For Indian students on STEM OPT, the path to a green card through marriage may seem smoother, but even that road is now littered with painful delays, clueless attorneys, and unnecessary stress.
A Reddit user with STEM OPT recently shared their frustrating ordeal in a post. They are married to a US citizen and ready to file for adjustment of status (AOS).
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But they’re stuck because their lawyer is obsessed with an E-Verify mismatch that no agency has even flagged. The attorney claims that while filling out the I-983 for their second OPT job, the user reused the E-Verify number from their previous employer.
While the SEVIS was updated, the status remains active, and the student portal is normal, the lawyer insists on declaring this in full detail in the AOS application— something most immigration experts say isn’t necessary unless asked.
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Now the STEM OPT expires on August 5 and thanks to this delay, the user may lose their job unless the green card and EAD applications are filed immediately. Worse, the lawyer is on a two-week summer break and won’t even commit to filing before July 1, despite being paid $2,600.
Indian students like this user are already under financial and emotional pressure. Delays like this don’t just threaten legal status, they can destroy careers.
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