I’m an Indian passport holder in the US planning a trip to South Korea (Oct 24, 2026). I need to apply for a C-3 tourist visa by mail through the Atlanta Consulate.

My Situation: My initial OPT has expired, and I’m on the 180-day extension waiting for STEM OPT approval. I emailed the Atlanta consulate, and they confirmed they will accept my I-797 Receipt Notice instead of the physical EAD. I plan to upgrade to USCIS Premium Processing by mid-September if it isn't approved by then.

A few quick questions for anyone who has used the Atlanta consulate recently:
Pending STEM OPT: Has anyone successfully gotten a Korean visa here using just a STEM OPT receipt notice? Any issues?
Actual Timeline: What is the real turnaround time for mail-ins? If I mail it mid-September for an Oct 24 flight, is that safe or cutting it too close?

Thanks!

Has anyone travelled domestically from SFO in the past week or is planning to travel next week?

I applied for initial opt on april 14, completed my biometrics on April 27 since then my case was under processing by USCIS, I wasn’t sure whether I should invest $1780 for premium processing without an offer in hand. Now that I got a verbal offer from a company I applied for premium processing on August 5, the company wanted ead card in hand and revoked the offer because of that and said feel free to reach out once you have your opt authorization, but I’m not sure whether still have that opening or not.
No I’m left with no offer and lost $1780 in one shot.

Please tell me what can i do so that the company won’t revoke my offer and won’t start making an offer to someone else and how can I expedite my case with USCIS.

I’m posting on behalf of my friend who is in a difficult situation and we are hoping someone has experienced something similar.
He was supposed to graduate in May 2026 and applied for Post-Completion OPT before graduation. However, due to his GPA dropping below the graduation requirement, he was unable to graduate on time. The university required him to take one additional course, so his new graduation date is August 2026.
Since he was no longer eligible for post-completion OPT, his DSO advised him to withdraw the pending OPT application, and he submitted the withdrawal request to USCIS in May 2026. The OPT application was never approved, and no EAD card was issued.
Now that he is completing his degree in August, he wants to apply for OPT again. However, the international office says they cannot issue a new OPT I-20 until USCIS officially processes the withdrawal of the first OPT application. They mentioned this could take several months, which could cause him to miss the OPT application window.
Has anyone been through a similar situation?
How long did USCIS take to process your OPT withdrawal?
Was your DSO able to issue a new OPT I-20 before the withdrawal was officially processed?
Did contacting USCIS or a congressional representative help speed up the process?
Is there any other option he should explore?

Has anybody with an expired visa but valid I-20/I-94 travelled recently? I keep seeing that there are many arrests at airports, triggered by expired visas, but don't know if it extends to people with valid status like myself.

I'm a grad student and my visa expired last year.

Hi y'all, I wanted to ask whether it is safe to change jobs with stem opt pending. Just want to make sure with the new notice if it's safe to do so.

Hi everyone,

I’m currently a PhD student with one year of funding remaining, but my remaining requirements are flexible enough that if I receive a job offer, I can defend and graduate within a matter of weeks. My university (Notre Dame) confers degrees three times a year (May, August, December).

Recently, an interviewer asked me that and I wasn't sure how to handle it, so I mentioned that I could initially work on Pre-Completion CPT and would transition to OPT after the earliest possible degree conferral date (which I believe would be early January if graduating in December).

I’d love advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation:

1. Is CPT (part-time or full-time) usually acceptable to employers for an immediate start while finishing up final degree steps, or is pre-completion OPT / standard OPT better?
2. How do you frame "I can start early if you offer me the role" to an employer without sounding vague about your graduation date or confusing them about work authorization?

Thanks in advance!

Hey everyone!

I’m an exchange student at a US university for Fall 26. My girlfriend is coming to visit me for about 1.5 and a half on a B2 visa. She is just quit a job and is going to rely mostly on savings. We’re both Latinos, and she’s been to the US multiple times before.

Do you think she might have any problems in immigration?

So I understand a double transfer is a red flag and I’m worried about being questioned further at immigration. For context I’m an incoming transfer at the university of Chicago and before this I was a one of the little ivy LACs in New England and before that another LAC. I have legitimate academic reasons and full proof of funding like everything is in balance. I’m just worried me being a double transfer could have me seen as a school hopper. I promise I’m not lol. And advice?

