A student on an F-1 visa is facing a highly stressful situation as their post completion OPT remains pending. It has been five months since the application was submitted, raising concerns about delays and uncertainty.
The student had applied for OPT in late October 2025. Due to the lack of work authorisation, they have already lost a job offer, adding to the pressure and financial uncertainty.
The student is now planning to move to a new city and is worried about updating their address. There is concern that changing the address may lead to further complications with USCIS processing.
Experts warn that the Employment Authorisation Document card may be sent to the old address. This can create serious issues, as losing the EAD card can delay employment further.
A student cannot legally start working without having the physical EAD card. This makes timely delivery of the document extremely important for maintaining legal work status.
The student has been advised to consider upgrading the application to Premium Processing. While regular processing can take several months or even up to a year, Premium Processing offers faster decisions.
Under Premium Processing, a decision is usually made within 30 business days. This option may help reduce uncertainty, though it comes with additional cost.
The student also needs to check if their country is affected by any processing pauses. In some cases, applicants have faced delays of more than eight months due to such issues.
It is important for the student to review the cost of Premium Processing and decide if it is a suitable option. At the same time, updating the address in the USCIS portal is necessary.
Ensuring the correct address will help avoid delivery issues. This step can make sure the EAD card reaches the student without further delay.
