Unemployment days
Each employer and gap, the days each one adds, and the total against the limit: 90 days on OPT, 150 in all with STEM OPT. The count pauses while you’re employed. SEVIS keeps its own count; if the numbers differ, ask your DSO.
For F-1, OPT, STEM OPT, H-1B and H-4
Know your dates. Keep your status.
A private record of the dates that decide your status, and the clocks they start: OPT unemployment days, filing windows, STEM reporting and the H-1B grace period. Free, with no account.
- Coming soon to theApp Store
- Coming soon onGoogle Play
- No account
- Your dates stay on your phone
- Every date shows its rule
Unemployment clock
OPT unemployment days
23 of 90 used
Paused while you’re employed
Coming upSTEM OPT window opens Jan 4, 2027From your OPT EAD’s end date, with its rule and source
OPT and STEM OPT
Every clock your dates start.
Enter your program end, EAD dates, employers and gaps once. StayStep counts what each one starts, shows the rule it used, and reminds you before each date.
Filing windows
When you can file for OPT around your program end, and for STEM OPT before your OPT EAD ends: each window’s opening and closing date, with its rule.
The next three dates
- STEM validation reportDue Aug 14, 2027Soon
- I-983 evaluationDue Feb 1, 2028Later
- PassportExpires Oct 3, 2028Later
STEM reporting
Your validation reports and I-983 evaluations, each with its due date and a reminder before it. Reminders are made on your phone and never show your dates.
Report a change
A new employer or a gap starts a reporting deadline. StayStep shows it the day you enter the change, and reminds you before it.
Cap-gap
While a timely H-1B petition is pending or approved, cap-gap extends your F-1 status and work permission until April 1 or the approved H-1B start date, whichever is earlier (8 CFR 214.2(f)(5)(vi)).
H-1B and H-4
If your H-1B job ends, know your dates.
The “If your H-1B job ends” planner is free. Enter your last day of work and your I-94’s end date, and see your last day in status under the rule in force today.
The grace planner
Your last day in status by today’s rule and, when a change is proposed, a preview of what it would mean for your dates. Options are listed as information: a new employer’s petition, a change of status or leaving. The main button is “Talk to an immigration attorney”.
Cap season
The registration window and the lottery as rule cards, with dates from the rule updates, never fixed in the app, and how the lottery works.
H-4
An H-4 status follows the H-1B’s dates. StayStep keeps them side by side, with H-4 EAD dates if you have them.
Your dates
Last day of workJun 30, 2027
I-94 endsSep 30, 2028
By this rule, your last day in status isAug 29, 20278 CFR 214.1(l)(2) · up to 60 days, or the I-94 end if sooner, once per authorized validity period. DHS may shorten or eliminate it
Comments closed A proposed rule would remove this grace period, and its comment period has closed. Nothing changes until a final rule.
Timeline
Your stages on one line.
From F-1 to H-1B, each stage with its dates and the clocks it started. Past stages stay as your record.
Your stages
- F-1
- OPT
- STEM OPT
- Cap-gap
- H-1B
When you enter a receipt number, StayStep can hand it to CaseStep, our case status app. Once a green card is approved, ResidentStep takes over. Each hand-off happens on your phone, only when you tap it.
Documents
Every expiry date, before it matters.
Your I-94, EAD, visa stamp, passport, I-20 and H-1B approval notice, each with its dates and a reminder before it expires.
Your I-94
Its admit-until date, or D/S (duration of status), is what sets how long you may stay. StayStep keeps it next to your other dates.
A visa stamp isn’t your status
A visa stamp is for entering the U.S.; your status is what lets you stay. StayStep explains the difference once, and tracks both dates.
Photos, encrypted
Photos of your documents are optional, kept on your phone and encrypted, and an app lock can ask for Face ID or your passcode. Always carry the documents themselves.
Rule updates
Rule changes, dated and sourced.
The rules under your dates keep changing. Each change is a rule card: what it would change, where it stands and the official source it came from.
How it works
- Every card has a status: Under review Proposed Comments closed Final In effect Blocked by a court Struck down Withdrawn
- Your clocks use the rule in force. A proposed or blocked rule only shows a preview: nothing changes until a final rule.
- Official sources only: the Federal Register, eCFR, Regulations.gov, USCIS and SEVP, with the court’s order for a court ruling. A person checks every card before it reaches the app.
- Filters: All, Affects me and Not final. “Affects me” is worked out on your phone, and an alert comes only when a card that affects your stage changes status.
- The same download for everyone, at most once a day. The request carries an app check token and, like any web request, your IP address, but nothing about you or your dates.
Privacy
Private by design.
No account. Your stage, dates, employers and documents stay on your phone, with the sensitive parts encrypted and an optional app lock. We keep no copy of them.
Your records stay on your phone
Stages, dates, employers, documents and photos are saved on your phone, with the sensitive parts and every photo encrypted.
No account
No sign-up and no sign-in. Every feature works on your phone, and nothing about you is stored on our servers.
Phones can be searched
Border officers can search phones. You decide what to keep in StayStep, with that in mind.
Analytics without your details
Only which screens are opened and a short, fixed list of events, never a date, an employer, your stage or a rule card you opened. Turn it off in Settings.
Non-personalized ads only
One banner on Clocks and Timeline, never on Documents, Rules or the grace planner. Premium removes it.
Export and delete everything
Export your data, or delete all of it in Settings. Uninstalling the app deletes it too.
Made for everyone
In your language, your way.
Four languages (Chinese in Simplified and Traditional)
StayStep follows your phone’s language, or pick one in Settings. Form names stay in English, as they are on the forms.
- English
- Tiếng Việt
- 한국어
- 简体中文
- 繁體中文
This website in these languages is coming soon.
Seven color themes
Terracotta, in light and dark, is free. The other six come with Premium.
Built for every reader
VoiceOver and TalkBack labels, the largest text sizes, Reduce Motion, Reduce Transparency and big tap targets.
FAQ
Questions, answered.
Is this legal advice?
No. StayStep works from the dates you enter and shows the rule and its source. It doesn’t choose, fill in or file forms, and it never tells you that you’re safe or that you qualify. It is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney: for any decision, talk to your school’s DSO or an immigration attorney.
Is StayStep a government app?
No. StayStep is not a government app and does not represent any government agency. It is not a law firm and is not affiliated with USCIS, SEVP or the U.S. government. The official word is on the government’s own sites and in your documents: OPT on uscis.gov, Study in the States (studyinthestates.dhs.gov), 8 CFR 214.2 on ecfr.gov (the text in effect) and federalregister.gov.
Does it replace SEVIS or my DSO?
No. Your school’s DSO keeps your record in SEVIS, and SEVIS keeps its own count; if the numbers differ, ask your DSO. StayStep helps you keep track and see what’s coming.
Do I need an account?
No. StayStep has no account and no sign-in. Premium belongs to your Apple or Google store account.
Is it free?
Yes. Every clock, every reminder, the grace planner, document reminders and rule alerts are free. Premium is one optional purchase.
Can a border officer see what’s in the app?
Officers at the border can search phones. StayStep keeps your records on your phone, encrypted, with an optional app lock, but it isn’t a way to hide information. You decide what to keep in it.
How do I delete my data?
Settings → Delete all data removes everything StayStep keeps on your phone, and so does uninstalling the app. There’s no account to delete. Delete your data
StayStep is coming soon.
On the App Store and Google Play, for iPhone and Android.
- Coming soon to theApp Store
- Coming soon onGoogle Play