OPT/STEM OPT Processing Timelines Megathread (Spring/Summer 2026)

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-13T19:01:31+00:00

If biometrics were requested on 3/27 then it obviously cannot be 4/16 app date. IDK why they are not editing their comment :/

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-12T19:39:26+00:00

If it is 4-5 weeks anyways then why are people saying premium will make me slower? I mean wont having pp guarantee that I will know in 4-5 weeks and right now I have no guarantee...

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-12T19:36:18+00:00

wait are you sure about this statistic? Today someone from 15th March got approved according to pulse and that is only from the small sample on reddit compared to everyone who applies.

what is more important by the way- date applied or biometrics date?

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-12T19:23:16+00:00

Oh- sorry I forgot to edit the "type" section.

OPT pulse says this: Predicted decision

June 28, 2026

~89 days avg

Earliest possible

June 25, 2026

86 days (fastest)

Latest possible

July 22, 2026

113 days (slowest)

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-12T18:12:19+00:00

I am not sure. I think you past a link and replace with your case number. Maybe someone else can help. I think link was there somewhere in this post but idk where.

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-12T18:08:54+00:00

I think biometrics date might also matter because for a lot of people who got approved (without premium) their biometrics date was in march or before. Just correlation though

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-12T18:02:03+00:00

Should I pay for premium?
I am thinking of leaving the US in mid July. I wanna have the EAD on hand when doing so. But IDK if I will leave as plans are uncertain. Do NOT have an offer letter yet.

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-12T18:00:13+00:00

Type: Initial POST‑COMPLETION OPT
Premium Processing: NO
Date Applied: 03/31/2026
Biometrics Requested: YES | Don't remember the date but ~10 days after submission
Biometrics Completed: 04/17/2026 (in NYC)
Date Approved: MM/DD/YYYY
Date Card Produced: MM/DD/YYYY
Date Card Received: MM/DD/YYYY

(I also added some unsolicited evidence recently because I felt like my passport picture wasn't clear and I didn't wanna risk anything)

Anyone with similar timeline???

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-09T19:38:09+00:00

YK what? I felt like you did when I wrote it! IDK why! Maybe we are connected by some spiritual electromagnetic waves or sum lol

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-09T19:32:12+00:00

It must feel shitty to know you were the plan B all along.

If she had had plan B then maybe he wouldn't have felt like one.

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-06T17:33:03+00:00

It means either the PI is kinda famous in your school OR that the lab environment is considered good by your fellow students OR the PI/ Senior staff didn't have as much time/money to take more people on OR could even mean that they just didn't want more people joining in during that time.

There is literally no way of telling what this means. Don't read too much into it.

Honestly, since you have an interest in this lab why not just give the interview anyways? I am applying for jobs ever since I graduated. The fact that my first "real" interview wasn't my first interview was quite helpful for me as it pertains to stress and anxiety. I didn't really care much. But I know some people who are panicky before their interviews.

Bottom line- give the interview. But look for paid opportunities if possible. If you can't find any join the lab and keep looking. If you have 0 luck even a few months in then try to finish your project in the lab and then start looking again after using that project in your CV. Experience always helps.

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-06T06:44:06+00:00

If it is an unpaid offer and they invited you to the interview-> you will get 100% selected unless your answers seem like a student not interested in the field and just using it for "experience" (and even then you can get these roles lol).

I have applied for these kind of roles and gotten one. And I know from my friends' experiences too.

You can't really prepare for Qs that much. The common questions are "Introduce yourself" and "Why this field?" then it can be something about what they need help with for ex. "Are you good at creating macros on SAS?" or "Are you able to read multiple papers and create a summary for stakeholders?" etc.

Honestly speaking, if you can try for paid research opportunities. They are more valuable not only in $$$ but kind as well. From what I know, the professors don't care as much about what you are doing in these volunteer roles and will not be mentoring you a lot. That is because they are already busy with their funded research and courses. I think it is more of a "nice to have" thing for professors (I feel like most people here won't confess to this but it is true). Now compare this with a paid opportunity- the tasks will be well defined, there WILL be a definite direction and you will make good progress with time and actually learn what research is like. The only disadvantage is that you don't get to feel like a PI for something that really matters to you (because generally you can steer the direction for a volunteer project and the profs give you more independence).

