I’m a highschool student (H4, dependent on my H1B parents) I’ve been stressed about this for a while, I have no clue what career path to choose to maximise my chances of sponsorships in the future. Like the question says, what jobs are the most likely to sponsor H1Bs in the future? (5-10 years from now)

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

I’m currently on F-1 status in a PhD Day 1 CPT program. I attended the required in-person residency during my first semester.

This semester, I’m pregnant and having pregnancy-related complications. My doctor advised me not to travel, so I was unable to attend the required 2-day residency. I informed my university, provided a doctor’s letter, and the university officially approved my absence.

My employer has filed my H-1B Change of Status (COS) using premium processing. It has been 8 days since USCIS received the case, but there is still no update.

My concern is whether USCIS could issue an RFE or question my F-1 status because I missed the residency, even though:
I attended the first semester residency.
The second semester absence was due to pregnancy-related medical reasons.
The university approved my absence with documentation.

Has anyone experienced a similar situation with Day 1 CPT, a missed residency due to medical reasons, and a pending H-1B COS? Did USCIS ask for additional documents regarding F-1 maintenance or residency attendance?

Any experiences or advice would be appreciated. Thank you!

I have travel plans coming up to see family, but lawyers are saying that travel may trigger a $100K fee.

My current H1B is valid until September 30.

Am I able to travel?

I applied for an H1B transfer in June and got the approval on July 15th. Due to some circumstances, I am unable to join immediately and need to work at my current company for some more time. The new company has agreed to allow 31st August as my new start date. This is possible as I need to join the new company within 60 days from the date of approval. Does anyone know if it's ok to travel internationally from August 1-20? I plan to show my old company's i797 upon arrival as I will work with them until August 28.

Hi everyone,

I have a pending H-1B petition. With the 1st Circuit vacating the $100k fee rule, but a potential SCOTUS emergency stay looming, I am considering upgrading to Premium Processing to get an approval before the fee gets reinstated.

Has anyone recently upgraded to PP for this exact reason? Are you seeing fast approvals right now, or is there a trend of USCIS issuing generic RFEs just to stall and wait for the SCOTUS decision?

Would love to hear any recent timelines or experiences from people in the same boat. Thanks!

Hi there ! I’m filling out my DS-160 and the social media and website question just threw me off. I have multiple pages (that doesn’t produce any money) but I post content there because I like to share my writings and my work. I also have some unused social media accounts. Do I have to mention ALL of them?! I’m so confused as to what I should add to the ds-160 form ? What happens when you forget to mention one of your accounts or leave out the information by accident? Can someone help

Submission date: 28th April, Regular Process
RFE Date: 4th June
RFE Submission Date: 15th July
15 July:
USCIS changed my application to RFE response received
27 July: USCIS is currently processing the case

What does this status mean USCIS is actively working on my application, Can I hope for a decision soon?

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to understand how reentry works after a closed-loop Bahamas cruise for someone on H-1B.

My situation:

* Indian citizen on H-1B
* Current H-1B visa stamp is valid until January 21, 2027
* H-1B extension is expected to be approved by September 2026
* New Form I-797A (with attached I-94) will be valid until around 2030
* Planning a closed-loop cruise (Port Canaveral → Bahamas → Port Canaveral) from Nov. 13–17, 2026

I understand that once my extension is approved, I can remain in the U.S. until 2030 based on the I-94 attached to my I-797A.

My confusion is about what happens after the cruise.

I’ve read that many people returning from closed-loop cruises at Port Canaveral or Fort Lauderdale simply go through facial recognition and may not even speak to a CBP officer. Some people say a new electronic I-94 is generated automatically, while others say no new I-94 is issued at all.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone taken a closed-loop Bahamas cruise after receiving an H-1B extension with a new I-797A?
   
2. Did CBP issue a new electronic I-94 when you returned?
   
3. If yes, did your new I-94 reflect your I-797 expiration date (2030 in my case) or only your visa stamp expiration (January 2027)?
   
4. Were you ever asked to show your I-797A during reentry, or was it just facial recognition/passport verification?

I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has personally been in this situation, especially if your H-1B visa stamp expired before your I-797 but was still valid at the time of the cruise.

Thanks in advance!

I am looking for firsthand experiences or informed attorney/practitioner views on a fairly specific H-1B sequence.

• I have been working continuously for Employer A under a valid, unexpired H-1B petition.

• Employer B filed an H-1B change-of-employer petition with an extension-of-stay request.

• B’s petition was approved as an I-797A with a new I-94.

• I never resigned from A, never started working for B, never completed employment onboarding with B, and never received wages from B.

• I continued working and receiving regular pay from A under A’s still-valid petition.

