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USCIS expands premium process to OPT students | Godoy law office immigration lawyers

USCIS Expands Premium Process to OPT Students

On January 12, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced plans to expand premium processing to F-1 students seeking STEM OPT and certain student and exchange visitors in April 2023. USCIS will release details on expedited premium processing for STEM OPT students in February. The United States employers and universities want to attract more nonimmigrant students and more F-1 visa students earning bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degrees to help the U.S. economic recovery. Now, foreign workers in certain STEM fields will be able to remain in the U.S. for up to 36 months to work in their field of study.

  • STEM: science, technology, engineering or mathematics
  • OPT: Optional Practical Training that allows noncitizens who are in the United States on an F-1 student visa to work in the U.S.

USCIS has been updating services and programs to make it easier for foreign STEM OPT students to apply for and receive a visa to work and study in the United States:

Are You A Foreign STEM OPT Student Who Wants to Study and Work In The U.S.?

STEM OPT programs and eligibility requirements for F-1 students have changed considerably in the past 12 months. It can be confusing for international students to apply for and receive their student visas in a timely manner to attend their course of study. Mario Godoy and the other experienced immigration attorneys at the Godoy Law Office can assess your situation and advise you on your best options for applying for a student visa, your eligibility for premium processing and how to apply for an expedited OPT visa when they become available in April.

Contact an Experienced Illinois Student Visa Attorney

The experienced immigration lawyers at Godoy Law Office can help international students obtain and extend visas, assess your situation and advise you on your best options to qualify for a student visa. Call today at 630-912-0322.   

Mario Godoy
Mario Godoy
Immigration Lawyer and Illinois Crimmigration Attorney

Immigration Attorney Mario Godoy has years of experience guiding clients with immigration issues through the immigration process along with guiding clients through the criminal case. Godoy focuses on family-based immigration law, business immigration law, removal defense, and criminal defense representation of immigrants. A criminal charge or conviction can be devastating to your immigration case. With over a decade of immigration law experience and memories of family members who were deported due to bad legal advice, Godoy is committed to helping other immigrant families receive the legal justice they deserve. As a legal entrepreneur who practices immigration law, criminal law, estate and probate law, and running two successful law firms, Mario Godoy understands the importance of keeping families together and making a home and future in America.

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