth joining? The 180 days stipulated in the memo is coming soon as well.

Was i130 from 39 countries also paused? I see a lot of i130 approvals but not i485, i765, etc

Hi everyone,

I was looking into Day 1 CPT DBA schools and I came across a few. Whatever Day 1 CPT school I decide, I want to make sure that I avoid any chances of denial for future immigration benefits, so I plan to stick to follow all rules.

I see that some DBA/PHD programs only requires you to attend in person class once in a semester. Correct me if I am wrong, but It is my understanding that for F1 visa, to maintain full-time requirements, etc, you need to be enrolled for a certain amount of hours and frequently attend classes right?

For example, on their website, National Louis University says this;

• The curriculum is comprised of 21 SH of Core Courses, 15 SH of Research Courses, 12 SH of Concentration Courses and 12 SH of Dissertation Courses.
• You'll take two eight-week classes per 16-week term.
• One campus immersion (three days in length) per term is required.
• The degree takes four years to complete with full-time enrollment.

Is attending class just one time per semester not a violation? Like I said, I want to stay compliant in F1 status so I was just wondering. Does anyone have any suggestions?