USCIS Update Regarding Applicants Filing Form I-765 for OPT

USCIS continues to experience delays at certain lockboxes in issuing receipt notices for Form I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, based on eligibility categories described in 8 C.F.R. 274a.12(c)(3), relating to optional practical training (OPT) for F-1 students. As such, USCIS has issued the following clarifications and reminders:

• These delays will not affect the received date. All submissions are date stamped upon arrival at the Lockbox, so regardless of when the Lockbox processes your application, your received date will reflect the date it actually arrived at the Lockbox.

• USCIS does not reject applications solely because they were filed at the lockbox address in use prior to the change to the filing address instructions announced on Jan. 8, 2021. USCIS encourages applicants filing Form I-765 to always check the form instructions on their website for the most up-to-date filing instructions.

• If you have timely filed Form I-765 based on STEM OPT, and your post-completion OPT period expires while the application is pending, USCIS will automatically extend the employment authorization for 180 days. The Form I-20 endorsed by the designated school official recommending a STEM extension together with the expired Form I-766 employment authorization document (EAD) issued for post-completion OPT establishes identity and work authorization for purposes of documenting employment authorization.

If you have already filed your application and are waiting for your receipt notice, USCIS recommends that you wait eight weeks before contacting them to inquire about your case status. USCIS will continue to monitor this situation and will announce any additional changes on www.uscis.gov.