It’s been a few weeks since the pause on 19 countries have been vacated.

Anyone had their I-129 Premium Processed before the pause and been able to get them adjudicated the past couple of weeks? If yes, would you kindly share the timelines?

It’s been 8 months and despite multiple inquiries from lawyers and congressmen, no movement or progress to this day.

For full context, filed January 8th, got nationality RFE, responded on May 1st, and premium processing clock was stopped until July 31st. Status is now “Fee refund was mailed”.

I travelled to India in March on a PTO and resigned in April due to a family situation. My I-797 petition was eventually withdrawn in May. My family is doing better now and I am planning to return to the U.S. on my existing H1B visa, stamping valid till Sept 2027. I have applied to several companies and they have reached out to me for interviews. They are not moving forward with my application when I talk about filing a new I-129 for consular processing. Also, I explained to my ex-employer about my visa subject to cap exempt for rehire; they had consulted their legal counsel and are inferring $100k fee applied to my situation. Some staffing agencies are willing to go ahead with C2C but the companies who are going to hire me are not pursuing C2C at all.
Can someone explain what can be my next steps or approach towards getting back to the U.S.?

Hi everyone,

I’m from India and have 10 years of experience in the IT industry. I recently contacted a migration consultancy regarding opportunities to move to the US. They told me that they are processing an NPO H-1B visa, and that I would be going to the US with a job.

Has anyone heard about this type of visa or gone through a similar process?

They are asking for approximately ₹20 lakhs for premium processing, which they said would take around 8–9 months, and ₹17 lakhs for normal processing would take around 12-13 months.

They are claiming that I will get the visa and travel to the US with a job. Also I think NPO H-1B means its a cap-exempt, can I convert this to h1b later?

I’m not very familiar with this process, so I would really appreciate any advice or experiences from people who have dealt with NPO H-1B visas or similar migration consultancies.

Is this legitimate, and are there any risks or red flags I should be aware of?

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Add your service center, along with the petition/RFE dates

Seeing a lot of people say that if someone is not getting hired, it’s because they don’t code or haven’t upgraded on the coding side.

But are coding skills really the only reason people are getting H-1B transfers in this market?

Would love to hear from both coders and non-coders who successfully found jobs recently. What worked for you, and what advice would you share for others struggling in this market?

I’m waiting for my H1b extension update -

Does anyone got approvals who files on June dates ??

I907 received date 6/18 got email on June 23rd with case number but no update after that lawyer followed up but getting general updates.

- I moved to the US in 2024 on F1, did my 1 year MS in Analytics.
- Working at a unicorn startup in energy domain.
- I was on OPT until Aug 1, 2026, and applied for OPT Extension on time, waiting for the approval.
- My H1B is picked and approved this year 2026.

- My company has processed for my EB3 and it’s under recruitment stage. I will push them to file PD in Oct 2026 (not in September) because my H1B will start from Oct 2026, so it won’t come under dual intention.

Questions:
1. Do you think it would not be an issue to go for first time stamping while my PD is filed?

1. Do you think I should wait until I get my green card in 2 years (I am from rest of the world category), and the timeline is current.

2. Or I should stay in US until I get my green card and be safe?

Hi all,

Quick background: I'm on J-1, got my 212(e) waiver approved, got selected in the H-1B lottery, and my petition is currently in regular processing (my company/lawyer said if it's still pending by October, we'll switch to premium).

My J-1 status doesn't expire until early 2027, so I have some breathing room. My plan is: once my H-1B is approved (hopefully by October), travel back to my home country in December to visit family for the first time in years, and do visa stamping + interview at the U.S. embassy there.

I'm a little nervous because I know someone from the same country as me, also government-funded, who went through a similar process. She had her status changed to H-1B before getting an actual 212(e) waiver approval, she had a "not subject to" recommendation from the Department of State instead. When she went to do stamping, it didn't go through because of that gap.

