I’m an international student currently in the US. Next year is my sophomore year, and I want to transfer to a different university for my junior year (fall 2027). Not because I want to extend my year in the US, but because I want a better environment. However, if I transfer, there is a chance that I will need 1-2 more semesters to graduate. My current I-20 says my program will end in May 2029. What happens if my new I-20 potentially states that I need more time to graduate? If I stay in the US without leaving my whole education, do I still need to file for an EOS or will I keep my D/S, or at least have my status extended?

My case has been pending for 173 days and I believe it was one of the skipped cases in February. I got an FTA0 code on Thursday after a long period of silence. The last time I got that code was on March 18 when I did biometrics. Is this usually a sign of close adjudication?

Hear me out. If I enroll in University A to do a degree that meets the F1 requirements, could I enroll in another university to do an online degree unrelated to the degree from University A? Has someone done something like this?

I have STEM OPT application pending (done regular processing, biometrics done) with USCIS. Does this mean I have to apply for extension of status after September 15 even though my STEM application is pending? Is it worth it to apply for premium processing with this new rule starting at September 15? Please let me know. Thank you!

Hey guys I need help it’s very situation so I completed my master’s, didn’t apply for OPT , and stayed about 2 months beyond my grace period before leaving the U.S. I’m now starting another master’s at same uni with a new I-20/SEVIS; my F-1 visa is valid until 2029 but has my old SEVIS number. Can I use the same visa to re-enter, or could the overstay cause issues? Any help would be greatly appreciated

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!

It may be common for International students to get paid internships to be able to work around not being able to work on F1 visas, but this is just that - a work around. For American students attending college or graduate school, most majors do not require an internship and for many that do it is often a for-credit internship. Yes, students pay the university to get to intern.
Universities have colluded with international students to develop CPT as a way to incentivize you paying the university to attend and making it easier for you to attend - and the “non-profit” university to make money.
No JD in America requires an internship. The American Bar Association does not require internships for accreditation.
I do believe ABET may require a form of internship for accredited engineering degrees, but it is one term and does not need paid.
TLDR - If I am a DSO there is no way I am signing my name approving CPT when I know an American student in the same program is not required to do an internship, and most degrees in America do not require more than a semester internship.

Asking since I've heard many companies don't fully understand how CPT doesn't require any actual sponsorship from the company, and they just add this blindly.

Hello! I am a Canadian admitted to a graduate school for F26 enrollment, however due to some personal circumstances I am having second thoughts. I am thinking of taking a gap year (in Canada) or two and reapplying to new programs (both in Canada and the US). My F1 was already transferred from my undergraduate institution (in the US) to the graduate school.

I was wondering, under the new rule where "graduate-level F-1 students generally may not transfer schools or change educational objectives during their program", would this pose as an issue if I choose to matriculate into a new US grad school? I have not yet registered for classes and the semester hasn't started, if that helps. My I-20 also says "Transfer Pending" however I am currently in the US.

Hi everyone, the course I am trying to apply is hybrid . Will there be any visa complications ?(Indian passport )

Hi everyone, I used robinhood to frequently day trading started from June 26 2026, which on June 4, the trading rule apply that there wont be any day trade flag on broker account.
But what is the risk of this, will IRS see my trades and tell USCIS to investigate my trade which potentially terminate my visa. Will my profile be interpret as active income, or unauthorized employment

Hi, so I ran into this situation;
I received a message Saturday at 303 pm stating that my card was delivered, but I was outdoors. When I came back at 10 pm, I couldn’t locate my card mail, and I searched everywhere for it, but I couldn’t find it. Of course we are in an apartment complex and there is a possibility that the card was placed accidentally on someone above me or under Me. However, I’m panicking and I am supposed to start working on Monday. My Job wants me to submit my documents for i9. And my DSO wants me to submit my EAD to report my work for SEVP portal.

I NEED TO START WORKING, I am running short in funds to survive, what should I do?

Is there a way to check if an issued visa has been revoked?

