F-1 guides: real scenarios, answered
These are the situations international students actually bring to a DSO's desk — deadlines missed by days, statuses that don't match the paperwork, jobs that may or may not count. Written by a practicing Designated School Official.
Can I still apply for OPT 45 days after graduation?
The 60-day filing window, the 30-day SEVIS rule, and what happens when USCIS approves late.
When does the F-1 60-day grace period actually start?
Program end date vs. OPT end date vs. visa expiration vs. the day you were laid off.
The cap-gap extension, explained by a DSO
Who qualifies, why it sometimes doesn't show on your I-20, and the grace-period trap.
1099 work, gigs, and self-employment on OPT
What counts as OPT employment, what changes on STEM OPT, and how unemployment days work.
Transferring schools after the semester already started
Late transfer-ins, release dates, and the ways a mid-term transfer quietly goes wrong.
When can I apply for STEM OPT?
The 90-day window, the 60-day recommendation rule, and the 180-day automatic extension.
I missed my STEM OPT 6-month validation report
The 10-business-day rule, SEVP Portal vs. myUSCIS, and what a DSO can actually repair.
OPT unemployment days: how the count actually works
The 90/150-day limits, what stops the clock, and the 10-day-gap myth.
Reduced course load, semester by semester
Academic-difficulty RCL, medical RCL, final-semester rules — and the limits on each.
The one-online-class rule, explained
How hybrids count, classes beyond the minimum, and the final-semester trap.
CPT that survives scrutiny
The curricular test, the 20-hour line, the 12-month rule that kills OPT, and 1099 offers.
Changing status to F-1 inside the U.S.
The bridge problem, the B-2 no-study rule, and the travel trap that abandons your case.
Henry answers specific F-1 / J-1 / OPT / SEVIS questions instantly, with the regulation cited. Three questions free — please leave out student names and ID numbers.
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