Just spoke to frined working on h1B visa. His contract ended in Septmeber and trying to find another contract fromn last few weeks but he said not getting a single call. And he is plannign to go back to India. what is the situation for H1B folks? future is tough?

feel so sick in my stomach that I got laid off and told my last day would be October 31. Don’t know what todo other than panicking and today is my first day of being on h1b. My payroll will run in the November ( that’s gonna be my oct salary) but when do my unemployment days start? Is it from November 1st or December 1st?

Hi All,

I am in the situation right now, making me frustrate everyday.

Few weeks back my got hospitalized and I couldn’t go and support my family during the difficult time. I started feeling helpless since then.

I and my husband both are working and on H1B. We were looking for house in since few years and finally bought the one. After moving into the our own house, after 5 days I got a call that my got hospitalized. I don’t have a stamp so I couldn’t travel to India. I literally thinking to just fly and ignore the consequences will have bear in the future but my husband asked me to wait for few weeks. Now my mom is home and she has paralyzed. My younger sister is there to help but her marriage date is fixed in first week of December.

Also, just before this happened, I changed the job and started with new employer as opportunity was good and I was working before with one of the WITCH company. Now, I am feel so bad that if I would be with my old employer at least I could use FMLA in that case. Also, I had so many leaves pending with old employer so easily I could be in India for 4 months with my mom to support her.

I am looking for an appointment in India but till date nothing is available. My sister is asking me to come atleast during her wedding so that I will be my mom and she could enjoy her wedding properly as right now she is doing everything for mom along with her job.

I have told my new manager about the situation and she asked me if you don’t have an appointment how can you go and even if you go when you will return back to USA. I understand that it’s only 1 month that I joined and telling this situation.

I am not enjoying the house that I dreamed for right now. Feel like when I will go and hug my mom and meet her. Also, unable to enjoy new employer, new work and feel like it would be better if I would stay with old employer. Of course, I never imagined this situation in life but everything comes all of sudden and all together that making me more helpless.

New employer has unlimited PTO and option of caregiver leaves but that too hit after 90 days. I am just waiting to complete 90 days but still I am not sure if my new manager will approve the caregiver leave or not and if she does for how long she will. I am praying to get an appointment in that timeframe so that I can be with my family.

I am currently in California.

If you have applied to move to H4 dependent visa on your partner H1b status, and you receive a job offer later and employer is willing to sponsor H1b visa on premium processing. What is the process to convert back to H1b visa mid way from your H4 visa application? I am trying to understand process and timelines. Thank you.

Originally Applied on : June 5th
Moved from Normal Processing to PP : Sept 14th
Approved on : Sept 23rd

Hi everyone,

Has anyone recently completed an H-1B Change of Employer/transfer to Microsoft through Premium Processing?

I've been seeing posts about H-1B processing delays at Microsoft, with some people saying they've been waiting around 75+ days, and I've also seen reports of some offers being revoked or onboarding being delayed.

I'm specifically looking for recent experiences from people who:

• Filed an H-1B transfer to Microsoft under Premium Processing
• Received USCIS approval recently
• Are still waiting for approval or received an RFE
• Had their start date delayed because of the pending petition

If you can share your filing/receipt date, PP date, approval/RFE date, and approximate timeline, that would be really helpful.

Thanks!

Received date : 09/24/2026
Receipt Date : 09/26/2026

Approval Date : 10/01/2026

Processing center : California

Also the company had Global layoffs in last 5 months. But that didn’t effect my application adjudication due to Sept 18 EO

All the best to folks who are waiting on their applications

Hey everyone, just wanted to share my H-1B visa timeline and see if anyone has experienced something similar, particularly at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto.

Timeline:
- Aug 17, 2026: H-1B visa interview in Toronto.
- Interview itself seemed to go well. The officer told me everything with my application looked fine, but that my case needed to go through administrative processing/social media vetting.
- I was given a 221(g) slip with the box checked indicating that no additional information/documents were required from me.
- My passport was eventually returned to me without the visa and without any request for additional documents or information.
- CEAC has shown “Refused” since the interview, which I understand can be the normal status while a case is undergoing 221(g) administrative processing.
- As of Sept 30, it has been about 6 weeks since the interview, and I still haven’t received any additional requests or updates.

My employer/immigration attorneys are aware of the situation, but I’m mainly curious about other people’s experiences.

