OPT!!!! SOS!!!!

I am a student on F1 visa here and my I-20 expires in May 2003. I have applied for OPT in November 2002, asked for EAD for 4 months (1st of Jan - 31 of April). In the mid January INS asked me for additional evidence. After I sent everything there, they said it will take another 2,5 months to process the documents. So by the time I get my EAD, it will be expired, or will expire in half a month.
Recently I decided to stay in the US for another year. I wonder whether I can somehow cancel my previous application for OPT, reapply and ask for OPT for whatever period I am entitled to (I think it is one year).

Any help is appreciated!

Thanks a bunch!

Where are you filling your paper work? i filed mine in the Vermont office and i got my EAD in less than two months. Mine expired already and i'm getting marry sometime this week. If you wanna stay longer you will have to find somebody to sponsor you such as family member, or employer because after your OPT expire, you cannot renew it and you will have to get an H-1b visa or get marry. Good luck and keep your status legal, okay.

Thanks for response, Dwonder
I am filing the paperwork with Nebraska.
They haven't issued EAD, and I am not sure can I just withdraw my paperwork before they complete it. Maybe then I can apply (not for renewal, but for permission to accept employment).
As a matter of fact I am getting married, but he's LPR and not eligible to apply for citizenship anytime soon. I heard that it might take up to five years for me to get GC, by that time I will definitely fall out of status, won't be able to work, etc.
We are desparate, thinking of immigrating somewhere else.

If you have any advice, or have been in a similar situation, please, share your experiences.

Please, don't try and withdraw your application. If you send it already, just wait. INS are really picky about everything. Have you send it yet? I heard the one in Nebraska is really slow office. When your OPT expire, YOU CANNOT RENEW or neither request to accept employment. You will have to find somebody to sponsor you and go from there. Don't try to call INS to ask question because they are really picky about people calling there. If you are still legal, you can call, but in my case i can't call because they will send me to the deportation department. I hope everything works out for you

Dwonder,
I have already sent all the paperwork, but they are really slow; by the time they send me my EAD, it will be expired or will expire in days, so there is no use.
I am still legal, and will be till May, but as you advised, I wouldn't call INS. I guess I have to think about something else now.
You said I could finad a family that would sponsor me...how does this work?

Thanks for advice, that was exactly what I was looking for.

How do you know that your EAD is good for only four months? do you have your EAD with you? when did you send the EAD application? I think you just have to wait for your EAD to arrive and then when you are done with it, i mean when your EAD expire, don't wait the last minute to find somebody to sponsor you because you will be without a job and stuck until you get another EAD. I came here with a F-1 visa and expired in may 2001 and then i applied for my EAD right when i graduated and it took me only month and a half to get my EAD and it was good for only 12 months. I cannot renew it, it's not renewable. OPT are not renewable. Don't send any aplication just to get another EAD unless you have somebody to sponsor you. Do you any family member who is a USC? if you do, they will have to sponsor you and fill the I-130 petition for alien relative or if you marry a USC you will get your green card in less than 6 months. Don't worry, you are legal. I'm not and i'm really scare but i'm getting marry sometime this week not because of the paper but because this is a do or die situation. If you let your F-1 visa expire, you will get a bar for like 3 to 10 years before you can come back to US. Keep your status legal and don't wait until the last minute.

I know that my OPT is good for 4 months because I only asked for 4 monts, my DSO wrote that on my I-20 form. The reason why I asked for only 4 months was that I planned to go home in May.
The situation has changed since then drastically, me and my b-friend, who is LPR decided to get married (not because of the paperwork, I never planned on staying in the US, with my MBA I can get any job backhome, but we just realized that we were meant to be togather).
I don't have any relatives in the US (this is another reason I wanted to go back home and I am the only child). But the situation is different now, anyway.
I know we have to do something ASAP. My F1 visa expired in August 2002, because US embassy back home issued it only for one year. However, I-20 is good till 31st of May and this is all that matters (as far as I know).
Any thoughts now?

I really appreciate any help, I don't know that many people that can help me, so hearing anything helps.
We're seeing an attorney this week, maybe this is not a lost case.

Thanks a lot

Does anyone have any advice? Suggestions? Please help!