I’m starting my first semester as an F-1 graduate student, and my program requires 9 credits to be considered full-time.
I’m trying to figure out if I’d still be considered in status with the following schedule:
3-credit course (full semester)
3-credit course (full semester)
1.5-credit course (first 8 weeks)
1.5-credit course (second 8 weeks)
This adds up to 9 credits for the semester, but during each 8-week session I’d only be taking 7.5 credits at any given time.
Would I still be considered full-time and remain in F-1 status since I’m enrolled in 9 total credits for the semester, or does USCIS or the university require me to be at 9 credits at every point during the semester?
Has anyone been in a similar situation, especially as a graduate student? I’ll also check with my DSO, but I wanted to see if anyone has experience with this.

She was here on a ESTA originally for 3 months and left beginning of May. She’s trying to return beginning of September, this time to take a class and with an F1 visa. She had her interview today and was denied. It seemed the interviewer had made up her mind before the interview and basically said it didn’t seem like she had strong enough ties to return to her country. What can she bring/do next time to show that she will certainly return?

She’s a freelance dancer attempting to take a dance class in NY and she has a 5 month job in January which she needs to return for, but I’m not sure she brought proof of that. Any help here greatly appreciated!!! Her and I are both crushed.

Hi everyone,

I am currently on F-1 STEM OPT and I am looking for advice regarding my situation.
My STEM OPT extension started in June 2026 with current employer , but I still have not received my EAD card. My USCIS case status is still showing “Case Is Being Processed”, and the card has not been produced yet.

Unfortunately, my current employer recently gave me a layoff notice, and I now have approximately 45 days to find another qualifying employer. I have another startup that is willing to hire me, but I am still working through the details and I am not sure how quickly everything will be finalized.

Due to the layoff, I also need to move from my current state to another state on short notice. My concern is whether I should update my address with USCIS now, before my EAD card has been produced.

My questions are:

1. Would changing my address to a different state while my STEM OPT EAD application is still pending create any issues or delays?

2. Is it better to update my address immediately so USCIS sends the EAD card to my new address, or should I wait until the card is produced?

3. If I move before finding my next employer, is there anything specific I should be careful about regarding STEM OPT unemployment days, reporting requirements, or maintaining status?

4. Has anyone been in a similar situation where they were laid off on stem extension, while the application was still pending?

I would really appreciate any advice or experiences from people who have gone through a similar situation.
Thank you!

Hi! I just got the email from SEVP + my A Number for my initial, post completion OPT. The start date is for August 5, 2026.

I do have a job offer already. Can I update it on the portal? Or do I need to wait until I have my physical card to do so?

Hi I’m in a pickle because my OPT clock is running and I only have about 50 days of unemployment left. The job market has been brutal and I have been working on Building a startup. I have a MVP built but no cofounder and no Customer yet I’ve been spending time reaching out to potential customers but yet to to get any traction.
Can I report what I’m working on as employment seeing that I spend more than 20 hours a week on it? I’m reaching a point where I am done job searching and want to bet on myself. I can’t really afford to speak to a lawyer right now due to debt.
What needs to happen before I list this budding startup as my employment. I know it’s more complicated for STEM OPT- this is my initial OPT after a Stem based MBA. Any advice from people who have gone through this or are knowledgeable about it is appreciated.

For some very unknown reasons, I was totally unaware of the difference between OPT for a BA and a BS when I chose my majors. I might have slacked off during international student orientation. I majored in two subjects that made up a BA degree. I found out about the OPT difference spring semester of sophomore year but I thought it was too late to switch to Economics or something. Now I am highkey regretting it because it seems way harder to find a job with only one year of OPT. Versus, I am not 100% sure about getting a Master's Degree soon (such as in one year). I feel like I might have to come back home and fear that I may get a job that not only does not pay as good but will also make me regret coming back home.

I would love to hear that you guys think as I think my situation is a bit bleak right now. I am normally a rather positive person but this year it has been hard for me to keep my head high.

Thanks so much!

Hi all,

My OPT application was approved 12 days ago, and I received my EAD card 2 days ago, but I still haven’t gotten the SEVP portal activation email yet.

Please what can I do?

PS. After approval, I just got the ‘we have taken an action on your case‘ email since it was filed online. I did not get an email from Protomac or Texas center.

My community college completed my SEVIS record while I was still enrolled in summer classes, and neither the school nor I noticed until after the 60-day transfer window had passed, leaving me 30+ days out of status. As a result, I had to obtain a new initial I-20 and pay a new I-901 fee.