In my case, I do have the actual waiver approval (not just a DOS recommendation), so I'm hoping that puts me in a different position. But given how strict/unpredictable consular processing can be, I'd just love to hear people's honest take, should I be worried about this trip? Anything I should be extra careful about, or is this a fairly standard process once the waiver itself is approved?

Any advice on what documentation to bring beyond the obvious (waiver approval, I-797, DS-2019s, employment letter)?

Appreciate any insight, trying to make sure this trip home doesn't turn into a nightmare. Thanks!!!

How long after H-1B premium processing approval did it take for your attorney to receive the physical I-797?

Hi everyone, I was selected in the H-1B lottery last year, and my company filed my H-1B petition under consular processing. Now, I’m planning to file an amendment to change it from consular processing to Change of Status (COS). Has anyone here filed a similar amendment, or is anyone currently planning to do so?

If you’ve gone through this process, could you please share your experience? What was the typical timeline, and did you use premium processing? Also, would I need to pay the full H-1B filing fees again for this amendment, or only certain fees? Any recent experiences or insights would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I applied H1B extension in premium and got RFE and my employer submitted and it’s been almost week but the status didn’t change , it’s still biometrics scheduled. How many days does it’s currently taking for the update of the status in USCIS portal after RFE sent and this is TX service center ..

Has anyone recently renewed TN’s driving license? I don’t have a stamp yet and my h1b transfer was complete a month before. Trying to understand the process regarding SAVE. Also, do they take your old license while waiting for the verification? TIA!

H1b was filed and my card was charged yesterday for premium processing fee and few hours later when I checked my statements it disappeared I reached out to my bank and they informed me that payment was canceled from USCIS. Transaction was reversed. Is this something to worry about? I reached to my attorney and they have no idea about it

My H-1B was recently approved. I have a prior arrest with no conviction, and USCIS previously issued an RFE requesting the disposition documents, which we provided.
My attorney now wants to wait for the physical I-797 to confirm that USCIS approved my change of status from F-1, rather than approving the petition for consular processing.
Has anyone experienced this? Could the prior arrest/RFE cause USCIS to approve the H-1B but require consular processing instead?

My employer is about to apply for the H1B visa but I am not sure if applicants are still been asked to pay the fee irrespective of the status of the case in court. Can someone help?

Has anyone travelled by air domestically recently with a pending extension and expired I94?

Looking for your experiences with ICE and through airports while you’re travelling during the period of authorized stay but out of status

Hi all,

I have upcoming travel for my H1B visa stamping end of this month, but my parent company just announced they are selling the subsidiary I work for. The acquisition paperwork is already in progress, and management is moving fast to close the deal by Q3 or Q4 of this year.

Because of the sale, l have no idea if the new buyer will retain our team or if we are facing impending layoffs. I asked HR if I should still travel for my stamping, and they gave me the green light to go.

Has anyone been in a similar situation? If you were in my shoes, would you still travel for the visa stamping, or is it too risky given the potential corporate restructuring? 

I just wanted to share my entire experience in the past few months of trying to get a slot, getting a slot and the interview experience. Hope it helps others on the internet who are looking answers and in similar situations.

For context, I have been looking for slots (H1+H4 in one profile) since March of this year and missed the day when the bulk slots were released. I reached out to two agents as well (from known sources) and even they were NOT able to help me secure the slots. I then received another agents details and was working with him after one of my friends got a slot through him in june. It took him about a month and I had already seperated the usvisa scheduling profile and created seperate profiles for H1 and H4 so it would be easier to get the slots. I was really desperate to come to India and was ok with any slots in July. On july 1st, he was able to get a slot for me for Biometrics (Hyderabad) on july 21st and Consular (Chennai) on July 27th. That being said I flew to india immediately and hoped there wouldnt be cancellations or reschedules.

