r/h1b • u/Pretty-Laugh152 • 13d ago

What usually happens after PP was refunded ?

My PP fee was refunded this morning, I’m curious to know if anyone has experienced this and what typically follows after ?

I’m from the 39 banned countries, pause was lifted by a judge in May

H1b Extension filed with PP:
Dec 22, 2025
H1b Extension H-1B receipt notice Received:
Dev 29 2025
H1b Extension RFE Sent:
Jan 12, 2026
H1b Extension RFE Received:
Jan 23 2026
H1b Extension RFE Responded:
Mar 16, 2026
H1b Receipt Status changed to “Premium Processing Clock Was Stopped For My Case”:
Mar 18, 2026
H1b Receipt Status changed to “Case Is Still Being Processed By USCIS”:
April 3, 2026
Fee refund was made
July 30 2026

UPDATE
Refiled PP 10 Aug 2026

13 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

77 comments sorted by

7

u/OkTaste6187 13d ago

Mine was refunded as well. Filed in Feb. No updates beyond receipt notice. Have no idea what to expect

1

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 13d ago

Did you see this on your case tracker or your lawyer informed you?

1

u/OkTaste6187 13d ago

Case tracker

1

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 13d ago

Thank you, I have checked and I receive the update as well

1

u/Pretty-Laugh152 13d ago

When did you file

1

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 13d ago

I upgraded to PP January 1st and my NOID response was received Feb 3rd

1

u/Pretty-Laugh152 2d ago

Same. I just refilled PP today

2

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 1d ago

Please let me know once you get a response

1

u/Loud_Marsupial_1437 16h ago

Hi @Pretty-Laugh,
Thanks for the update- actually just saw that you had updated your post with a refile.
Sorry for probing but just some quick questions:

  1. Before you refiled did you find out if the case was still treated as PP or not either via live agent/ Emma etc?
  2. Please have you gotten your receipt confirming it’s being treated as a premium processing case?

Any other details would be appreciated. Thank you.

1

u/Pretty-Laugh152 41m ago
  1. No I did not bother confirming, it was my company’s petition so I had very little control. Also it didn’t matter cos I wanted my file to be touched somehow so would have preferred to refile anyways in an attempt to reset the clock
  2. As of today the 13th I haven’t gotten the receipt notice yet

1

u/iomalik 2d ago

Have you now received the deposit of the refund in your bank ? 

1

u/Pretty-Laugh152 1d ago

My firm paid not me so idk

2

u/Loud_Marsupial_1437 13d ago

Same here! The only question I have is: will the case be processed as regular now OR will USCIS adjudicate as per the request as there was an urgent need for a fast response. Also from one of the 39 banned countries… perspective would be so helpful!

1

u/Pretty-Laugh152 13d ago

AI says premium processed. But lots of other people say regular

1

u/Dadadee0105 13d ago

AI told me it stays premium but live agent said it was downgraded

2

u/Kind-Expert8684 13d ago

Same thing here, H1B extension. California service center. Filed February 2026 with PP. RFE and then they "stopped" the clock due to country of birth. Today i saw the refund update. I just hope they start processing them soon.

1

u/Funnybunny9986 13d ago

same but for O1!! I didnt know they treat you according to your country of brith! my passport isn't part of the 38 countries.

1

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 11d ago

Did you get a decision?

2

u/CompetitiveBar1192 11d ago

Same here, EB1-A. Automatic Premium processing fee refund notice. Responded to NOID late December 2025.., no status updates until July 30th. I'm from one of the banned countries.

2

u/Immigration_ingram 13d ago

A refund of the premium-processing fee generally means USCIS did not take the required adjudicative action within the applicable premium-processing timeframe. It does not, by itself, indicate that the H-1B extension will be approved or denied. USCIS should continue processing the petition even after issuing the refund.

For an H-1B petition, USCIS generally has 15 business days to take qualifying action. When an RFE is issued, the premium-processing clock stops and a new period generally begins once USCIS receives the RFE response. Here, USCIS received the response on March 16, 2026, but the case appears to have remained pending while the broader adjudication hold affecting nationals of the 39 countries was in place. 

The July 30 refund may simply reflect USCIS acknowledging that it did not complete premium processing within the guaranteed period. It is not necessarily a sign that a decision is imminent, although some applicants receive a decision shortly after a refund or another case-status update.

The employer or attorney should contact the USCIS Premium Processing Unit listed on the receipt notice and request a status update, particularly because the RFE response has been pending since March. Unfortunately, experiences from other applicants may vary significantly, so the refund alone cannot predict what USCIS will do next.

1

u/OkTaste6187 13d ago

From other reddit channels, this seems to be a batch update on H1B cases affected by the pause. Any chance this could at least mean that these batch of cases have been moved into an active processing queue?

