My OPT application just got denied, but my 60-day grace period after graduation has already passed.
Has anyone been in this situation before? What options do I have at this point? Can I still transfer to another school or apply for reinstatement, or do I need to leave the U.S. and get a new I-20?
I got an RFE on my initial OPT application asking about a DV-related arrest record.
I already collected most of the documents myself. I talked to one immigration lawyer who quoted me $1,500 just to prepare the RFE response. No approval guarantee or refund, and the fee doesn’t include getting any additional records if USCIS asks for them.
Is $1,500 pretty normal for this type of OPT RFE, or is that on the expensive side?
If anyone has dealt with an OPT RFE involving an arrest/court record, did you use a lawyer? Roughly how much did you pay?
Hi All,
this my timeline of filing for stem OPT. I want to change jobs (flexible in this since I'm still looking for one), I have to travel to India in December and I have changed my address. (need to update the address but I still have access to previous mail box)
Filed on May 1st 2026
Biometrics on May 21st 2026
OPT ended on 3rd July 2026
My question is:
please give any other advice if you can. Thanks in advance
I’m currently on my first year of OPT and already started my own company. I’m now getting ready to apply for the 24-month STEM OPT extension.
My company is incorporated, enrolled in E-Verify, and I can put myself on payroll as a W-2 employee. The work is also directly related to my STEM degree.
But I keep seeing conflicting answers about whether your own startup can actually qualify as the STEM OPT employer because of the I-983 requirements.
Has anyone successfully done STEM OPT through a company they founded?
If so, who signed your I-983 as the employer/supervisor? How did you show a real employer-employee relationship and that the company had enough resources to provide the required training?
Would especially love to hear from founders who actually got their STEM OPT approved this way.
Just got told I’m getting laid off and honestly I’m starting to panic a little.
My STEM OPT is still pending. My first-year EAD already expired, so right now I’m working under the 180-day automatic extension.
The bigger problem is I already used almost all of my 90 unemployment days during regular OPT.
If my last day comes before STEM gets approved, what happens?
Do I actually get the extra 60 unemployment days while STEM is pending, or do those only kick in AFTER approval?
Because if the 90-day limit still applies while it’s pending, I basically have no time left to find another E-Verify employer.
And if I hit 90 days while the STEM application is still sitting at USCIS… what happens to the pending I-765? Can they deny it because of that?
Anyone been in this exact situation? I’m getting completely different answers.
Just a heads-up for anyone filing an I-539 or I-765 soon.
USCIS is rolling out new editions of both forms, and starting Sept. 15, 2026, they’ll only accept the 09/15/26 editions.
So if you file on or after Sept. 15 with an older version, it sounds like they’ll straight-up reject the filing. Not an RFE, not “fix it later” — rejected.
This could obviously affect a lot of people filing for OPT/STEM OPT, H-4 EAD, change of status, extensions, etc.
If you’ve had an I-539 or I-765 sitting half-finished on your laptop for a while, probably worth checking the edition date before you submit.
Saw this DOJ case and was curious what usually happens next.
11 people were indicted in an alleged marriage fraud scheme that reportedly ran for about 10 years, mostly serving Chinese clients. Prosecutors say it involved 1,000+ sham marriages, with some clients paying around $100k.
The operation allegedly handled everything — finding U.S. citizen spouses, creating joint accounts and other “proof” of marriage, preparing applications, and coaching couples for USCIS interviews. Some couples reportedly met for the first time right before getting married.
My question is about the past clients.
If investigators now have client lists, payment records, messages, addresses, and application records, does USCIS normally go back and review every case connected to the same network?
What happens to someone who got their green card 5–10 years ago? What if they already became a U.S. citizen?
Obviously being connected to the same preparer doesn’t automatically prove fraud, but I’d imagine it could trigger another look at the case.
Anyone familiar with large immigration fraud investigations? When something like this gets busted, do they usually go after the clients too?
I’ve run into this a few times lately and I’m genuinely confused.
A company is literally enrolled in E-Verify, the job is related to my STEM degree, and I’m not even asking them to sponsor an H-1B right now. But as soon as STEM OPT comes up, HR says they “don’t support STEM OPT” or just stops moving forward with the interview.
So… what exactly is the issue?
I always thought E-Verify was one of the main employer requirements for STEM OPT. Is the I-983 really that much of a headache for companies? Is it because someone has to officially supervise the training plan and sign off on it? Or are companies worried about reporting requirements, remote work, audits/site visits, or having to deal with changes over the two-year STEM period?
I’m especially confused when the company already hires international employees. If they’re already E-Verified and I have valid work authorization, why would STEM OPT itself be a dealbreaker before we even get to the sponsorship conversation?
For anyone who works in HR/recruiting, or anyone who’s been rejected specifically because of STEM OPT: what’s usually happening behind the scenes?
Is “we don’t accept STEM OPT” usually an actual company policy, or is it sometimes just HR not wanting to deal with the paperwork/compliance side?
Also curious if anyone has ever had HR initially say no, then change their mind after you explained the I-983 process or got the hiring manager involved.
Trying to figure out whether this is something candidates can actually explain better, or if once HR says “no STEM OPT,” it’s basically game over.
Hey guys, kinda freaking out and wondering if anyone’s dealt with something like this before.
My OPT EAD expired on Feb 9, 2026. I submitted my STEM OPT I-765 online at around 10 PM ET on Feb 9, so literally on the last day.
But for some reason, USCIS shows my application as received on Feb 10. I just got the denial notice, and basically they denied it because their system says I filed one day after my OPT expired.
The weird part is that I did everything on Feb 9. My credit card/payment record also shows Feb 9, but USCIS somehow has Feb 10 as the filing date.
So now I’m looking into filing an I-290B Motion to Reopen/Reconsider.
Has anyone had something similar happen? Like you submitted online before the deadline, but USCIS showed the next day as the received date?
Also wondering what would actually be useful for an I-290B — payment records, screenshots/timestamps, USCIS submission confirmation, account history, I-797 receipt, etc.?
And does anyone know if this could be some kind of timezone/timestamp issue on USCIS’s end?
Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through something similar, especially if you filed an I-290B and got the case reopened.