r/h1b

My H-1B extension (I-129) was filed in August 2025 and remained pending. My employer upgraded it to Premium Processing on June 15, 2026.

USCIS case status says the Premium Processing clock started on June 15 but more than 2 months later there has been no approval RFE denial or other update.

My 240-day employment authorization period has now ended, so my employer has placed me on unpaid leave and I cannot work while the petition remains pending.

I contacted USCIS today and submitted an e-Request. USCIS accepted it and issued a service-request ID but the automated response says the inquiry itself may take at least 60 days.

Has anyone had a Premium Processing I-129 remain pending this long after the premium clock started? If so, what eventually happened and was there anything that successfully got USCIS to act?

PP receipt Notice Date: 8/11/2026

Center - CA

Pending

Please comment follow and I will add you to the group so that we can discuss progress

My current H1B visa from my previous employer is valid until September 16, 2026. My new employer’s H1B is already approved and valid through July 2029.

I’m thinking of traveling to India in early September for stamping. My thought is that if my appointment gets cancelled or I’m unable to complete t

Hi,

I want to know how long is it taking people to get the I797 from USCIS after it is approved. I got H1 approved with PP, Vermont Service Centre,

Receipt Date: 27th July

Approved Date: 12th August

How long did it take for your I797 to arrive to your lawyer or employer in mail?

Hi everyone, I’m currently waiting for a decision on my H1B RFE and wanted to see if anyone has had a similar experience recently.

Timeline:

• RFE response received / PP clock stopped: 08/06
• Case status changed to Actively Processing: 08/12
• Current status: Awaiting Decision
• Service Center: Vermont

Has anyone been in a similar situation after responding to an RFE? How long did it take to receive a decision after the case moved to “Actively Processing”? Is it normal for the case to remain in ‘Actively Processing’ for a while? I’ve seen several quick approvals on this sub, so just wondering what others’ experiences have been.

Would really appreciate hearing about your recent experiences. Thanks!

Please someone give me a suggestion i am so sick of this system. No one wants to sponsor anymore, currently an f-1 student on initial opt, i graduated with a masters in marketing analytics have about three years of work experience in cpg and marketing analytics, i was job hunting for 5 months since graduating and every chance I got at interviewing most of them turned me away saying they cannot sponsor, my internship didn’t convert for this same reason. Just started a month ago in a contract position from a staffing company at a good company and now a role opened up full time for the team my manager referred me, i applied and in the recruiter screen got told i’m doing exactly the job the role is asking for, then was asked the million dollar question of sponsorship. Explained to them my whole opt extension situation and made it clear that i won’t in the near future but maybe in the long term. And she said they can’t move forward with my candidacy.. i’m just in tears.. don’t know how many offers i’ve lost so far because of this.

Will i ever get a job that will sponsor? What do i do..

Edit: There’s so many people in the comments hating and asking me to go back to india. I’m not from India for ones that were making this assumption so please stay off my post if you don’t have anything helpful to say🙏

note: i got my masters in marketing analytics but I work as a DATA ANALYST for your kind info who keep trying to pick faults in my skillset for not being “stem” i couldn’t get sponsored for that, but i don’t need all of your validation i posted this out of frustration and to seek help or advice from anyone who was in this position before, not for all of you racist butt hurt haters to comment

I'm really burned out and think i've been that way for a while - spoke to therapists took the occasional couple of weeks off but doesn't seem like it is helping. I've been in high stress faang jobs (amazon and meta) for about 5 years now and think I've hit my limit - lately I've been struggling with sleep, taking care of my health, and just finding even basic motivation.

My spouse and I have decent savings, so financially we can afford for me to take some time off. I think 1–3 months would be ideal. I'd really like to go back to India for a while. I know from experience that spending time with family there and completely stepping away from work helps me recover.

The problem is getting back. I'd need H-1B stamping, and the appointment availability situation in India makes that pretty uncertain. At the same time, I'm fairly sure I dont want to simply stay in the US, cooped up in my city either. I'm hearing more stories about people with expired visa stamps being concerned even about domestic travel, and honestly, in my current state it just adds to the feeling of helplessness.

I've also explored medical leave or some other way of taking an extended break while maintaining H-1B status, but I don't really understand how travel can work and what's possible.

Any advice would really appreciated. Thanks!

Has anyone from that timeline gotten a recent approval? It’s now past 40 business days and still nothing from them. Same old generic response from USCIS.

Hi all- I figured many must be in the same situation, so wanted to send out an update:

Perm submitted - Sept 30, 2025
Certified - August 18, 2026

Good luck to all waiting 🤞🏽

I have a cap exempt H1B with a university. Wanted to teach too along with my other job, so they had to file for a concurrent H1B and it’s been a year since it’s pending. Don’t understand how it could take a whole year with no update.

Should I switch to premium or it’s almost there?
Worth it

I was planning for a visit to India in Nov 2026. Is it safe to travel? Port of exit and entry will be Houston.
Has anyone traveled recently? And how was the experience at immigration check?

I have a stamp valid till Sept 2027. I94 valid till Sept 2027.

Anyone submitted h1b transfer in August? Mine receipt date is Aug 4th and pp date: Aug 6th, California center

H1B extension premium processing takes more than 1.5 months
Anyone face the same issue? Did it result in RFE?

Has anyone had any approvals Monday Aug 17th?

I’m waiting on acknowledgement of my RFE sent last week

Hi all, I would have 1 year 10 months remaining on my H1B before max out when I interview for companies while being in the US , and dont have my I140 or PERM filed. Would someone know whether most of the Tech companies like Waymo, Google, Apple, NVIDIA, Meta, Doordash, General Motors (Self Driving) are ok with hiring someone on an H1B with just this much time remaining or would they just not proceed , given that I may also potentially qualify for the NIW a few month down the line ? Trying to figure out whether companies are ok with this or if a minimum 2 years is required, so I can accordingly change my status/move out of the country earlier if really needed before the job search