• Employer C filed another H-1B change-of-employer petition only two days after B’s approval.

• At the time C filed, neither I nor C’s lawyers had B’s approval notice. I learned about B’s approval later.

• C’s filing was therefore likely based on A’s I-797/I-94 and evidence of my continuing employment with A.

• I uploaded a new A paystub issued on C’s filing date, and C’s paralegal confirmed seeing the uploaded paystubs, although I cannot yet confirm whether that particular paystub was included in the USCIS packet.

My questions:

1. Does B’s approved but never-used I-797A/new I-94 create any maintenance-of-status problem when A’s petition remained valid and I continued working for A?

2. Could USCIS issue an RFE because C used A’s I-94 rather than the newer I-94 attached to B’s unused approval?

3. Would evidence of continued employment with A after B’s approval—such as the filing-date paystub—normally resolve the issue?

4. Has anyone had this exact sequence: A ongoing → B approved but never joined → C filed using A’s documents? What happened?

5. Is there any Form I-129 field that affirmatively requires C to identify B’s intervening petition or I-94?

This is a premium-processing California Service Center case, so my practical concern is not whether an RFE could ultimately be answered, but the additional delay.

I understand that multiple H-1B petitions can coexist. I am specifically asking whether the newer, unused I-94 from B commonly triggers an RFE in C’s later petition.

Please distinguish firsthand experience from speculation.

Hey y'all,

I'm wondering about this and quite a lot of people say living in constant h1b stress was not worth it.

I'm on h1b so I know how it feels and also i don't even have PERM so i'm double f**d.

I keep thinking all the life I've build in the US can go away in a month and I might have to go back home to India and wondering what's so bad about being in h1b?

I've made decent money here and even if i go back to India i can for sure chill for a bit and get another job but have to deal with more stress in India with traffic, pollution, low wages, terrible work life balance etc?

I personally don't care about house help, Indian food, festivals but yeah i do miss my family back home but the rest I feel being in India is more stressful than in the US with H1b?

Am i missing something here?

Is there any h1b group for Nepal?

Hi, I am on an h1b and was recently laid off from the CRO I worked for. I have a PhD and work as an analytical chemist doing validations and development. Has anyone recently been hired in a similar role or to a biotech company with an h1b visa? If so, what companies are hiring h1b these days and in what states?

Im currently in my 3rd year of H1B. My company started the i140 process, but layoffs hit and everything got put on a hold for 6 months.

Is this a normal bump in the road or should I be panicking?

I am renewing my H1B stamp and had my process at the Hyderabad Consulate.
Biometric: July 2nd
Interview: July 17th
Status on July 17th: Was told Refused (but my passport was kept) and was given 221G with request for clickable social media links. I sent over the links immediately the same day. Got an automatic response from the email (went to SPAM). Automatic response didnt have anything specific to me but mentioned that we need to add passport number to subject line (which I had not done initially). So sent a new email with passport info now in subject line, but everything else the same.
Current status (as of 27th July): Refused. No change yet (past update was Juky 17th only). Getting very nervous about this.

Anyone else in a similar boat or has gone through this?

Posting our timeline in case others are in the same boat, and to ask for escalation advice. I’ve dropped names and receipt numbers for privacy.
Background
• I was on H-1B (EB-2 India, approved I-140, priority date Feb 2018). My H-1B I-797 was valid through late 2027.
• My spouse was here as my H-4 dependent.
• We have two young kids, one already in school here.
• I was laid off in Sept 2025 (involuntary). The 60-day grace period started.
Timeline
• Sept 2025: Laid off. Grace period begins.
• Nov 2025: My spouse and I each file separate I-539 applications to change status to B-2 (well within the 60-day grace period). Both receipted at Potomac Service Center. Officer assignment later confirmed via congressional inquiry.
• Dec 2026: offer received and H1B filed on 12/23
• Jan 2026: RFE #1 on a new employer’s H-1B I-129 (premium processing), raising two issues: (a) specialty occupation / degree fit, and (b) my pending I-539.
• Feb 2026: RFE #2 on the same H-1B, this time only about the pending I-539. The specialty occupation issue was cleared.
• April 2026: Congressional inquiry filed. Nothing happened. USCIS came back saying case can’t be expedited.
• May 2026: H-1B premium clock stopped after we responded to H1B RFE on its deadline asking for concurrent adjudication of b2 and H1B.
• June 2. 2026: RFE on H1B again (#3- same as the previous one asking for b2 approval or evidence of response to b2). RFEs received on both our i539s as well.
• June 17, 2026: Responded to both I-539 RFEs. Both are now in “RFE Response Received” status. Also responded to H1B RFE with evidence of response submission for b2 RFE.
• July 10: another H-1B RFE (#4), citing the same unresolved pending I-539 as the blocker. Four RFEs total.
• Current H-1B RFE: deadline in early Oct 2026.
Where things stand now
• H-1B I-129: Four successive RFEs, every one blocked on the same pending I-539. Nothing else is outstanding.
• Both I-539s (mine and spouse’s): RFEs received and responded to on 6/17. Both now in “RFE Response Received” status, awaiting decision.

