OPT Pulse
Estimate when your OPT may be approved from recent community-reported timelines, then compare your application date with similar cases and follow each stage to EAD delivery.
Quick check — how is your case doing?
Core OPT Tools
OPT Pulse separates processing-time data, approval prediction, case-date comparison, unemployment tracking, and premium processing deadlines so each page answers one clear question.
Median approval days for recent non-premium and premium OPT and STEM OPT cases in 2026.
Estimate a non-premium approval window from recent cases with similar application dates.
Enter your application date to see approval progress and average days for the same cohort.
Browse reported approval, card production, mailing, and delivery milestones.
Track the 90-day OPT and combined 150-day STEM OPT unemployment limits.
Count the I-765 30-business-day premium processing clock and prepare next steps.
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Built from thousands of real cases so you know what's actually happening, not just the official processing time.
Enter your application date and get an estimated decision window based on the most recent non-premium cases.
Count your 30-business-day I-765 premium processing window, skip weekends and federal holidays, and prepare a refund checklist if day 30 passes.
Compare community-reported OPT and STEM OPT processing time by application date, approval status, and EAD card milestones.
Compare your case to everyone else who applied the same day — approval rate, average days, and more.
Log your employment history and see exactly how many of your 90 (or 150 with STEM) unemployment days you have left, with a visual timeline.
Generate an OPT or STEM OPT employer offer letter and download it as a ready-to-use PDF.
A section-by-section walkthrough of Form I-983 — who fills each part, common mistakes, and field-by-field guidance.
Inspect anonymized applicant reports directly, including missing fields and outliers, before relying on an estimate.
Track timelines separately for NBC, TSC, PSC, and VSC — processing pace can vary a lot between centers.
Look up your timeline anonymously. We don't ask for your name, SEVIS ID, or any personal information.
Explainers on EAD timelines, premium processing, biometrics, and USCIS status signals — based on real community-reported cases.
USCIS does not publish which OPT receipt dates it is currently approving. Here is how community-reported approvals show when your application date range is being reached — and how to check yours.
The best OPT tracker combines the official USCIS status check with community timeline data. Here is how to track your OPT or STEM OPT application in 2026, stage by stage.
Understand silent USCIS account updates, hidden status changes, and what F-1 OPT applicants should and should not infer from them.
Common questions from OPT applicants. Have a different question?
Get a data-backed estimate of your decision date in seconds, based on cases just like yours.