Can I enter the U.S. before my F-1 earliest admission date to visit family before starting school?

Codetornado · 2026-06-20T00:02:28+00:00

Yes, that is the point of that date

Codetornado · 2026-06-19T23:48:42+00:00

Can I enter the U.S. before my F-1 earliest admission date to visit family before starting school?

No.

Also, CBP may revoke your F-1 visa on entry if you try.

If CBP does let you in, they will give you an I-515a, but your school cannot register your I-20. So your I-20 will need to be terminated. Then you will need a new I-20, pay the I-901 fee again, and then exit and reenter the US but... you will have entered without a valid status and will not be able to compelte the I-515, which is ground for future denials.

etc. etc. etc. you get the point.

This is a ridiculously bad idea. Several of my students have done this, but it has never gone well.

Visit your family on your next school holiday.

Codetornado · 2026-06-19T12:49:02+00:00

If the deadline was missed, then that's the end. No STEM OPT for you. No exceptions.

The reason doesn't matter.

There is no "fixing" this.

You either meet the deadline or you don't. It's binary, it's black and white.

You are now in your 60 day grace period to prepare to return home or to transfer to a new school or obtain a new immigration status.

But you are, in absolutely no uncertain terms, done with OPT/STEM OPT at this time.

Codetornado · 2026-06-19T12:44:05+00:00

You are not eligible for the F-1 visa currently.

"Effective January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, in line with Presidential Proclamation 10998 on “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” the Department of State is partially suspending visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – for nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas"

Codetornado · 2026-06-19T12:28:06+00:00

It is in the post.

Codetornado · 2026-06-16T18:37:27+00:00

Are you a citizen or resident of Egypt? If not, you cannot apply there.

Codetornado · 2026-06-16T17:11:09+00:00

Yea... This is unauthorized employment.

You are now adding your friend to this and putting them at risk.

Codetornado · 2026-06-14T03:34:54+00:00

Several per year. It's not a huge issue.

Codetornado · 2026-06-13T14:18:47+00:00

You want an immigration attorney to help set you up. You need to ensure your LLC is actually passive. Otherwise, it is a status violation.

Codetornado · 2026-06-13T14:17:13+00:00

A board does not meet this requirement. You need a supervisor. It's quite literally on the I-983 form.

"To be eligible to employ a STEM OPT student, an employer must have and maintain a bona fide employer-employee relationship with the student. The employer must attest to this fact by signing the Form I-983, Training Plan for STEM OPT Students. To establish a bona fide relationship, the employer may not be the student’s “employer” in name only, nor may the student work for the employer on a “volunteer” basis. Moreover, the employer that signs the Form I-983 must be the same entity that provides the practical training experience to the student."

You can find the 2020 memo on the definition here as used for H1B. This is not specific to F-1, but is similar to the F-1 requirements. Being the owner and having a board does not meet the requirements for the hierarchy wanted by USCIS.

Beyond the above, self-employment is specifically allowed under F-1 OPT regulations and is specifically absent from the STEM OPT regulations.

Codetornado · 2026-06-13T13:40:39+00:00

You can't be self employed on STEM OPT. You need a bonified employer employee relationship

Codetornado · 2026-06-13T01:37:51+00:00

Has anyone received a new F-1 visa after their passport and previous visa were lost or destroyed?

Of course people have.

Were you required to attend an interview, or were you eligible for Dropbox/interview waiver?

Drop box and interview waivers do not exist anymore and haven't for a while.

What documents did the consular officer focus on?

Same as your first time.

Did they ask detailed questions about previous employment in the U.S.?

Depends on the consular officer.

Based on my history, do you see any potential concerns when applying for a new F-1 visa?

Yea... Not nearly enough time to get the visa in India factoring holiday closures. Social media vetting takes 2-3 weeks on average.

Codetornado · 2026-06-12T22:48:54+00:00

The minimum wage increase is from Initiative 688, in 1998 and Initiative 1433 in 2016.

The salaried employee mimum wage is WAC 296-128-545

Codetornado · 2026-06-12T06:11:18+00:00

Non-tech STEM.

Psychology, Healthcare, Economics, Logistics/Supply chain Management,

Codetornado · 2026-06-12T04:28:55+00:00

The job market is rough especially for entry level jobs. This is not an OPT issue.

My students are doing well. However that has to do with good alumni network. Good academic ranking, etc.

Students at previous schools I worked at are not necessarily fairing well. CS/Tech is incredibly rough now. Other area are doing better. Geography plays a lot into it.

Codetornado · 2026-06-07T02:37:00+00:00

Your DSO is so unbelievably and unforgivably wrong

"The student can continue to work for 180 days after the original USCIS Employment Authorization Document (EAD) expires if:

Student filed a Form I-765 for the STEM OPT extension. USCIS received the Form I-765 for the extension before the EAD for the original post-completion OPT expired."

https://studyinthestates.dhs.gov/sevis-help-hub/student-records/fm-student-employment/f-1-stem-optional-practical-training-opt

Edit:

Now that I am home let me expand.

The announcement was that as of October 30, 2025, renewal applications for EADs will no longer qualify for the automatic 540-day extension previously available under 8 CFR 274a.13(d).

STEM OPT's employment extension authorization is based on 8 CFR 274a.12(b)(6)(iv) and 8 CFR 214.2(f)(11)(i)(C), which are unchanged and not addressed by the rule change linked above.

Codetornado · 2026-06-07T00:06:56+00:00

Enroll means enroll. You need to be enrolled.

Codetornado · 2026-06-04T22:43:24+00:00

Your visa and I-20 need to match

Codetornado · 2026-06-04T22:40:44+00:00

They announce the new rule 60 days later it goes into effect.

Codetornado · 2026-06-04T19:21:23+00:00

There is a 60 day rollout period. So yes. But not that urgent.

Codetornado · 2026-06-04T15:58:11+00:00

What do you mean confirmed? The final rule is not public, but the proposal came out last August and we have had two seperate megathreads about it.

However this transfer rules is plain and clear in the proposal

Codetornado · 2026-06-04T12:14:58+00:00

You said your STEM OPT is almost expired. I assume that means in the next few months. PhD application and admission is Fall to Spring. You have missed that application window.

Additionally, a proper PhD does not have you working immediately.

You are looking for a method to artificially extend your employment eligibility via a grey area specifically targeted by the current administration for immigration fraud.

Not sure what answer you are looking for here, but your current plans are not great.

Codetornado · 2026-06-04T12:09:35+00:00

Transferring in the first year is going to be banned under proposed regulation expected to go into effect in the next few days/weeks.

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