We just had a first-time O-1A petition approved without RFE by the California Service Center for a recently graduated microbiome scientist on STEM-OPT.
On July 12, 2023, the Department of Homeland Security added eight new degree fields to the F-1 STEM Optional Practical Training (OPT) program in hopes of appealing to foreign STEM…
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has extended premium processing to certain I-765 applications filed by F-1 students pursuing Optional Practical Training (OPT) and STEM OPT.
Changing your status does not automatically give you a new visa. It is important to understand the consequences of change-of-status applications on the ability to travel internationally and at what…
Let’s analyze the following scenario: You are currently in the U.S. working for Company X on your post-completion OPT. Your work authorization card is expiring on July 15 and you…
If you are currently in the U.S. working on a post-completion OPT or if you graduated university and you are currently looking for a job related to your field of…
The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that permits a company to hire workers in specialty occupations. There are a limited number of H-1B petitions that USCIS can adjudicate every year (65,000 Regular…
Let’s analyze the following scenario: You were in the U.S. on a post-completion OPT and found an employer willing to sponsor you for an H-1B visa. The employer filed an…
If you are studying in the U.S. as a full-time student at an accredited college or university on an F-1 visa, you may be interested in getting a job on…
Let’s analyze the following scenario: You are in the U.S. on F-1 OPT status and you are working for an employer. During the cap season, your employer files an H-1B…
In May 2018, USCIS quietly changed the rules for offsite STEM OPT workplace placement on its website that disallowed STEM OPT students from being placed with a third party. For…
For many foreign nationals who travel to the United States to study and earn a bachelor’s degree in the fields of science, technology, engineering or mathematics (“STEM”), the 24-month extension…
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) have issued a reminder that F-1 students on Optional Practical Training (OPT) will have their OPT status terminated automatically if they transfer…
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has released it spring 2018 regulatory agenda, proposing significant changes to the B-1 and B-2 temporary visitor categories, the H-1B and EB-5 programs, F-1…
The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) quietly revised the STEM OPT requirement page, showing only as “last reviewed/updated”, on January 24, 2018. USCIS revised the Optional Practical Training…
Foreign nationals who enter the United States to pursue educational degrees are admitted as F-1 nonimmigrants. Students on an F-1 Visa have the option of training in the United States…
What is OPT? If you are a foreign national in the U.S. on an F-1 visa you can participate in temporary employment that is related to your field of study.…