F Visa Blog Entries

Another Problem for Legal Immigration - NTAs (Removal/Deportation Despite Legal Stay)

July 24, 2025

Community members and our lawyer colleagues have shared their stories. It appears:

1. The NTAs are getting resolved quickly, where you are still in the grace period and/or have a B-type petition pending. Motions to terminate are working.

2. The hearing dates are also being given in a few days or weeks.

3. The percentage of NTAs is relatively small.

For international students on an F-1 visa in the United States, the STEM OPT extension program provides an opportunity to gain valuable work experience after graduation while extending their stay in the US for a chance of an H-1B lottery win.

Effective May 11, 2023, the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) ended its Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) guidance, consistent with the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, following the 

24 January 2022

Students in the following fields will be able to obtain STEM OPT extensions for 24 months:

For latest updates, watch this video with Rajiv from Dec 28, 2021.

The following settlement was reached in Li v. USCIS in favor of the OPT and STEM OPT applicant students suffering from delays and rejections:

07/20/2021

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced today new policy guidance that eliminates the need for individuals who have applied for a change of status (COS) to F-1 student to apply to change or extend their nonimmigrant status while their initial F-1 COS application is pending.