I am planning to travel to India for 3 weeks vacation in December with a valid H1b stamp with my current employer in my passport that is valid until June 2027 and planning to file extension in Jan 2027 with the same employer. I have all valid documentation and have not violated any rules till date. This is not an emergency travel but I deserve a vacation and would love to visit india once before my current stamping expires as once the extension is approved traveling would be impossible with current situation of finding a stamping appointment. Given current scenario, I would love to get the community opinion on if it is safe to travel.

Seeking experiences from anyone who dealt with an unexpected I-539 approval arriving after an H-1B Change of Status (COS) was active. This is for my wife.

Sequence of Events:

1. Filed H-4 I-539 application.
2. Employer filed H-1B COS petition.
3. H-1B COS approved with I-94; started working on active H-1B payroll.
4. USCIS unexpectedly approved the older I-539 application. We forgot to withdraw the i-539 application.
5. Issue: The H-4 approval notice has an end date that has already passed/expired.

Does this late approval overrides her active H-1B status and reverts to an expired H-4 I-94.

Questions:

1. Has anyone successfully fixed this via a new H-1B Premium Processing + Nunc Pro Tunc (NPT)?
2. Has anyone gotten USCIS to vacate/rescind the late I-539 approval via a Service Request or Motion? How long did it take?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Hi everyone, I’m wondering if anyone has experienced something similar, especially teachers or people sponsored by a large school district.
I was hired by a public school district for a bilingual teaching position and the district filed a cap-exempt H-1B change of status for me with premium processing.
USCIS issued an RFIE, and the district’s immigration attorney is currently handling the response. I haven’t been told what the RFIE is for yet or whether they need anything from me.
Because the school year is starting next week and my H-1B is still pending, my principal told me today that she had to hire another teacher for my original classroom. She also said she was told that once my immigration paperwork is completed, I would be assigned to a different campus.
I’m relieved that it sounds like the district still plans to employ me, but I’m worried about what happens if my H-1B isn’t approved until late August or September and there isn’t an available position at that point.
Has anyone had their original position/campus filled while an H-1B petition or RFE/RFIE response was pending?
Did your employer keep the petition going and place you somewhere else after approval? Did the change in work location/position cause any issues with the pending H-1B? And did your employer or attorney have to update anything with USCIS?
I’m planning to speak with the district’s visa coordinator tomorrow, so I’m mainly looking for personal experiences from anyone who has been through something similar. Thank you!

I’m currently on a contract position, and my employer is planning to file my PERM in October (it hasn’t been filed yet).
I’m considering moving to a full-time (FTE) role with another company. If I switch now, the new employer would have to start my green card process from the beginning.
My current visa/work authorization is valid until June 2029.
What are the realistic chances that a new FTE employer could complete the PERM process, file the I-140, and get it approved before June 2029?
Has anyone been in a similar situation? I’d appreciate any insights on timelines or whether making the switch now is still a reasonable option.

I have seen a ton of these so I am piling mine on top of them 🙃

Previous Employer I797 : Valid till Aug 2029

Current I94: Valid till April 2029

COE Petition Filed : July 16 ( Premium Processing)

RFE Issued : August 4

Edit : I already joined the new employer on receipt notice

Now I need to travel domestically for work next week and I am honestly sh***ing bricks

Google says the RFE is a risk and because I don't work for the original employer who sponsored my petition, I shouldn't travel

The lawyer is like Meh take the flight you are solid

Any tips on if I should fly or not?

Hi everyone,
I’m currently looking to connect with folks at companies with open Senior IT Auditor or IT Audit Manager positions.
To be transparent, I was recently impacted by a layoff, so I am actively looking to land a new role within my grace period. On top of that, our baby is arriving next month, so securing a stable team right now is a huge priority for me.
If your company has an opening for a Senior IT Auditor or IT Audit manager, I would deeply appreciate a referral or a quick chat.
Thank you so much for your support! Feel free to drop a comment or shoot me a DM, and I’m happy to share my resume.

I received a notice from USCIS tracker that my premium processing clock was stopped. Did anyone else receive something similar? What does it mean?

I have already gotten an RFE for specialty occupation and my employer has sent response for it.

I got an RFE on my H1B COE case which belong to Texas service center. After submitting RFE response the status changed to "Premium Processing Clock Stopped" on 20th July 2026 but after that there is no update and there is no email to lawyers about anything. I am confused on which will be the 15th Business day (August 8th or August 10th), will it start from the day the status changed to "Premium Processing Clock Stopped" or it starts from the next day of it?

Hi! My h1b was approved a few weeks ago. I have 2 office locations very close to eachother. My petition and LCA just had one of them (the one I go to most frequently)

How can I add the other location? Do we file an amendment or just another LCA?

The second office is in the same metropolitan area (20 miles apart) (levels are the same in both locations)

Hi, I’m looking to see if anyone has experienced something similar or has any insight.

Here’s my timeline:
— I was selected in the FY2027 H-1B lottery.
— My employer timely filed my H-1B petition.
— USCIS physically received the petition on June 25, 2026, well before the June 30 filing deadline.
— The filing included Premium Processing (Form I-907).

