An international student in the US did everything right, got his OPT (Optional Practical Training) permit approved, received an EAD (Employment Authorization Document), and still got blocked by his own school.
The F-1 student took to social media to share his nightmare experience. He claims that despite having an official work permit in hand, his university flat-out refused to let him report to his job because of some made-up ruling.
The alleged reason given by the school was that the student had lost the paper approval notice that USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) sends in the mail. Never mind that the same approval is visible in the USCIS online portal, the school wants paper or nothing.
And if the student wants an official hard copy that’s another $469 for Form I-824, money many students simply don’t have. Ironically, USCIS itself says the digital version is legally valid but the school won’t budge.
To make things worse, the student’s job was starting the very next day. And yet he has no portal access and no SEVIS (Student and Exchange Visitor Information System) update.
Netizens were outraged after hearing this student’s story as colleges are allegedly adding their own rules to an already messy system. Official guidelines don’t say anything about paper copies being mandatory yet he is made to go through this nightmare.
If a student is already approved and legally authorized to work, the system should support them not create more hurdles. At a time when it is already difficult for OPT students to land a job in the US, the schools imposing their own rules are just disheartening for the entire community.