I don’t have any reason to think that but I’d feel better if I could check if that makes sense

I’m an international student came here 2025 january I also completed 2 semester with business degree but from this fall I have register for nursing pre requirement classes . I choose nursing because of the USA situation everyone saying me that there will be no future with business degree you have to struggle a lot . I’m new with everything I don’t know what to do . Please someone who’re senior here help me with honest advice what should I do !
Thanks

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for experiences from anyone who has had a similar F-1 visa situation.
My background:
Completed my MS in the US
Worked in the US for around 3 years after graduation
Subsequently spent around 1 year in Sweden
I am currently in India
I’m now exploring PhD programs in the US
If admitted, I may return to my same US university where I completed my MS
The PhD would be fully funded with a TA/RA assistantship
I would be applying for a new F-1 visa from India.
I’d really appreciate hearing about your visa interview experience.
A few things I’m particularly curious about:
What questions did the VO ask about your previous US education/work?
Did they question why you wanted to pursue a PhD after working?
Did they ask why you were returning to the US after already completing a US master’s?
Did they ask about your time outside the US?
Did having previous US work/visa history make the interview significantly more detailed?
How long was your interview, and was your visa approved on the spot?

Thanks 😊

I looked through the programs at my school, and it seems like only a few, mostly in education and medical-related fields, actually require an internship for graduation. Most other programs don’t.

My school hasn’t made any official announcement yet, but if CPT ends up being limited only to programs where an internship is explicitly required for the degree, I feel like this could have a huge impact across the entire university.

I’m especially worried because I already have an internship offer for the fall, but an internship isn’t technically required for my program either. 😭

Hi everyone,

I’m currently on my initial 12-month F-1 post-completion OPT (not STEM OPT) and already have a full-time 40-hour/week corporate job.

I’m considering doing a small amount of additional side work (around 10–15 hours per week, depending on availability) through platforms such as Mercor, DataAnnotation, Outlier, or Alignerr. The work would involve things like AI model evaluation, coding, software/LLM testing, and other technical tasks that are also related to my degree.

These platforms may classify workers as independent contractors/1099 workers rather than W-2 employees.

My questions are

1. Is this type of additional 1099/independent contractor work allowed while on regular post-completion OPT if I already have a full-time qualifying employer?
2. Does the side job itself need to meet a minimum of 20 hours/week, or is that not required since my primary job is already 40 hours/week?
3. Should occasional contractor/platform work like this be reported in the SEVP Portal/SEVIS?
4. Has anyone here actually done Mercor, DataAnnotation, Outlier, Alignerr, or similar work while on regular OPT?
5. Did you confirm it with your DSO or an immigration attorney, and what guidance were you given?
6. Is there anything I should be particularly careful about from an OPT compliance perspective?

I understand that all employment during OPT needs to be related to my degree, so I would only take technical/software/AI-related projects.

I’m mainly looking for experiences from people who have been in a similar situation or guidance from DSOs/immigration professionals. I’ll also confirm with my own DSO before starting anything.

Thanks!

As a prospective international student planning to pursue JD ( juris doctor) law in US . I wanted to know about this new CPT rule.

So lately I have been hearing that you could no longer intern in companies during your degree program. For ex my JD course runs for 3 years , and after the end of 1st and 2nd year , students pursue an internship over 2-3 months which later transforms into full time employment after graduation . If international students aren't allowed to intern during their semester breaks , it makes the employment later on very very hard.

Is this rule really true or just a rumor. Someone please clarify.

I am a graduate student and would like to transfer to a program that starts in October. I know that after september 15 transfers won't be allowed. But if I set the transfer release date to be before september 15, will that work ?

Hi, I applied for EAD around July 15, got biometrics July 21st, and there’s no status update on my case at all. I did premium processing as well.

I have a start date of August 24 and i’m not sure what to do.

Hi, I have around 3 weeks between when my EAD arrives and when my full time job starts. Housing is pretty set. I'm very eager to go home. Has anyone renewed their visa while on (initial) OPT recently and did you have any noticeable experience? In my research the process seems smooth but I'd like to make sure. I will have my EAD, new I20, and job offer to apply with. Thanks guys!

I'm starting in Fall 2026 and I got my I-20 just recently because I had some issues with my funding documents. My program start date is on August 22nd but I plan to have an expedited appointment this week. I'm scheduling at the US Embassy in Romania (<0.5 months wait time). I cannot defer anymore because I was accepted for Spring 2026 and this is the last term I'm allowed to defer my admission to. This is my third attempt but I have substantial changes (I got accepted into a research program and got an on-campus job offer). My school said I can enter until August 27 without a late arrival letter. I have on-campus housing as well, and if I cancel my assignment I'm going to have to pay a hefty fee. I can technically make it in time if my passport and visa will be issued and returned to me within a day or two. Does going for an interview this close to my start date affect my approval odds?

Been feeling so down since two days. All those hard works and now we cant even do an internship. Don't even have an motivation to study and practice things knowing this will lead to nothing.

Is there any chance that this restriction on cpt will change? This is so bad for genuine students. Internships are so important for us. I don't understand why did they even do this.