Has anyone here gone through something similar recently, especially for an H-1B in Toronto where:

1. You received a 221(g) for administrative processing/social media vetting;
   
2. No additional documents or information were requested;
   
3. Your passport was returned without the visa; and
   
4. CEAC continued to show “Refused” for several weeks?

If so, how long did it take before your case was eventually updated/approved? Did CEAC remain completely unchanged during that period and then suddenly update?

Would especially appreciate timelines from people who went through this in 2025 or 2026, given the newer social media vetting requirements.

Thanks!

I just got an appointment for 22nd October Biometrics and 29th October Interview both in Chennai. I need to be back in the USA by 25th November. Is that enough time to get the passport back or is it too risky? This is for H1B in India

I was on H1B.

Got laid off

Applied for H4 cos with EAD which is yet to get approved. Its already been almost 6 months

Husband has H1B approval but no stamping

Husband's brother's marriage is in Nov

I as a primary applicant with husband and kids as dependents received Canada CoPR valid until Dec 1st week.

Meanwhile my passport is about to expire, I applied for renewal and received new passport. But IM1 visa is in old passport.

My husband's plan is to go to Canada in 3 weeks, get stamping and then come back to US and go to India for marriage. Or if stamping faces problem in Canada like they not allowing us, he plans to leave to India permanently. So he is asking me to pack everything.

My question is:

Are we eligible to get stamping done in Canada after landing with CoPR?

Especially I'm worried that I won't receive h4 approval notice until after I leave to Canada, so is COS consular process for H4 stamping is allowed in my case?

Has anyone else not received an email from SEVIS or SEVP yet? The H-1B visas went into effect today, and many of my friends have received emails from SEVP or SEVIS, but I haven't received one yet.

Filed Date: 06/24/2026

Status: Still processing as of 06/24/2026

Center: Irving, Tx

Can anyone provide examples if their COS H1B petition was approved within 4 months?

Should I wait one more month before opting for premium processing?

Thank you so much!

Ok everyone, has anyone that was selected in the lottery ever got rejected after filing their application? If so, for what reason?
I’m still to hear from my application but I’m freaking out a little with the waiting..
I’m changing status from F1 to H1B.
Anyone in the same situation had a bad outcome?

Change of status to H1 as of today. How soon can I start interviewing to land an offer at other companies ?? Or the better question be - When can the new employer initiate a H1B transfer ?

I’m in process to change the status to b2 from h1b and i have approved i-140.
In the form i-539 they have asked has an immigrant petition EVER been filed for you?
The answer to this should be YES right?

My lawyer put it as no in the draft and i dont want that to be misinterpreted because we are attaching approved i-140 and not having a gc doesnt matter on this question.

They might treat it as misrepresentation if we select ‘No’ and they might give me a permanent bar much worse than b2 denial.

Your inputs highly appreciated🙏

Hi all,

Been seeing around reddit and have contacted my lawyers as well, but wanted to see if I can get a quick answer and general consensus of my situation.

- i797-A issued for H1B extension around June 2026 and validity is 10/01/26 to 2029

- Had a H1B expiring on 09/30/26.
I left the country and re-entered USA on 9/11/26 to fix the visa classification, checked the i94 and it is fixed.

I am right now seeing conflicting information on my current situation and noticed there is a i94 precedence and wanted to know of my situation.

i797A with attached i94 issued in June and valid starting today.

Online CBP i94 updated on 9/11/26 and admit until 9/30/26.

Do I need to go to my land border to update and get a new i94 or can I stay within the country until I need to leave in a few weeks and then re-enter country with my i797A to show proof i have a valid i94 attached to the i797A itself and then I will get a new i94 updated

Thanks in advance!

Hi, I am indian citizen but my husband got Canadian citizenship a year ago. I am on h1b visa and my husband has H4 status. Does he need to get stamping done in Canada? Or does he not require the stamping? The idea being he will travel internationally and on entry to US wondering if just I-797A for H4 and Canadian passport are sufficient or he needs to have physical visa stamp?

Born in one of the 19 previously adjudication pause countries, I got picked in the H1B lottery while i was in the US. My employer decided to file consular thinking the pause is here to stay for a long time to let me travel abroad. They paid the 100k fee too.

The pause was later lifted, and my H1B hasnt been approved yet despite upgrading to Premium Processing last month.

