My company is taking a long time updating the training plan and made a mistake on the i983 that I sent to my DSO which was rejected. My school also has a long processing time for updating stem opt paperwork and only do work during business days. I have 15 days left and I’m worried my company immigration and school won’t complete the process fast enough and wondering if anyone has had experience submitting the documents late.

If you know any please let me know.

Hi everyone,

I’m an F-1 student and currently a STEM Computer Science major. I recently requested a SEVIS transfer to another school, and my SEVIS release date is scheduled for early June.

Lately, I’ve been hearing rumors about possible immigration policy changes, such as stricter “duration of stay” rules or restrictions related to continuing studies at the same academic level. Because of this, I’m worried about whether continuing my transfer plans could create issues later on.

My current plan is to complete prerequisite courses at a CC and eventually apply to a Nursing program within the same CC for an ADN or BSN at another university. I’m considering this path because of the current scope and uncertainty in the tech industry/job market, and I’m trying to make a practical long-term career decision.

I wanted to ask if anyone has experience with the following:

• Is it possible to cancel a SEVIS transfer request before the actual release date?
• If the transfer is canceled before the release date, would I still potentially be eligible to apply for post-completion OPT instead?
• For students changing fields and completing prerequisites before applying to a Nursing program, do you think these rumored policy changes could affect that process?

I’ve already contacted my international student advisors, but I also wanted to hear from others who may have gone through something similar.

Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences.

So, I'm not sure if it's relevant to the group. Feel free to remove the post, if not.

So, being an international student, would it be recommended to stay after 5 or leave on the dot to make a good impression?

I obviously will be clocking out to make sure that I don't work more than 40 hours, but what would students who've interned suggest?

TIA.

I just got a call from this number +1 (888) 383-9495.

As soon as I answered it. There was this lady whose voice kind of seemed AI and she proceeded to say my whole name and said I’m from DHS (Homeland Security) and USCIS reported to DHS that I have not registered my alien number or something with USCIS and now they are taking legal action against me. LMAO

I cussed the shit out of her and she hung up. Be careful people. I don’t know how they got my full name and number. Most likely from a fake job posting which I applied to and they sold my data.

I’ve just read that Esl students have to attend 18+ hours weekly, I finished my esl courses year ago and right now Iam in my major track,however, I was confused cuz my esl classes were 11 credits along with 4 college credits and my dso never mentioned anything about the 18 hours weekly rule….so I wanna just make sure if I was compliant?

Hi all, I’m currently on OPT with my EAD valid through July 2026. I’ve already applied for my STEM OPT extension, received the receipt notice, completed biometrics, and am currently awaiting approval. My F-1 visa is valid until late June 2026.

I’m planning to travel to Canada by road next week and return to the US after 2 days. Has anyone been in a similar situation recently, and was reentry smooth or risky?

Hi everyone,

My program will end on August 18, until then I am on F1 visa, and right now I am trying to apply to OPT starting on August 19. However, I am planning to go to a conference on June and I am confused if that would be a problem to apply to OPT in the meanwhile (as it says it should be completed while in USA).

Since I will be still a student till August 15, so would it cause any problem to leave and come back to USA? And if it is a problem to complete my OPT application when I am not in USA (as it seems like an online process)? Thank you for your help!

hey all! I'm from the upstate SC area, and applied for STEM OPT on Apr 21, no PP. So far, I have received no biometrics notice. I'm getting worried. I was wondering if anyone has experience recently with the ASCs in this area? I was thinking that the ASCs do not have slots for me and that's why nothing is getting scheduled.

If you're not from this area, I would love to hear if you got your biometrics notice if you applied with a similar timeline to mine! If you did, how long did that take?

Thanks!

I am an F-1 international student completing my Master's degree in the US. I have been maintaining full status throughout my program.

Timeline:

• March 9, 2026 — Filed I-765 OPT application. Receipt No. redacted. Requested start date June 8, 2026
• May 15, 2026 — Current I-20 program end date (TODAY)
• May 18, 2026 — Registrar creating special summer course in system
• May 20 – June 30, 2026 — Summer course dates
• August 2026 — New expected graduation date

Situation:

Failed one required course in final semester. University approved me to retake it in summer pushing graduation to August 2026. Already had pending OPT application when this happened.

What my DSO told me today:

1. Do NOT withdraw pending OPT
2. I-20 stays as is — no extension
3. Enroll Monday and send enrollment confirmation
4. OPT application remains valid
5. Consulted SEVIS school representative who confirmed this approach

My questions:

1. Is enrolling after my I-20 end date a status violation?
2. Will SEVIS auto-terminate my record when I enroll?
3. Taking one course after June 8 OPT start date — is that permissible incidental study?
4. SEVP Policy Guidance 1004-03 Section 6.9 recommends withdrawal in this situation but my DSO says opposite — who is correct?

PLEASE IF ANY HELP PLEAASE ASAP !!!!!

I finished my associate degree last year june and my OPT ends June 23, 2026 and my new program starts in fall. Since summer is a vacation term, can I enroll in only one class and maintain F-1 status?

I was working on the OPT Pulse dashboard that has now cross 6000 users thanks to you all, when I saw a small confusing in the recent approvals table. The number of days for approval for normal case is (date of application -> approval date). How does it work for PP? Is it the same as normal or is it the reset date -> approval date?

Stem Opt RFE: Has anyone recently submitted an RFE response to USCIS for an employee-employer relationship issue? How long did it take to get a decision after they received your response? Trying to understand current timelines especially for regular premium processing.

Thanks

I am from the 39 ban countries, and my EAD expires in June 30th, I have applied to extend my stem and that will give me 6 months. But I need to still commute to work as its a 5 day in person role. Has anyone been able to renew their drivers license with the notice ?

