OPT in 2026: Higher Fees, In-Person Biometrics, and Tighter Scrutiny

What changed for OPT in 2026

Optional Practical Training lets F-1 students work in the US for up to 12 months after graduation, plus a 24-month extension for STEM degrees. Two USCIS changes now affect Canadian graduates filing Form I-765 for OPT or STEM OPT: a premium processing fee increase and a new in-person biometrics rule.

Premium processing fee rises to 1,780 dollars

The base I-765 filing fee stays at 470 dollars for an online filing or 520 dollars by paper. Premium processing, the add-on that guarantees USCIS acts on your case within 30 business days, rises from 1,685 to 1,780 dollars. The new fee applies to any Form I-907 premium processing request postmarked on or after March 1, 2026, under a USCIS fee adjustment tied to inflation under the USCIS Stabilization Act. File with the old amount after that date and USCIS rejects the request and returns your money, restarting your wait.

Premium processing does not guarantee approval. It guarantees a response only, sometimes a request for evidence instead of a card. Budget the full 1,780 dollars only when a start date makes the speed worth the cost.

In-person biometrics now standard

Since December 12, 2025, USCIS only produces your Employment Authorization Document photo from an image captured at an official Application Support Center during a Biometric Services Appointment, according to a USCIS policy update . Self-submitted passport-style photos no longer go on the card itself. If USCIS already has a usable biometrics photo of you from the last 3 years, it reuses that photo and skips a new appointment. If not, you get an appointment notice by mail, and missing it without rescheduling stalls your OPT case.

Build the appointment into your timeline. File your I-765 as early as your school allows within the 90-day-before to 60-day-after graduation window, since an extra step now sits between filing and card production.

Tighter SEVIS compliance checks

Your Designated School Official reports your OPT start date, employer details and any gaps to SEVIS, and USCIS cross-checks that record against your I-765 filing more closely than before. Keep your SEVIS record and employer information current the moment anything changes. A mismatch between what your school reported and what you filed now raises the odds of a request for evidence or a denial.

STEM OPT students face an extra layer. Your 24-month extension depends on an I-983 Training Plan filed with your employer, and USCIS checks that plan against your SEVIS record too. Report any change in supervisor, job duties, or employer address to your Designated School Official within 10 days, since the same tightened cross-checking applies to STEM OPT reporting as it does to the initial OPT filing.

Timing your OPT filing window

File your I-765 as early as 90 days before your program end date and as late as 60 days after it, but the extra biometrics step makes early filing more valuable than before. A biometrics appointment adds weeks to your timeline even when everything else goes smoothly, and a missed or rescheduled appointment adds more. Students who wait until the last weeks of the filing window now risk a gap between graduation and work authorization that did not exist before the biometrics rule.

What this means for your budget and timeline

Plan for 470 dollars minimum, plus 1,780 dollars if you use premium processing, plus travel time and cost to an Application Support Center if USCIS schedules you for biometrics. File as early as your program allows and track your case status through the Study in the States OPT guidance from the Department of Homeland Security.

Sources

• USCIS: Premium Processing Fee Increase
• USCIS: New Photo Policy for Identity Verification
• DHS Study in the States: Optional Practical Training