OPT Tracker
See when your OPT may be approved, whether your EAD card may arrive before work starts, and if Premium Processing could help.
Your OPT plan
Approval, card delivery, and Premium timing.
Your estimate appears here
Fill in your dates to compare Regular and Premium paths and see whether your job start is at risk.
- 1When approval is most likely
- 2Whether your job start looks at risk
- 3What changes if you switch to Premium
Based on recent community timelines. Your dates are calculated in this browser and are not saved.
The evidence behind your estimate
Every number starts with a public applicant timeline. Comments that lack the dates needed for comparison, conflict with themselves, or look duplicated stay out of the estimate.
Research snapshot captured Oct 1, 2026. This is not a live USCIS or Reddit feed.
What we screened
3,337
comments read
897
case timelines found
600
cases passed checks
439
reported approval or later
Sample source
Self-reported timelines from three public r/f1visa tracking threads.
The four groups we compare
The calculator only compares your dates with the matching OPT type and processing path.
Calendar days to reported approval
| Matched group | Cases in model | Reported approvals | Range used today |
|---|---|---|---|
Initial OPT Regular | 123 | 33 | 154-170 days |
Initial OPT Premium | 88 | 74 | 32-35 days |
STEM OPT Regular | 147 | 82 | 182-185 days |
STEM OPT Premium | 56 | 39 | 33-37 days Typical range. A small number of cases took much longer. |
The four model samples are smaller than the full 600-case pool. Older or less comparable filings stay in the research archive but do not set today's displayed range.
Official reference stays separate
Community timing shapes the estimate. USCIS processing-time history and the official Premium Processing rules are shown as reference points, not mixed into a made-up score.
A date range, not a promise
Reddit timelines are self-reported and may be incomplete. Your USCIS account and notices remain the official source for your case.
What the answer means
You get a date, the risk to your job start, and a next step
OPT Watcher compares your case with people who filed the same type of OPT using the same processing option. It then checks whether the expected approval and mailing time still fit before your planned first day of work.
One important reminder
Approval is not the same as having the EAD card in your hand. The result leaves additional time for card production and mailing before it judges whether your job start looks safe.
When am I likely to be approved?
See a practical date range based on recent cases with the same OPT type and processing choice.
Will my card arrive before work starts?
The estimate adds time for card production and mailing instead of treating approval as the finish line.
What should I do now?
If the timing is tight, compare continuing to wait with switching to Premium and see the date by which you should decide.
Your dates change the answer
The same wait can be fine for one person and risky for another
If your job starts four months from now, continuing to wait may be reasonable. If it starts in three weeks, the same USCIS timeline may put the offer at risk.
That is why the calculator asks for your planned start date. It does not stop at “cases take about this many days.” It tells you whether there is still enough room for approval, card production, and mailing.
If the timing is tight, you see the Premium alternative next to the Regular path and a concrete date for making that decision.
What stays out of your way
No service-center guessing
The form does not ask for a field that most applicants do not know and that current data cannot use reliably.
No receipt number
You never need to enter an IOE number, SEVIS ID, passport number, name, or employer details.
No saved case profile
Your dates are calculated in the browser and are not added to a public case database.
One more deadline to protect
Approved already? Count your OPT unemployment days next.
Enter your EAD dates and employment periods to see uncovered gaps, days used, days remaining, and the date the entered history would reach the 90-day or combined 150-day limit.
Questions before you rely on a date
OPT tracker FAQ
What makes this OPT tracker different from a timeline dashboard?+
A dashboard gives you charts. OPT Watcher starts with your filing date and job start date, then tells you when approval is most likely, whether the EAD card may arrive in time, and what changes if you switch to Premium Processing.
Is the predicted approval date guaranteed?+
No. It is an estimate from recent community-reported cases. An RFE, a change to the Premium clock, or a delivery delay can move your date. Use the estimate to plan, and use your USCIS account and notices for the official status.
What does Premium Processing promise for an OPT I-765?+
USCIS materials describe a 30-business-day window for qualifying Form I-765 Premium Processing after all prerequisites are met. The service promises adjudicative action within the applicable window, not approval or EAD delivery. A request for evidence or another action can change how you should read the clock.
Does my service center change the estimate?+
Not in this version. Most recent community reports do not clearly identify a service center, and USCIS is moving to a consolidated Service Center Operations view. OPT Watcher therefore compares case type, filing date, and Regular or Premium Processing instead of pretending a thin center-level estimate is reliable.
Where does the community data come from?+
The current estimate uses a dated research snapshot from three public r/f1visa OPT and STEM OPT timeline threads. We screened 3,337 comments, found 897 case timelines, and kept 600 that passed date and consistency checks. It is not a live USCIS case-status feed, and this version does not ask visitors to submit their own cases.
Should I enter my USCIS receipt number?+
No. This calculator does not need a receipt number, SEVIS ID, passport number, or name. It uses dates and broad case attributes only. For official case status, use the USCIS tools linked from the official USCIS website.
Official reference points
Read the current USCIS Form I-907 information for Premium Processing rules and the official USCIS processing-time tool for the government benchmark. Community timelines can add context, but they cannot replace either source.