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Hi.
I qualify for the STEM OPT extension (36 months), and I opted for my start date to be January 3rd, 2020 (this is my first day of OPT ever).
I thought I would have found a job by now, but I haven't. My school mentioned that you are allowed to volunteer, but it has to be more than 20 hours per week, unpaid. Being honest, I have a family member that owns five restaurants all within the same vicinity (about 20 miles of each other). He is more than willing to lie and allow me to just tell my school that I am 'volunteering' there for however many hours I please every week.
My question is, I am worried after the first year goes by, and I apply for the extension for STEM OPT, and the USCIS may reject it, as they may doubt if my volunteering role was authentic or not. I do feel I will get a job within the next few months, so it won't be a volunteering role for the whole first 12 months.
What do you guys think?
I just don't want to accrue time for the 90 days to start.
I qualify for the STEM OPT extension (36 months), and I opted for my start date to be January 3rd, 2020 (this is my first day of OPT ever).
I thought I would have found a job by now, but I haven't. My school mentioned that you are allowed to volunteer, but it has to be more than 20 hours per week, unpaid. Being honest, I have a family member that owns five restaurants all within the same vicinity (about 20 miles of each other). He is more than willing to lie and allow me to just tell my school that I am 'volunteering' there for however many hours I please every week.
My question is, I am worried after the first year goes by, and I apply for the extension for STEM OPT, and the USCIS may reject it, as they may doubt if my volunteering role was authentic or not. I do feel I will get a job within the next few months, so it won't be a volunteering role for the whole first 12 months.
What do you guys think?
I just don't want to accrue time for the 90 days to start.
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