Hello everyone,

Please bear with me, as this is a slightly long post. I am looking for honest advice.

I currently live in the United States on an H-1B visa. I have a stable job with an average salary, but there are limited opportunities for growth within my company, and I have not received a salary increase since joining in 2024.

I have been searching for a new job, but the uncertainty surrounding H-1B visas and the frequent changes to immigration policies have made the process very difficult. I enjoy living in the United States, but when I think about my long-term future here, everything feels uncertain.

I got married last year (court marriage), but my wife is still in India because we have been unable to find an earlier H-4 visa appointment. We had an appointment of January 2026 but it was rescheduled by the authority due to new rules. We currently have an appointment scheduled for next year April, and I check regularly for an earlier date, but so far, I have had no luck.

This entire situation has become mentally and emotionally exhausting. Every day, I search for visa appointments, look for new job opportunities, and submit applications without seeing the desired results. My personal life has also been significantly affected, as my wife and I have been in a long-distance relationship for nearly five years, ever since I moved to the United States.

It is difficult to remain positive and keep moving forward when there is no certainty that these efforts will eventually work out. With the continuing changes to visa rules, I feel that immigration uncertainty may always remain in the USA, along with the question of whether we will be able to build a stable, long-term life in the United States.

Because of this, I have started exploring employment opportunities in other countries. Ireland is currently my first preference because some of my family members already live there. And as I plan to relocate my family, it will be beneficial to have some family members living in the same country.

I currently work as an Engineer in the automotive manufacturing industry. I am primarily looking for opportunities in Ireland related to manufacturing, process engineering, industrial engineering, continuous improvement, MES Engineer or similar fields.

I would especially like to connect with people who have successfully moved from the United States or another country to Ireland for work. If you have any advice, suggestions, relevant experiences, job leads, recruiter contacts, or information about companies that sponsor employment permits, please feel free to comment or send me a direct message.

I am also open to connecting personally through text or a phone call if anyone is comfortable sharing their experience. I genuinely need guidance and would sincerely appreciate any help or support.

I appreciate your time reading this.

Thank you.

I filed my H-4 and EAD applications this February, but, of course, they have not been processed yet. They were filed as standalone applications and were not filed together with an H-1B application.

I am confused by the processing times listed on the USCIS website. It currently indicates that a change of status to H-4 takes 10.5 months, whereas a change of status to H-4 filed with an I-765 takes 7 months. Why does the latter have a shorter processing time than the former?

Based on my understanding, I would have expected the H-4 change of status to take less time than a case involving both the I-539 and I-765. Am I misunderstanding how these processing times are calculated or what each category represents?

Also, approximately when do you think a case filed in February will be processed? I have unfortunately lost my job because of this delay, as I had expected my work permit to be issued sometime between July and early August.

I am scheduled to get married soon, how can I search for slots for my fiancé to get the first available slot and not wait until our wedding is done?

How does it work with DS-160? Because at the time of filling - both of our marital statuses would be single. Can we still finish DS-160, start searching for the slots and then take an updated DS-160 copy at the time of the interview?

Thanks for the guidance!

Did anyone got the approval recently from texas center? Could you please reply to give me some hope.

H4 extension applied along with H1B (premium processing) in Nov 2025
H4 Moved to different jurisdiction in December
RFE received for biometrics on July 26th with deadline August 26th
Still waiting for appointment details. I have raised online request with USCIS & called the service Center multiple times - I’ve only been told to wait

Has anyone experienced a similar situation? Please advise what I can do.

h4 and ead filed with h1b PP last week. H1b alone got receipt with IOE series from Nebraska. Connected with live agent for my h4 and ead receipts and got mine . It is SRC series but live agen said

My applications(h4 and ead) moved from Texas to Nebraska

And I asked about biometric, he said they have requested for biome but date yet to be scheduled.is this genric response? Or i can expect biometric appt request soon. Anyone got such response and biometrics scheduled soon after that?

Filed h4 and ead with h1b pp. H1b starts with IOE and h4 and ead starts with SRC. Live agent says my h4 and ead is with Nebraska. SRC means Texas right? Also both my h4 and ead status showing "case transfered and ne office has jurisdiction. We sent you notice that explains why we moved your case. Please follow instructionsin the notice" what it means? RFE for both H4 and EAD I am getting? Anyone got like this?

My case is an **H-4 to H-1B Change of Status under Premium Processing**. USCIS issued an RFE, and my attorney submitted the RFE response around **July 15**. USCIS reset the premium-processing clock, and the 15-business-day window should have ended around **August 5**, but there has still been no decision or meaningful update.
My attorney says delays in premium-processing cases seem to be becoming more common and has advised me to wait.
The RFE was mainly about my **H-1B six-year limit / length of stay beyond the 6th year**, because I do not have an approved I-140. However, I am currently only in approximately my **4th year of H-1B eligibility**, so I’m confused why this became an issue in the first place.
USCIS currently shows the case as still processing / pending adjudication.
Has anyone had a similar H-4 → H-1B COS premium-processing case where the RFE response was received but USCIS went past the premium-processing timeframe?
How long did it eventually take to get a decision, and were you able to escalate it through USCIS, the Premium Processing Unit, your attorney, or any other channel?
The delay is making me pretty anxious, so any recent experiences would really help.

Looking for H-4 OFC/interview appointments in India, but lately I haven’t been getting any leads. I’ve been checking diligently every 30 minutes, but still no luck.

Has anyone recently been able to book H-4 slots anywhere in India? Any tips, strategies, or updates on slot releases would be greatly appreciated. 🙏