Normal timeline? I-765 F-1 OPT filed Dec 4, 2025 — Still Pending (Potomac/SCOPS)

Hey everyone,

I’m getting a bit anxious about my OPT timeline and wanted to see if anyone else is in the same boat or if this wait is abnormal.

Here are my details:

• Form: I-765 (F-1 Student OPT c(3))
• Filed Online: December 4, 2025
• Last Internal Update: January 5, 2026 (just shows pending)
• Service Center: Potomac (though I check processing times under SCOPS)

I chatted with a live agent today, and they just gave me the standard boilerplate response: "Your case is at Potomac... we don't have access to confirm if it's assigned to an officer... cases are reviewed periodically." It’s been over 5 months now. With commencement happening this month, I'm starting to get nervous about how this delay might impact my start dates for data science roles.

Has anyone else who filed around early December gotten approved recently? Is there anything else I can do right now besides checking the SCOPS processing times, or do I just need to wait it out?

Thanks in advance!