Receipt Notice
You will receive a receipt notice immediately after submitting your OPT application online. USCIS will send an official Form I-797C Notice of Action: Receipt Notice to the mailing address you indicated on your application approximately two to four weeks after receiving the application. This paper notice will confirm official receipt of the application by USCIS and indicate a case number which can be used to track the application. The original receipt notice is an important immigration document which may be required if you need to renew your driver's license or plan to apply for H1-B, Permanent Residency, etc. Make a copy of the Approval Notice and EAD (front and back) for your records. You cannot begin working until the start date shown on your EAD card, you have received your approval and EAD card.
USCIS Case processing times and Receiving Your EAD Card
It will take the USCIS Service Center approximately 2-3 months to process your application. You can check case processing time on the USCIS website. You can also use the online USCIS Case Status Tool to see the status of your application by entering your receipt number. When your OPT application has been approved USCIS will notify you by email or through your USCIS account stating your EAD card is being produced. It takes an additional 5-7 more business days after that to receive your original approval notice Form I-797A and your Employment Authorization Document (EAD card) in the mail. See sample EAD Card. Make sure the spelling of your name, approved OPT category, country of birth, date of birth, sex, valid from and to card expiration are correct. You will need to provide the EAD card to your employer.
If you are receiving your mail at the ISSS office address:
- You will receive a notification from USCIS that your receipt notice or EAD card has arrived on-campus. The notice actually means it has arrived at the Edwardsville post office so it will take approximately 3-5 more business days to receive your mail in our office.
- If you have used our office as the mailing address, you will receive an email notification when the documents arrive in our office with instructions on how to receive your mail. You may need to order shipping through EshipGlobal to have it mailed to you. Please check to see if your name has been correctly spelled on the receipt notice. If there is an error in the spelling of your name, request a correction online through USCIS.
EAD Card Corrections
After you receive your EAD card be sure to check it for accuracy. If you find an error on your EAD card you should request a correction through USCIS.
Checking the Status of the OPT Application
The status of your OPT application can be checked online by logging into your USCIS account that you used when applying for OPT.
It takes 3-5 months for USCIS to reach a decision on the case. If the application takes longer than 150 days from the date on the official Receipt Notice, students may contact ISSS to inquire about procedures to request information from the appropriate USCIS service center.
Request for evidence (RFE) notification
If you receive a notification of a Request for Evidence (RFE), notify your ISSS advisor as soon as possible.
Change of address while the OPT application is pending
If you move while the OPT application is pending, you must change your address through your USCIS online account.
We also recommend that you stay in contact with people who have access to the address listed on your I-765 form, in case your documents have already been mailed to the old address.
