There are so many things that have been changed in 2020- how we eat, how we work, and how we study! Especially international students who study in the USA and prospective students who planned to study in the United States had to deal with lots of ambiguity and different immigration policies throughout the year. As you can see below, many rules and policies that impact international students were announced in 2020, which some of them were revoked later.
As some of the changes or updates from 2020 are still valid, read through the list of top 10 most-read posts and make sure you don’t miss anything!
2020 Top 10 most-read posts
| Title | Pageviews | What is it about |
|---|---|---|
| I haven’t received my EAD; OPT EAD processing time | 1,106 | COVID-19 has made many offices to shut down and USCIS was no exception. It has reported that it takes longer to hear back from USCIS regarding the EAD card issuance and many international students were wondering what are the actions that they can take to receive the EAD card. |
| F-1 OPT Freelance work requirements | 937 | As many of you already know, due to the pandemic, gig economy jobs have increased throughout the world. Check out this post to see if OPT students can work as a freelancer and what are the requirements. |
| USCIS Fee increase; 2020 OPT Fee increase by 34% | 699 | The filing fee for the Form I-765, Application for EAD card (OPT) could have increased by 34%. Around 2 months later, the US court ordered a preliminary injunction on the USCIS fee increase. Thus, as of January 2021, the OPT filing fee remains the same as last year, which is $410. If you are planning to file the OPT application, please double-check the filing fee from the USCIS webpage. |
| CIP code update 2020; Important concept to get a work visa | 399 | CIP codes are updated once in 10 years and last year was the 10th year! Understanding the concept of the CIP code is important as it is one of the determining factors to check the eligibility for STEM OPT. There are some students who have asked to change the wording of the major-if you ever had similar thoughts, click this blog to better understand the CIP code! Another post regarding the CIP code is ranked #10. |
| Work from home OPT, CPT and electronic I-20 | 358 | Obviously, students who study in the USA wanted to see what are the changes during the pandemic on CPT, OPT, and the I-20. If you haven’t checked this post, please check it out now! |
| My STEM OPT is in pending and my end date is near | 342 | Similar to the OPT applicants, STEM OPT applicants had to wait longer to hear back about the application adjudication result. The good thing about the STEM OPT program is that you can keep working even after the OPT end date until you hear back of the result. Check out the post to learn more. |
| U.S. Embassy reopening date and travel exceptions | 324 | This was great news for prospective students and returning students who had to renew their visas. Although more and more embassies are opening up, there are quite a lot of students who have to defer their admission to Fall 2021 intake as they couldn’t schedule the visa interview in a timely manner. |
| USCIS gov processing time will take longer than ever | 291 | There were lots of USCIS updates last year and a big part was about the EAD card issuance-the end of the contract with a printing company and planned furlough of around 70% employees. Hope the situation gets better this year! |
| F-1 Student visa 5 month rule affected by COVID-19 | 253 | One of the important visa rules that students who study in the USA should be aware of is the concept of the “5-month rule.” If you are planning to take a leave of absence for at least a semester (except the case where you study online due to the pandemic), you should check out this post. |
| 2020 STEM CIP Code; If my major is newly added, can I apply for STEM OPT? | 198 | As I mentioned earlier regarding the CIP code, it is important to check the CIP code on your I-20 to see if you would be eligible for STEM OPT. This post well addresses different cases that can happen with 2020 CIP code updates. |
Now, this sums up the 2020 most-read posts of sevissavvy.com, where you can learn about visa information and updates for students who study in the USA. I have observed that students tend to ask around in terms of CPT, OPT, and so on. As policy or regulation could be changed during the pandemic and each student’s situation is different, it is important to research the topic that you are looking for. Also when you share or inform your friends, it is recommended to share the source of information to help them make informed decisions.
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