Officer asked to show Outlook or Teams as evidence of working: OPT student shares domestic travel experience to New Mexico
An OPT student has shared the questions they faced from an immigration officer when a friend’s group went to New Mexico for the long weekend earlier this month. The student said the group consisted of OPT and STEM-OPT students, all based in Dallas. They were asked to show their I-20, the official document issued by a US school or university to an international student who has been admitted to an F-1 program; OPT card and other documents.“My OPT was recently approved but I haven’t received the physical card yet. The officer asked me to open the USCIS portal and show the approval. After about 30 minutes, they left,” the post said.“Two of my friends are working, and the officer asked them to show their office Outlook or Teams to prove that they are currently working. I did not carry a physical copy of my I-20. The officer told me that this was a serious issue and that it could be considered a crime. They asked us many questions about our college and other details,” the student wrote, adding that foreign students must carry all immigration documents, I-20, OPT card, passport with a copy of visa when they are traveling even to a neighboring state.Social media users said that this is a common practice near the Mexican or Canadian border. “Yes this pretty common in New Mexico as it’s a place where lot of research is made. And it’s very close to the border so be prepared for any such checks,” one wrote. “If you visit any city with 100 miles of Mexican or Canadian border, be prepared to show documents. Nothing new in this,” another wrote.The post came as the administration is cracking down on OPT abuse and stopping it from becoming a pipeline for H-1B. Immigration experts have also advised against domestic travel as ICE has stepped up its presence at airports.
