Hello Dimitar,
My wife is a F1 student and her OPT application with requested start date as Aug 8th (USCIS receipt May 16th) is still pending and shows Initial Review. The enclosed check was cashed soon and it’s nearly 80 days since the USCIS receipt. Currently, her curricular practical training (CPT) authorization is till Sept 16. However, She is graduating on Aug 6.

My questions are:
1)How to expedite the process of getting OPT (she has a job offer and wants to begin on Aug 8th)
2)Since she is graduating soon, can she use current CPT authorization to work between Aug 8 to Sept 16 (given that OPT is pending)?
3)Because of OPT application still in processing mode, can it be deemed approved UNTIL USCIS notifies us?

We will very much appreciate your inputs and suggestions.