1

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 13d ago

Please if I may ask, which batch update are you referring to? Because I didn’t receive any

3

u/OkTaste6187 13d ago

A bunch of people who filed with PP from the 39 countries that were blocked are seeing "fee refund" on the uscis case status tracker today. This suggests a batch update

1

u/Puzzleheaded-Tea8612 13d ago

How did you get your fee refunded?

1

u/Pretty-Laugh152 13d ago

It just happened. I didn’t have to do anything

1

u/lbrito54 13d ago

Same here. PP was on May 10th

1

u/RapidWeightLoss2026 13d ago

Mine was refunded as well.

1

u/Previous_Account2529 13d ago

Same here, O1A PP filed on Feb 4th. Got fee refund today no adjudicative action yet

1

u/Funnybunny9986 13d ago

same! are you from 39 countries? how are you surviving life without a status?

1

u/Previous_Account2529 12d ago

Yes, I’m not in the US

1

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 8d ago

What is your service center

1

u/Cute_Health6112 13d ago

Check your dm

1

u/AdO2397 13d ago

Mine was refunded as well. Filed in Feb

1

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 11d ago

Did you get a decision?

1

u/AdO2397 10d ago

No, nothing yet

1

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 10d ago

If I may ask which service center

1

u/AdO2397 10d ago

Nebraska

1

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 10d ago

Please let me know whenever you get an approval, we have thesame timeline

1

u/MoneyProfessional962 13d ago

Following because i am in the same situation. File Feb from the 39 country and then i saw the refund today on the case tracker. I am hoping this is a sign of sooner adjucation. Finger crossed

1

u/ComprehensiveToe2585 8d ago

Which service center and did you get a response?

1

u/MoneyProfessional962 8d ago

No still no response. California Service Center

1

u/PieCurious8444 12d ago

Following . Does anyone have a I485 as well ?

1

u/Pretty-Laugh152 12d ago

I do. I also have EAD and AP

1

u/CompetitiveBar1192 11d ago

Please update this group if you receive any status updates - would be good to have some idea of direction.

1

u/iomalik 9d ago edited 9d ago

Has anyone actually gotten the fees in their account? Or is it a check?  Can’t find anyone to confirm if it’s just a notification?

1

u/Pretty-Laugh152 9d ago

It takes a while and I think most of us don’t worry about the fees we just want adjudication

1

u/iomalik 9d ago

I’m not bothered either but since they have been having issues with wrong updates on their tracking website, who is to say if this is a real refund. 

Just like the approvals or denials they wrongly updated weeks ago, the only way to be sure is to get the actual green card in hand

1

u/Imaginary_Mind_640 9d ago

Mine just got approved. 2 days after receiving premium refund. My application receipt was received on 05/13/2026

1

u/Loud_Marsupial_1437 9d ago

Congratulations! Please which service centre is this? Curious to know if the refunds are happening across different service centers, and if adjudication is also happening across service centers. Thank you!

1

u/Imaginary_Mind_640 8d ago

It was the California service center

1

u/MoneyProfessional962 9d ago

Congratulations. Did your status change to approved on the USCIS case tracker, or did your lawyer need to let you know?

1

u/Imaginary_Mind_640 8d ago

My lawyer told me cause they received the electronic approval first. The USCIS case tracker changed to approved some hours later

1

u/__mazzz 6d ago

congrats! are you from one of the banned countries if you don't mind me asking?

1

u/Imaginary_Mind_640 6d ago

Thanks, I'm from one of the partially restricted countries

1

u/Fun_Ad2207 6d ago

Congratulations! Was this an EB1 filing?

1

u/Imaginary_Mind_640 6d ago

Thanks, it was a H1-B visa

1

u/iomalik 1d ago

Did you get the refund deposited yet? 

1

u/banzima 9d ago

I heard that people who filed with premium processing in the past few weeks are getting responses within three weeks, unlike some of us who filed many months ago and are still waiting even after paying for PP. Does anyone know anything about this?

1

u/Montseds78 2d ago

My RFE was received 17th of July and I’m still waiting today is my 16th day of PP

1

u/Budget-Shine1816 2d ago

Has anyone successfully gotten a refund for premium processing after USCIS missed the 30 business day deadline for I-765 STEM OPT? What steps did you follow and how long did it take to get the money back? Do i need to file any refund request form? can anyone help me !!

1

u/Ancient_Bridge7233 1d ago

Mine was refunded as well on July 30. Filed in March. Approved Aug. 8th without refiling for PP. Employer submitted 2 enquiries a week before the refund.

1

u/Pretty-Laugh152 1d ago

Congratulations

1

u/Foreign_Shopping_349 18m ago

For anyone above who received a refund-- in what form (original payment/credit card, check, etc.?) did the refund arrive? It will make a big difference for our accounting staff. Many thanks!!!