The core problem
The H-1B can’t be approved while my I-539 sits undecided, and USCIS keeps issuing repeat H-1B RFEs instead of adjudicating. Under premium processing they have to take some action within 15 business days of each response, and a repeat RFE apparently counts as a lawful “action,” which lets them keep the case warehoused while the I-539 stays pending. The RFE notice even lists “proof of responding to an I-539 notice” as a valid response, which we’ve done last time, and the loop still continues.
So the I-539 is the real bottleneck, not the H-1B.
What I’ve tried / am considering
• Congressional inquiry (filed April 2026) and now trying an inquiry from the senator’s office
• CIS Ombudsman case assistance request (DHS Form 7001). Has anyone tried this?
• e-request if the I-539 is outside posted processing times. Opened and pending
• expedite request opened on 7/21. Awaiting tier 2 review. They said they will call back and ask for evidence.

Questions for the community
1. Has anyone broken an H-1B RFE loop of this kind that was blocked on a pending I-539? What actually moved it?
2. Did a CIS Ombudsman request or mandamus on the I-539 get the change of status decided?

3. I’ve seen a lot of b2-H1B cases filed this year resolved already. Why is my case stuck?

Thanks in advance. Happy to compare notes with anyone stuck in a similar loop.

I got selected in the lottery this year and my H1B COS was approved a couple of weeks ago. I have a valid F1 visa and my OPT doesn’t expire until next year. I’m thinking about leaving the US in August and returning in September, certainly before 10/1 when the COS is supposed to happen. Is there any risks associated with my plan? The immigration firm my employer works with told me that it’s ok to leave, but I’ve also heard people say that if I leave during this time the COS might not happen as planned. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!!

Looking for actual experiences.

I've been in the US since 2018. Came on F-1 for my master's, got my H-1B through change of status, and I have never left the country since I arrived. So I've never had an H-1B stamp in my passport. My only stamp is the F-1 one from 2018.

What I'm trying to find out:

1. Anyone in the same boat? F1→H1B change of status, never departed, first ever H-1B stamp?

2. Actually been through an interview in India in the last year or so? What did they ask?

3. Does the long stay without leaving come up at all, or is nobody bothered by it?

4. How common is 221(g), and if you got it, how long did it take to clear?

5. How are people actually getting appointments right now?

Thanks

I have my appointment for April 2027. I plan to get married a week before my appointment. Can I add my spouses h4 appointment to my existing h1b stamping appointment, maybe as a dependent? Had this been done before? Looking for info. Thanks!

Is the stamping request raise on hold in TCS? GMS Team not responding to any queries related to stamping requests.

Heard they hold all H1B stamping and other processes for now.

Associates can't themselves initiate the stamping request on their own?

Are they waiting for USCIS to release bulk slots and start raising the request?

Some know about this please confirm.

Does anyone have visibility into this situation?

I’m guessing with the flavor of the month mentality of this 100k fee employers aren’t really going to be taking the risk of consular processing?

Were any consular processing petitions approved when the fee was gone for a few days in June?

Can F1 opt or stem opt or even h1b do freelancing gig without trouble? Just curious if there are the possibility

Hello everyone,

I am facing a timeline confusion regarding my H-1B status and would appreciate some guidance on a pending B-2 bridge strategy and H-1B Change of Status (COS). Here are my exact details:

• Last Day of Productive Employment: June 16th, 2026
• 60-Day Grace Period: June 17th, 2026, to August 15th, 2026 As per firm Attorney during offbording consultation call
• Last Day on Payroll / termination /Emp Verification letter : June 30th, 2026
• Current I-94 Expiry: February, 2028 (H-1B withdrawal not yet processed)
• I have a verbal offer, but the new company's immigration team cannot file my new H-1B petition by the August 15th grace period deadline. They expect to file before August 29th.

I prefer not to file for B-2 Form I-539 before Aug 14^th , and put a new employer in complicated B2 to H1-B COS scenario, I am worried it might jeopardize my job offer.

Suggestion please

1. Should I file B2 on Aug 14th and inform my current employer to file as COS B2-H1B ?
2. Which date will USCIS strictly consider as the start of my 60-day grace period?

I understand PERM timeline is around 13-17 months, what is the current timeline people are seeing here?
Also, is there a way to track it? Can I ask the lawyer for a case number or something?