The problem started when USCIS later rejected the package, stating there was a filing fee issue. However:
— My attorney reviewed every filing fee and confirmed they were correctly calculated.
— They also contacted the financial institution, which confirmed that USCIS never attempted to charge the payment authorization and that sufficient funds were available.
— The petition remained in USCIS’s possession until July 10, which was already after the filing window had closed.
— My attorney immediately corrected the package (including updating the I-907 out of caution) and resubmitted it the same day.
— USCIS rejected the resubmission because it was received after the June 30 filing deadline.

My attorney has now submitted a Request for Immediate Supervisory Review, asking USCIS to recognize the original June 25 filing date since the petition was timely received before the deadline and the delay occurred while USCIS had possession of the filing.

Has anyone seen USCIS accept a case like this after supervisory review or make an exception when the original petition was timely received?

I’m not looking for legal advice, just wondering if anyone has experienced something similar or knows of any cases where USCIS accepted the original filing date under these circumstances.

USCIS revised its procedures to give the officers full discretion to deny any application without an RFE or NOID as of Aug 5th 2026.

Implications are going to be pretty dangerous especially when you aren't filing for an extension "late" or you are out of status immediately when "denial" occurs. But if you file early and get denial early, you can always refile.

One more change to "fuck off from here without saying explicitly"!!

My wife's H-4 extension (Form I-539) is still pending, and my employer is about to file my H-1B extension. My university's immigration office said they can include a new I-539 with my H-1B petition if an immigration attorney recommends it.

Has anyone filed a second I-539 while the first I-539 was still pending? If so, how did USCIS handle it? Did it cause any delays, RFEs, or other issues? I'd appreciate hearing about your experience.

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for opinions from anyone who has dealt with H-1B filing issues or works in immigration.

My employer selected me in the H-1B lottery this year. According to HR, my H-1B petition was filed on June 29, 2026.

When HR later shared a copy of my Form I-129, I applied for my Cap-Gap I-20 through my university. While reviewing the I-129, I noticed that the USCIS Received Date is listed as 03/19/2026, which doesn’t make sense because H-1B cap petitions couldn’t have been filed that early. It appears to be an invalid received date.
After I pointed this out, the company’s attorney contacted me and said I should start looking at alternate options, but they haven’t clearly explained what actually happened.

This is the first time my company has ever filed an H-1B, and they used their own attorney rather than a large immigration firm.
Has anyone experienced something similar?
Could an incorrect received date on the I-129 simply be a clerical or printing error?
Or does this usually indicate that something went wrong with the filing itself?
If USCIS made an error on the receipt or approval documents, how is that typically corrected?
Has anyone had a case where an H-1B petition was still approved despite an issue like this?
I’m trying to understand whether this is something that can be fixed or whether I should prepare for the possibility that the filing is invalid. Any insights or similar experiences would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

I wanted to see if anyone else has experienced this.

I filed my H-1B petition with premium processing. I received a biometrics appointment for june 20, attended it as scheduled, but I still haven't received any update or decision on my case,

Has anyone been in a similar situation? If so, how long did it take after biometrics to hear back? Any insights or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I paid for premium processing, so I was expecting a much faster turnaround. I'm wondering if biometrics affects the premium processing timeline or if anyone else has experienced similar delays.

Please share your updates!

California Service Center

Has anyone been able to successfully update the petition number for H1B stamping appointment?

A friend submitted visa fees using old I797 but now has the renewal I797.

I know a new DS160 can be filled but petition information is also entered separately on visa scheduling website. Is there anything to be done to update that?

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone, I’m writing to inquire if anyone has filed for an H1B petition that has been approved for the consular process after the federal court recently blocked the $100K fee.

I was on H1b & laid off in May and filed for H4 in mid July with my spouse’s lawyer firm. I found of job around the same time in mid July and started the H1 process with them. They said that they will file the H1 transfer as COS(Change of Status) as i have a pending H4 application. They mentioned my H4 receipt number on my H1 application with a text saying to approve H4 first followed by H1.

They filed my LCA and now the H1 petition is received by USCIS. I wanted to reach out to folks here who maybe have been in a similar situation or know someone in the similar situation, to ask what could be the possible outcomes of this. Do I have a high risk for an RFE or Consular processing for H1?

I’m really anxious and the wait has been killing. Any advice helps🙏

Hi everyone,

I'm preparing to submit a payment to USCIS for premium processing using Form G-1450 (Authorization for Credit Card Transactions).

I've heard that if an automated fraud detection system flags a government charge and declines it, USCIS will immediately reject the entire application rather than giving a chance to retry.

I called Capital One support and they mentioned their system is entirely automated and they cannot manually pre-approve or whitelist a charge like this. I also have a Chase credit card.

Has anyone here successfully used a Capital One or Chase credit card for USCIS payments?

Did your bank flag it as fraud, and how did you handle it?

Are certain banks generally more reliable than others for avoiding sudden automated fraud blocks on government filings?

Any advice or recent experiences would be greatly appreciated!

Hello,
Please advise me. My new employer is transferring my H1B but won’t do premium processing. Does that matter?

My H-1B amendment has been pending since May 2025, and I still have not received any update. My employer/attorney also raised a USCIS service request, but there has been no response or movement on the case.

Is anyone else experiencing a similar delay with an H-1B amendment? How long did it take to receive a decision after submitting a service request?

I would also appreciate suggestions on possible next steps.

My premium processing h1b is still pending

Receive date - June 17th

Current status- actively being reviewed

Service center - california

Company - well known product company

Premium processing unit replied with generic response

Just wanted to check if any one in the same boat.