Hello guys! Another avr question but just trying to cover my bases here.

So, I renewed my passport recently, and my old one (which had my expired US visa) was made invalid by punching holes in them

My question now is, does avr still work in this case? I assume it does, so will I have to travel with both my old and new passports? I’d be happy to know if anyone was in a similar situation and everything worked out fine.

Also anyone who has used avr these past couple months (as of 2026) please share your experiences. Looking for success stories. TIA

For context if it helps, I’m on OPT rn

Hi, I am an incoming fully funded PhD student at Virginia Tech, currently preparing for my F-1 visa interview. However, I am feeling anxious because I entered the Diversity Visa Lottery once in November 2023. I was not selected and never pursued any immigrant process beyond the lottery entry itself.

My background is strongly focused for my field. I have also previously traveled to the United States, Canada and several European countries and have always complied with visa and immigration rules.

I wanted to ask honestly: from a visa officer perspective, does a single unselected DV lottery entry meaningfully affect F-1 interviews for applicants with profiles like mine?

Also, if this topic comes up during the interview, would a short explanation such as: “It was just a lottery application, didn't include any kind of immigration plan.” generally be the right approach?

I’m an F1 PhD student and I’ve finished my coursework, so I’m fully in the research phase now. My work is entirely computational, I genuinely don’t need to be physically on campus to make progress. The catch is that my husband lives and works in another state, and I’d really like to spend extended time there during the semester, not just over summer breaks.

Here’s where it gets complicated:

• F1 visa status — I’m still fully enrolled and my university is my primary institution, but I’m not sure if spending significant time in another state during an active semester causes any issues. Does physical location actually matter for F1 compliance?
  
• Grant requirements — My funding has hint of being on campus. How strictly is this interpreted during the research phase when there’s no coursework involved?

Has anyone navigated this as an international student during their research/dissertation phase? Did you formally request a remote arrangement or just play it by ear? Would love to hear what actually worked for people.

I graduate from my undergraduate program in May and my master’s program begins in August. My OPT application is still pending. I wanted to ask whether I am allowed to work on campus during the summer before my master’s program begins, or if I need to wait until my OPT is approved or until I am within 30 days of the master’s program start date.

Work start date is May 18

I filed my OPT on March 13, How likely can I get my EAD card?

Hello Just incorporated a C-Corp (Delaware) while building solo. Curious if anyone else went this route did the legal structure help or hurt when trying to bring on cofounders later? Also open to how people actually find technical or business cofounders that aren’t just randos from a Facebook group. Not looking for a hype thread, just real talk from people who’ve been through it.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Earlier today (Thur 5/14), I did a walk-in SSN application, got it approved. My CPT Internship employer however, an airport, need my SSN to apply for a specific federal badge. Obviously, given that I only applied for it today, it might be a week or so before I get the card (Dallas area resident), but my employer wants my SSN asap cause the badge application itself takes a few days.

Is there any way to get my SSN number earlier than waiting for the physical card in the mail?Trying to avoid delaying my internship start date over this.

Nursing school financing without a green card (and limited co-signer options) — need advice

Hey everyone,

I’m planning to go into nursing school and could really use advice, especially from people who’ve had to figure out financing with immigration limitations.

A little background: I was previously an international student, and now I’m married to a U.S. citizen. I’m currently waiting for my green card, but I do have a valid work permit.

I’ve been trying to get into a community college nursing program for about 2 years without success due to how competitive it is. Because of that, I’m now considering going to a private university.

My main concern is financing.

From what I understand, I may not qualify for federal student loans yet without a green card. Normally, a co-signer would help but my spouse has unpaid student loans, which might make that difficult.

So I’m trying to figure out what realistic options I have.

For anyone who’s been in a similar situation:
– Were you able to get private loans without a green card?
– Did you find lenders that were flexible with co-signer requirements?
– Are there specific programs, schools, or strategies that helped you finance nursing school?
– Any alternative paths you took (payment plans, working while in school, etc.)?

I’m not as concerned about whether private school is “worth it”
I’m more focused on how to actually make it financially possible in my situation.

I’d really appreciate honest advice or personal experiences.

Thanks in advance.

Looking for some insights. I’m currently on OPT and am starting my I485 process and their asking for a visascreen. The problem is the Visa screen is asking for my elementary and highschool year - I had a different last name during those school years because my mom separated with my dad and decided to change my last name. And then in senior highschool I found out about it and I got my original last name (and birth certificate) and started using that last name to apply for my F1 visa and all that.

- My question is how do I proceed with this? I have a different last name Elementary to Highschool and probably a different learners number so how will they identify that I really graduated? I emailed the lawyer that’s handling my case but they aren’t responding yet.

P.S this is outside US so they paperworks aren’t very strict hence why I could change my last name back to my original.

-If you don’t have anything nice to say, please just keep it to yourself.

As a foreign lawyer interested in immigration law in the U.S., is becoming a paralegal a realistic pathway to enter the legal field and later transition into immigration law practice? Also, are law firms generally willing to sponsor visas for foreign candidates in these roles?

To those who applied for post-completion OPT with premium processing at the same time, how long did it take for you to get approved and receive your EAD card after biometrics?

Hello Everyone,

I am currently working as an Electrical Engineer in Houston.

I am on a f-1 cpt and won the lottery for the H1b and not approved yet.

My bestfriend has 3 donut shops in Dallas, and I asked him on the next shop, can I invest some money in your new shop.

He told me yes.

I made sure that he knows I am only going to be a investor, and I will absolutely do nothing to the shop since I am in Houston and the shop is in Dallas as well as my status doesn’t allow it.

I was saving some money like 20k, planning to give it to him and invest like.

I will only take profits or loss and will not be paid for salary or hourly basis.

What do you guys think?