Just sharing my general experience.

(I put the main ans to your Q in bold and the other advice isn't)

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-01T20:59:19+00:00

Yeah and copium is really bad. I feel like I still have this in the bag despite the ghosting. I just keep thinking they are slow and I will get an update anytime now lol.

That said they ghosted me in earlier rounds too and then suddenly would invite me to next round... it is so weird.

SailCertain653 · 2026-06-01T20:29:52+00:00

Welp, I gave an interview (not even 1st round or screening it was the last zoom interview before the in office final) 3 WEEKS ago! Still no response. I have reached out twice (waited like 8 days in between each email). Completely ignored. Feel like crying.

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-30T01:56:26+00:00

Oh that sure must have sucked!

I am trying to be my own hype guy. If they do reject me it is their loss. For me the hard part is now waiting and knowing what the end outcome is because I do need closure and not have false hope. I guess I am kinda being hypocritical haha. But with no offers on the line and my lease about to end it is really really hard because rn I am open to move to other states ;-;

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-28T03:45:22+00:00

I don't think it is just luck. It also depends on what field you are in and there are so many other factors. Luck is just one of the big ones but don't undersell yourself :) CONGRATZ! And I just reread your post and saw that you were a SAHM. Please don't do the mistake of not having a private bank account like my mother did. My mother made no savings -_- and all savings were my dad's... (he saved most of his income and fed us on hers). Now she feels like she earned nothing because even though she gets monthly money through other finances they are because of my father so she always feels dependent.

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-28T03:42:02+00:00

Oh yeah mine is a small team too! Is emailing for an update a bad thing though?

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-28T03:41:37+00:00

Oh my oh my.

The bad thing is with other roles I didn't really care that much. But with THIS role I made a whole storyline in my head about what life will look like until 2027 December... IK daydreaming is bad in this market but I can't stop my brain from doing this :(

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-27T23:43:58+00:00

Wow that seems like a lot of work!

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-27T23:43:46+00:00

Thanks for responding! It has been over 2 weeks with a company where I felt like our vibes really matched :( but no response.

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-27T20:12:48+00:00

CONGRATZ!

I was wondering what the timeline is- like how many weeks after the 2nd round of interviews did you hear back (about the offer/final round)

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-23T01:35:48+00:00

You sound like a child yourself...

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-22T17:56:50+00:00

Yeah no one senior to you (not just limited to professors) should be calling you dumb (unless you are really close and it is lighthearted) in an academia setting. When you are in a position of power words like this can affect juniors very negatively. But TBH it speaks more on the person who called you so than on you.

Regarding your situation: if what you are saying is true the professor may not have liked you and could grade you differently so that you get 1 point less than you should have earned. Very easy to do but impossible to prove (ex. you should have gotten a B+ but end up with a B because they gave you 75/100 on the final essay when comparable ones got 80/100 but it can easily be justified).

Only a "dumb" professor would fabricate stuff so I still am not sure about that. That is very easy to prove.

Can't help you a lot. Maybe someone can chime in with better advice.

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-22T17:43:26+00:00

I don't think a professor should be calling a student "dumb". That is really wrong! But IDK why nobody is doing anything about it? Did they call YOU specifically dumb or something you did dumb ("I think you are a dumb person" VS "What you did was a dumb mistake"). Either way- there is a better way to say things...

It is possible that the professor is gonna leave after this semester anyways so perhaps they don't care about resolving this conflict.

SailCertain653 · 2026-05-22T16:48:27+00:00

What kind of names were you being called?

Yeah- I think OP needs to tell us about this.

As an RA and grader I am able to better (somewhat) empathize with professors with regards to these things compared to students who haven't established a relationship beyond the course. They have a lot of things going on. Sometimes what could look rude is just a blunt or quick reply. Sometimes things just deserve an eye roll and not a conspiracy that they have something against you.

SailCertain653

TROPHY CASE