OPT & STEM OPT Tracker: Case Status API Updates
For F-1 students, timing is everything when transitioning to Optional Practical Training (OPT) or STEM OPT. Learn how to use the USCIS internal API to track EAD card production milestones and find your USPS tracking number.
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F-1 students transitioning to Optional Practical Training (OPT) or STEM OPT Extension face strict deadlines. You cannot start working until you have your physical Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card in hand, and the gap between graduation and your employment start date is highly regulated.
OPT applications filed online get an IOE receipt number, and so do many filed on paper: the case is in ELIS, USCIS's electronic case system. Its detailed case data, including card production and mailing events, is in your own myUSCIS account.
EAD card production milestones in the API
Once your Form I-765 is approved, your EAD enters the production pipeline. In the raw internal API data, you can watch the progression through these keys and values:
- Case Approved: The decision is official. An approval notice (Form I-797) PDF is generated and uploaded to the documents database.
- Card Is Being Produced: The request to print the EAD card has been sent to the secure printing facility.
- Card Was Produced: The physical card has been printed and is undergoing quality inspection.
- Card Was Mailed: The card has been packaged and handed over to the United States Postal Service (USPS) in a secure envelope.
Finding your USPS tracking number in the API JSON
When USCIS mails your card, its message for that step can include the USPS tracking number ("The tracking number assigned is …"). That message is part of your case data, so you can read it as soon as USCIS records the step.
To find it manually:
- Log in at my.uscis.gov.
- Open the main API case endpoint:
https://my.uscis.gov/account/case-service/api/cases/YOUR_IOE_RECEIPT_NUMBEROr let CaseStatusAPI make this link with your receipt number filled in, on a phone or a computer. - Read the latest status message in the response. Once the card is mailed, it can say
The tracking number assigned is …
. - Once you copy this tracking number, you can plug it into USPS Informed Delivery to watch the envelope arrive.
OPT premium processing (Form I-907) API flags
If you paid for Premium Processing, your case metadata will reflect this with flags such as "isPremiumProcessed": true.
This flag indicates that the USCIS database has flagged your Form I-765 for priority handling, ensuring that an officer reviews the case within the 30-day window. Keep in mind that premium processing only speeds up the decision time, not the physical card printing and delivery time.
Automate your OPT tracking
To skip the hassle of checking raw API code blocks during final exams or job preparation, you can use CaseStatusAPI.
Install our free Chrome extension (or paste the data yourself), tap "Get case insights" on our home page, and we explain your OPT case data in plain English: which card production steps your case has reached, when each was recorded, and how long those steps took for similar shared cases.
Ready to check? Read our Step-by-Step API Check Guide to get started.
Frequently asked questions
How long does EAD card production take after OPT approval?
It varies, and USCIS doesn't publish a standard time. Your case data in myUSCIS shows each card step (ordered, produced, mailed) with its date, so you can see where your card is.
Can I find my EAD USPS tracking number in the USCIS API?
It can. When USCIS mails your card, its "Card Was Mailed To Me" message can include the USPS tracking number, and that message is part of your case data. You can then follow the envelope with USPS.
What is the premium processing timeline for OPT?
With premium processing (Form I-907), USCIS takes action on an OPT I-765 within 30 calendar days: an approval, a denial or a request for evidence, and it refunds the premium fee if it misses that window. It doesn't speed up the card's production. USCIS's premium processing page on uscis.gov has the current rules.
See your own case, explained.
See every step USCIS has recorded for your case, in plain English: your timeline, silent updates, and what usually comes next for cases like yours.
Check my case freeWe are immigration applicants and technologists who built CaseStatusAPI to help others navigate the USCIS process with transparency. Our guides are informed by firsthand experience, community feedback, and deep analysis of USCIS internal API data.
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