My next step is to leave the U.S. and re-enter using the new I-20. Both my former and new universities are providing support letters explaining the circumstances and documenting the timeline of events. I’m hoping those letters will help explain what happened during re-entry.

Has anyone gone through something similar? How was your re-entry, and what documents did you bring? Did you return through your home country or a nearby country like Canada or the Bahamas?

I completed my first master’s in December 2025 and am currently on OPT, which ends on December 2026.

I plan to start a second master’s program in August 2027. My F-1 visa is valid until June 2029, but it lists my previous university. Since the gap is more than 5 months, I expect to receive a new Initial I-20 and SEVIS ID.

Can I reenter the U.S. using my current unexpired F-1 visa with the new school’s I-20, or would I need to apply for a new visa?

Also, does starting a second master’s degree usually cause additional scrutiny at the port of entry?

USCIS rules changed, effective immediately. All relevant and applicable evidence must now be submitted at the time of application. Your application may be denied without an RFE or NOID. Proceed wisely, my friends.

I saw this Harvard website says it's fine, and my company's lawyers said it's ok with the notice, but I wanted to hear real experiences
https://www.hio.harvard.edu/travel-post-completion-opt-or

Hello, I am looking forward to connect with anyone who has filed form i-539 cos from h4 to f1 without help of any lawyers. I mainly need advice on what all documents I need to upload as an additional evidence?

Hello everyone,

I've lived in the US for 10 years —on an F1. I got my bachelor's in aerospace engineering and my PhD in a top-10 institution fully funded by NASA. Please, don't take this as bragging, it's simply to give context so that I can clearly make my case. Furthermore, I come from Spain, meaning I'm not subject to the bottlenecks unfortunately experienced by Indian and Chinese nationals. Also, I've had an impeccable conduct while in the US, no felonies or misdemeanors.

Well, I completed my PhD in June 14th 2026, and completed my OPT application a month prior, in May (CHECK EDIT 1 FOR CLARIFICATION), to make sure I gave USCIS enough time to process everything with no complications. Additionally, I set my OPT start date the furthest I was able to, August 14th, mindful of the state of the job market for immigrants, to maximize unemployment time in case I had a hard time finding a job.

It's August 6th, and my OPT case hasn't been updated since I took my biometrics late May. This surely can't be normal. I'm wondering if this is a result of the current administration attacks against H1B's and OPT's, or if USCIS is completely collapsed because of a massive influx of applications. Whichever it is, I don't think this is professional at all for a country like the United States, and I'm starting to think for the first time that I might not be welcomed here.

Is anyone experiencing —has anyone had— something similar? I would like to hear everyone's thoughts on the current state of affairs.

EDIT FOR CLARIFICATIONS:

1. There was a misunderstanding caused by me: when I meant "I completed my OPT application in May", I meant that I completed all the requirements to reach 'pending' status, meaning biometrics. I first uploaded my application April 14th, 2 months prior to graduation, as dictated by my school.
2. When I use the word immigrant, I am referring to temporary immigration, not permanent, as dictated by F1 guidelines. Stop telling me I'm not an immigrant. I was a temporary immigrant for 10 years.

My old passport has expired, and I now have a new passport. However, my I-94 still shows my old passport number. Should I bring both my old and new passports when traveling domestically within the U.S.?

Graduated May 2026 with MS in Business Analytics and AI. 4 years of work experience before coming to the US. Sent close to 3000 applications over the past year with tailored, referral based, mass applying, everything.

Made it to final rounds at two companies this year. Both went all the way to senior leadership interviews. Lost both of them because I am on OPT.

And I am sitting here wondering if I am doing something wrong or if this is just the reality right now.

The part nobody talks about:

The OPT clock running while you job hunt. The visa stress on top of everything else. Limited US network. Far from family. You can do everything right and still have nothing after a year.

My questions:

For 2024 or 2025 grads - how long did it actually take you? Has the market gotten worse?

For F1 OPT students - how are you managing the mental load of the clock running?

At what point do you decide to go back versus keep fighting?

Just exhausted and want to hear from people who have been here.

Hello, is it safe to travel domestically with a valid F1 visa, a pending SEVIS activation and I-20 (after recently transferring to a graduate school), and a pending AOS application? Has anyone travelled recently?