OIE provides important e-form services to more than 10,000 F and J visa holders sponsored by the institution utilizing Sunapsis software. Visa holders and academic departments submit e-form service requests through the Sunapsis iStart portal. OIE prioritizes e-form service requests based on the timing of submission and order of processing priority for the office.
Processing times refer to response times for adviser review and response to an e-form submission. Processing times are updated as needed based on the volume of requests. Please find below the estimated processing times measured in business days for OIE e-forms. Please note the 1st business day is the first full day immediately following the submission of the e-form. Business days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Institute holidays are not considered business days. The Institute holidays can be found in the following link: https://hr.gatech.edu/payroll. If you find that your request is outside of processing time, you can submit a report to our office online. Our team will review this information and follow up with you to provide an updated timeline for the request or guidance on the next steps.
We appreciate your patience with adjusted processing times as we work diligently to balance student and recent graduate needs with the high quality of care required to ensure accuracy in SEVIS reporting.
E-Form Name | Estimated processing time in business days |
| F-1 Graduate I-20/DS-2019 Request, I-20 requests received after July 1 are considered late and a deferral to the next available academic term may be recommended. | Spring 2025 Requests: 7 Example: E-form submitted on Friday, July 1- Day 0 Sunday, July 3- not a business day remove from count Monday, July 4th- holiday remove from count Tuesday, July 5- Day 1 Wednesday, July 6- Day 2 Thursday, July 7- Day 3 Friday, July 8- Day 4 Saturday, July 9- not a business day remove from count Sunday, July 10- not a business day remove from count Monday, July 11- Day 5 Tuesday, July 12- Day 6 Wednesday, July 13 - Day 7 |
| F-1 Graduate I-20 Deferral Request | on or before the 30th day after the start date of the term for the original I-20 |
| F-1 Undergraduate Initial I-20/DS-2019 Request | Fall 2024 Requests: 7 Spring and Summer 2025 Requests: 15 |
| F-1 Change of Status to F-1 | 10 |
| F-1 Student OIE Check-In: Arrival Confirmation | 4 |
| F-1 Student OIE Check-In: Immigration Regulations Acknowledgement | Automatic/Same-Day |
| F-1 Student OIE Check-In: Immigration Document Upload | 4 |
| F-1 I-20 Request for Returning Students | 15 |
| F-1 Academic Reduced Course Load | 4 |
| F-1 Medical Reduced Course Load | 4 |
| F-1 Graduate Change of Major | 10 |
| F-1 Graduate Program Extension | 10 |
| F-1 Change of Level | 10 |
| F-1 COL Check-in | 4 |
| F-1 Undergrad Change of Major | 10 |
| F-1 Undergraduate Program Extension | 10 |
| F-1 Grad CPT request | Spring 2025 CPT Requests: 8 |
| F-1 Undergrad CPT | Spring 2025 CPT Requests: 8 |
| F-1 Approved CPT Update Request | 10 |
| F-1 Travel Signature Request | 4 |
| F-1 Student Administrative Processing Visa Delay | 10 |
| F-1 I-515A | 4 |
| F-1 I-515A Resolution | 4 |
| F-1 Request New Dependent SEVIS Document | 10 |
| F-1 ITIN Letter Request for Primary Visa Holders | 10 |
| F-1 & J-1 OIE On-Campus Employment Letter Request | 10 |
| F-1 Transfer Out Request | 4 |
| F-1 I-20 Responsibility Form Request | 5 |
| F-1 F Student Immigration Document Update | 10 |
| F-1 Intent to Depart the U.S./End I-20 Status | 5 |
| F-1 Change of Status from F-1/F-2 | 10 |
| F-1 Post Completion OPT I-20 | 8 Note, requests submitted earlier than 90 days before the program end date will be processed within 8 business days of the 90-day filing window opening. The 90-day filing window for fall 2024 begins Friday, September 13, 2024. This means that any requests submitted before September 13 will be processed within 8 business days of September 13. |
| ITIN Letter Request | 5 |
| J-1 Academic Training | 5 |
| F-1 OPT Cap-Gap I-20 | 10 |
| F-1 OPT Travel Signature | 4 |
| F-1 Pre-Completion OPT | 5 |
| F-1 OPT Employment/Contact Update | 10 |
| F-1 OPT I-797 confirmation | 15 |
| F-1 Post-OPT EAD | 15 |
| F-1 End Post-Completion OPT | 10 |
| F-1 STEM Extension request | 10 |
| F-1 Report OPT Issue | 10 |
| F-1 STEM 6 Month Verification #1 | 10 |
| F-1 STEM 6 month #2 and 12 month evaluation | 10 |
| F-1 STEM 6 Month Verification #3 | 10 |
| F-1 STEM Final Evaluation | 10 |
| F-1 STEM Minor Information Update | 10 |
| F-1 Material Change to STEM Employment | 10 |
| F-1 STEM Cap-Gap I-20 request | 10 |
| F-1 Department iStart Access | 4 |
| J-1 Scholar Dependent DS-2019 | 15 |
| J-1 Scholar Travel | 4 |
| J-1 Scholar and Student Intern DS-2019 Form Request | 15 |
| J-1 Scholar Extension Request | 10 |
| J-1 Scholar Occasional Lectures or Consultations | 10 |
| J-1 Scholar Update to DS-2019 | 10 |
| J-1 Scholar Hiring & Hosting Eligibility | 10 |
| J-1 Scholar Address Update | 10 |
| J-1 Scholar Administrative Processing Delay | 10 |
| J-1 Scholar Check In | 5 |
| J-1 Scholar Dependent (J-2) Arrival/Check-in | 5 |
| J-1 Scholar Immigration Document Update | 10 |
| J-1 Scholar Initial Status Exchange Visitor Program Changes | 10 |
| J-1 Scholar Transfer Out | 4 |
| J-1 Scholar and Student Intern DS-2019 Form Reprint | 4 |