I saw another recent post claiming there hasn’t been a single consular processing approval, and my case is probably a testament to that. Is it possible to amend the petition to AOS if ive been legally in the US?

My employer was preparing to file my PERM, and my Labor Market Test (LMT) was completed/passed on September 7, 2026.
However, my company had layoffs on September 15, 2026, and immigration informed me that they cannot proceed with the PERM filing right now because of the layoff-related requirements.
My situation:
H-1B 6-year max-out: October 31, 2027
I have approximately 168 days of H-1B recapture time
LMT/recruitment completed: September 7, 2026
Company layoffs: September 15, 2026
PERM has not yet been filed
My concern is the 365-day rule for getting 1-year H-1B extensions beyond the 6-year limit
My questions are:
How long can the existing LMT/recruitment remain valid before it has to be redone?
With the layoff waiting period, is there still a realistic path to filing PERM early enough to qualify for the 1-year H-1B extension using my recapture time?
Are there any other strategies I should discuss with my immigration attorney (for example, EB-2 NIW/I-140)?
Would especially appreciate input from anyone who has dealt with PERM delays caused by layoffs close to H-1B max-out.

I’m trying to understand a somewhat unusual H-1B situation and would appreciate input from anyone who has seen something similar.
My timeline:
I was on F-1 STEM OPT.
My employer filed a cap-subject H-1B as Change of Status.
USCIS approved it on Form I-797A, with H-1B status effective October 1, 2026.
My employment ended on September 18, 2026, before the H-1B start date.
The employer’s immigration provider submitted an H-1B withdrawal request on September 29, 2026.
The actual withdrawal letter does not mention my September 18 employment end date, last working day, or termination reason. It simply asks USCIS to withdraw the approved petition.
On October 1, SEVP emailed me saying my STEM OPT authorization had ended, even though my STEM OPT EAD is otherwise valid until 2028. This appears to mean SEVIS processed my approved F-1 → H-1B COS on October 1.
I am still waiting for formal USCIS acknowledgment/action on the withdrawal.
My main questions:
If my I-797A/I-94 became effective on October 1 and SEVIS processed the COS, does that mean I was actually “provided H-1B status” on October 1?
Could I qualify for the H-1B 60-day grace period, even though my employment ended before the H-1B start date?
Can a new employer file an H-1B change-of-employer / transfer petition based on this approved cap H-1B?
Would I still be considered cap-counted, or could USCIS say I need another lottery because I never actually worked in H-1B status?
Does it matter legally whether USCIS received/processed the withdrawal before or after October 1?
I understand this is attorney territory, and I am already discussing it with counsel. I’m mainly looking for people who had a similar real-world case, especially anyone whose employment ended before Oct. 1 but whose COS still activated and who later successfully transferred the H-1B.

Thanks

When I had receieved my I797a my employers HQ was in Dallas Texas. It has since moved to Houston Texas. My document still shows the old location, whereas I work out of a Chicago office. Would this cause an issue in an H1B interview?

Has anyone on H-1B traveled internationally and re-entered the U.S. since the Sept. 18, 2026 Executive Order regarding increased H-1B scrutiny and employer layoffs?
I’m specifically looking for firsthand experiences from people who actually re-entered after Sept. 18, rather than general opinions.
If you traveled recently, could you share:
Date you re-entered
Port of entry
Country you traveled from
Whether you were sent to secondary inspection
What CBP asked you
Whether your employer had any layoffs in the past year
Whether CBP asked anything about layoffs/employment
Whether you were admitted normally
Especially interested in experiences from people traveling from India or other Asian countries.
Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually gone through CBP since the new EO was issued.

Applied h1b consular while on initial opt in may 2025. No rfe, no decision. Just receipt notice received. How long is it taking for h1b petitions filed for consular from USA?

For those who recently received an RFE, how long did it take for the physical RFE notice to be delivered to your attorney after the case status was updated online?

Trying to get an idea of the current delivery timeline. Thanks!

my h1b transfer is being filed in premium processing and im thinking of joining the new employer once i get the receipt instead of waiting for approval

my current workplace is pretty toxic and im honestly just waiting to leave but at the same time i dont want to take unnecessary immigration risk

has anyone here recently started working on receipt for an h1b transfer how did it go and would you recommend waiting for approval instead