Indian Student's STEM OPT Visa Revoked Due to Bogus Company, Warns Others

Indian student's warning to fellow students after STEM OPT visa gets revoked

An Indian student's appeal that fellow Indians should not fall for bogus companies in the US has now gone viral as the student shared the experience of getting STEM OPT revoked because the company did not have any US presence. The student shared the experience anonymously in a job group for OPT and CPT students. The screenshot has gone viral for many reasons. "Today I'm crying because my STEM OPT has been cancelled after they issued me the EAD card because the company I'm with are based in India and they only have mailing box on the address and none of them reside in the US. USCIS audited them and they didn't find any office or employer locally in the US and they sent me EAD revocation letter and asked me to leave in 30 days," the post said. "My journey in the US is over, but I urge all of you to immediately move to employers who are legit and who are present in person in the US and who have a physical desk where he sits in the US," the message read. "The consultancy earlier mentioned they have an office but they only had a mailing address and they were minting crores of rupees while jeopardizing the careers of US students. They didn't lose anything but as a student I lost my American Dream," it added. "I never thought my journey would end like this...my life has ended here but I want to save all of you. I'm still in shock my OPT is revoked," the post said.

OPT fraud cases in the US

In May, Immigration and Customs Enforcement identified over 10,000 cases of OPT fraud. OPT allows foreign students to work in the US for 12 months, and STEM OPT for 24 months. ICE and USCIS officials jointly announced how they conducted site visits and found out that several of these OPT beneficiaries were being managed from India.