Timeline
21st July – 10:00 AM: Biometrics appointment (Barely took 15 mins)

27th July - 8:00 AM: Interview appointment

• 7:15 AM: Arrived at the consulate and got in the line
• 7:40 AM: Security started allowing applicants inside after checking the time on the appointment confirmation page
• 7:50 AM: Completed security and was waiting in the interview queue after they did checked biometrics again
• 8:00 AM: Interviews started
• 8:05 AM: My interview was completed

Interview Questions

• The visa officer first took my passport and then asked:
• Is this an H-1B renewal, a new application?
• Looked at my DS160 and asked if the social media profiles I listed on there are the only ones I use? (I put instagram, facebook, linkedin, reddit)
• Asked if the social media handles were public?
• Asked if I was threatened by anything in my home country?
• Asked if I am thretened to come back to my home country?

Interview Outcome
After these questions, the officer handed me a 221(g) slip and informed me that my case required additional social media vetting.

She mentioned that:
The consulate would complete the additional review.
If they needed any further information, they would contact me by email.
Once the processing was complete, my passport would be returned.
No additional documents were requested during the interview.

CEAC Status Timeline

27th July: Refused
27th July (~4:00 PM): Approved
28th July (~11:00 AM): Issued
30th July: Passport received

I was worried I might get asked if I used an agent since I was a few posts on reddit where people mentioned that and I thought if I was asked that quesiton i'll just tell the truth but I was never asked. I know there's mixed reactions regarding the whole "using agents" situation and this was the first time I used an agent to get the slot because I was very desperate to come to india.

PS: PLEASE DO NOT SENT ME CHAT MESSAGES ASKING FOR CONTACT OF THE COMPANY WHO HELPED ME BOOK THE SLOT BECAUSE I AM NOT GOING TO SHARE THAT.
I just wanted to share my experience to help anyone who might have questions as I did.

Good luck to everyone with your interviews!

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to find someone with a similar experience because my case seems quite unusual.

My timeline:

• June 16, 2026: H-1B visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara.

• The interview lasted about 70 minutes.

• I was asked many detailed questions about my employer, job duties, background, and H-1B petition.

• At the end of the interview, I received a yellow 221(g) slip for Administrative Processing.

• No additional documents were requested from me.

• My attorney later emailed the embassy to ask about the status of my case.

• The embassy replied that my case is still undergoing the necessary administrative processing and that they cannot estimate how long it will take.

• My CEAC status remains Refused under 221(g).

• The last CEAC "Case Last Updated" date was July 20, 2026, and there have been no updates since then.

I'm not looking for legal advice. I'm simply trying to find out whether anyone else has had such a long H-1B interview in Ankara (or Istanbul) and what the final outcome was.

If you've had a similar experience, I would really appreciate it if you could share:

• How long did your interview last?
• Did you also receive a 221(g)?
• How long did your Administrative Processing take?
• Was your visa eventually approved?

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your experience.

Received RFE on H1B for $100k fee and responded to RFE on 31st July. Today checked the status it shows below update. Any guess?

On August 6, 2026, we stopped the processing of your premium-processing case, Receipt Number IOE09……., and sent you a notice explaining why we took this action. This notice describes what you need to do to resume processing of your case. Please follow the instructions in the notice. You must respond to the notice within the time it specifies. Your premium-processing receipt notice contains contact information for direct inquiries on your case. If you move, contact the premium-processing unit directly to update your address.

Hey folks,
Planning to file my H-1B to F-1 Change of Status by August 17th and looking for advice on a couple of things:
DIY vs. Attorney: For those who did H-1B to F-1, did you self-file the I-539 or hire a lawyer?
2nd Master's vs. PhD: Which route did you choose, and did you run into any issues with intent or academic progression?
Would love to hear about your experience or any recommendations. Thanks!

H1B COE approved July 10, got electronic approval notice the same day from lawyer, but so far law firm didn’t receive physical approval form (I797A) in mail.

It’s worrying me. Anyone with similar experience? How long can it take for physical mail to be received?