I wanted to share an update after getting official responses from both USCIS and my school. They both sent me written confirmation that the current dates are accurate and students do not need to make any corrections or modifications. USCIS specifically stated that for students graduating with a program completion date of May 16, 2025, the 14-month eligibility period concludes on July 16, 2026. This means any EAD documents with expiration dates on or before July 16, 2026 are completely valid and meet all federal requirements. I hope this helps other students who might have similar concerns about their documentation dates.
Thanks for the update! I’m in immigration law class right now and we’ve been covering EAD timelines, but that 14-month calculation still trips me up. Quick question - does eligibility always start from program completion, or can it sometimes start when you actually get your degree? My professor said something about different trigger dates, but I want to nail down the basics first.
Smart move getting that confirmation upfront. I always tell clients to grab written statements when date calculations get tricky - field offices interpret timing rules all over the place. That July 16, 2026 clarification will save you headaches later if questions come up during status changes or renewals.
Those written confirmations are gold. Had a client last month where we got conflicting info from different USCIS offices about timing, and that paper trail saved us when we escalated. Date calculations turn into nightmares way too often, but you nailed it going straight to the source.
Had the same timing mess on an I-140 where the degree date screwed up work authorization periods. Getting those official confirmations upfront saved our case, just like yours. USCIS loves when you tackle timing issues head-on with solid docs from both the agency and school before they turn into RFEs.
I’ve seen students mess up these date calculations all the time, especially when switching between different statuses. One detail that made a difference was having written confirmations from both USCIS and the school. Those confirmations can be invaluable during the review process and are crucial for future applications referencing the same dates.
Same thing happened to us with an OPT extension - student’s I-20 had different completion dates than what USCIS calculated. We made a timeline doc that showed the official confirmations next to the actual reg text. The officer loved having it all spelled out instead of doing the math themselves.