Updated : November 25th, 2015
H1B Visa 2016 Filing Season Complete, Cap reached on April 7th, 2015.
Planning for next H1B season, Check out H1B Visa 2017 FAQs
As many of you know, H1B Visa 2015 quota was over in the first week and a whopping 172,500 H1B petitions were received in first week by USCIS. H1B Lottery / random selection was held by USCIS to select 85,000 H1B petitions to fulfil the work permit cap. Many of the unlucky ones are already wondering about next year H1B Visa quota. Also, some of you are planning for H1B visa for next year, you also would be wondering regarding the same. This article addresses many of the common questions, it will be updated constantly, whenever any changes to info. Bookmark this page ! To start with, firstly the news updates on this season, followed by many commonly asked questions.
Official & Unofficial USCIS News Updates Regarding H1B 2016 Season
- November 25th, 2015 : There is no special news as such, but we have our readers reporting that their H1Bs are still being approved that were under regular processing. So, if your status is stuck at one status, there is still some hope…
- July 14th, 2015 : USCIS released a note saying that they have returned all the petitions that were not selected in lottery for FY 2016. If you do not hear back from USCIS by July 20th, then you can contact them. Check Press note
- May 4th, 2015 : Data Entry for Selected H1B Petitions Completed
- April 14th, 2015 : Premium Processing H1B 2016 starts from April 27th
- April 13th, 2015: USCIS receives 233,000 for FY 2016 Lottery complete.
- April 7th, 2015: H1B Cap Reached for FY 2016. Summary of USCIS News
- April 6th, 2015: Guidance to file Second Petition, if Delivery Service Errors
When will the H1B season for fiscal 2016 begin ?
USCIS will accept petitions for H1B Visa 2016 season starting from April 1st, 2015. USCIS did a press release on March 12th outlining the details. Read summary of press release by USCIS on H1B 2016 .
Will there be lottery again for H1B Visa 2016 ? Predictions ?
We had lottery for FY 2015 and FY 2014. The total number of petitions filed for FY 14 were about 125,000 and for FY 2015, there were about 172,500 petitions… As H1B Quota did not increase for FY 2016, and the demand does not seem to decrease, we would very likely have lottery for FY 2016. Read H1B Visa 2016 Lottery Predictions, Dates, Results
What is the H1B Visa quota Cap Count ? Would there be any changes to H1B 2016 count ?
H1B Visa quota cap count is the total number of petitions that USCIS will accept for a fiscal year to provide temporary work permit for highly skilled workers. For the 2016 fiscal year, the cap count is as below :
- Regular H1B Quota : 65,000
- H1B Masters Degree Quota ( only US Degrees) : 20,000
- Out of the above, a total of 6,800 is usually set aside for Singapore and Chile citizens as part of the free trade agreement between them.
As per the press release in March 2015, the quota did not increase. To give some background, as per the Obama executive action in Nov 2014, no changes were announced to the H1B Cap count. There was proposal in 2013 to increase H1B cap from 65,000 to 110,000 and Masters quota to increase from 20,000 to 25,000 did not go through as of March 2015. At least, for this FY 2016 season, the quota is fixed and it will be as above and no changes.
When should I start planning for H1B Visa 2016 ? What are the steps ?
It depends on your situation. Below are few scenarios and your plan.
- If you are a student on F1 Visa in USA, you need to plan for your internship/ CPT or OPT employment at a company that can sponsor your H1B Visa for FY 2016. In my view, you should start now to find something for the fall 2014 and continue that for next spring so that you can file for FY 2016
- If you are in other country and planning for H1B, it is good to start your process around the end of this year 2014. It will give you enough time to find sponsors, search for job, etc.
- If you are on H4, L1 or other visa in USA and planning for H1B for FY 2016, you also should consider looking around end of this year i.e. December 2014.
We have published step by step plan, you can read the article How to plan for H1B Visa 2016 ?Step by Step Guide
Most asked Question – How do I Find H1B Sponsors for FY 2016 ?
This is a million dollar question ! One of the biggest challenges is to find a good sponsor that can offer you a job and wait for you to start work after 6 months of filing your petition. You should review the detail article on How to find H1B Sponsors for FY 2015. Your first place of start is to find the H1B Sponsors in an area or by company. Use our H1B Visa Sponsors Database to search and filter. Read this article on details on how to search in our H1B Sponsor database. We keep the database updated as DOL publishes data. Do NOT share your email or phone number on our website as comments, there are many people do H1B Sponsorship fraud by requesting money using your contact info. RedBus2US.com never provides personal guidance on H1B sponsors or seeks money from anyone, we only display publicly available data on our H1B Sponsors Database page. We DO NOT sponsor H1Bs or guide anyone. Beware of H1B sponsorship Fraud !
What about Comprehensive Immigration Reform ( CIR) – H1B Visa Changes ? What are they ?
There have been some proposed changes to the H1B Visa program to cater to the demand in the US economy as part of the Comprehensive Immigration reform. Below are some of the proposed changes.
- H1B Cap to be increased from 65,000 to 110,000 per year. Also have provisions to have it up to 180,000 in case of extreme demand.
- Advanced degree from US cap quota to increase from 20,000 to 25,000
- The Filing fee for H1B could go up to 10,000 USD
- Additional H1B rules to avoid H1B Visa fraud by employers
- Mandatory LCA posting for 30 days before it is certified.
These were proposed in 2013, but nothing has moved significantly and all the above are just proposed rules. We are not sure when they will be implemented. You can read Summary of CIR – Immigration reform – H1B Visa and Green Card to get an idea. The latest update is that Obama has taken executive action on Immigration in Nov 2014 and none of the below are included as part of that. Stay tuned for updates.
H1B Visa 2016 Fees – Any changes ? How much does it cost ?
There are various components of the fee. The H1B Application filing fee could range anywhere from $1,600 USD to $4,400 depending on the size of the company. The attorney fee can range from $500 to $3000 depending on the attorney. If you apply for premium processing that is another $1,225. The fees has not changed in the past couple of years for FY 2014 and FY 2015. Unless USCIS revises fee based on immigration reform, it should be same. We will keep you all posted. For complete details of the fee by components and break up, read the article H1B Visa Fees and Who Pays for What ?
H4 Visa EAD rule impact on H1B Visa 2016 Season ?
As you know, certain H4 visa holders are now eligible for EAD. The H4 Visa EAD Rule Passed earlier in 2015 and is effective from May 26, 2015. USCIS will start accepting applications for EAD from those eligible H4 visa holders starting from May 26th. The question is that will that have an impact on number of H1B petitions for this fiscal year ? It very likely will have certain impact on the number of H1B applications that are filed for this year 2016 quota. Many of the H4 holders, who would now be eligible for EAD, may not apply for H1B visa, just because it gives them more flexibility to work and more choices to work as well. We would have to wait and see, how much of an impact that would have, but it is very straightforward and no brainer for eligible H4 visa holder to avoid the H1B processing.
H1B visa Premium Processing Changes to H1B Visa 2016 quota ?
USCIS updated in their press release that the premium processing will be accepted for FY 2016 quota and they will only begin that “no later than May 11, 2015”. What it means for the petitioners is that the official 15 day premium processing clock starts from May 11th, 2015 and their petition could be adjudicated within 15 days from May 11th, which would be May 26th, 2015. USCIS can process them earlier as well, but their new timeline is just indication for setting the right expectations to meet the stipulated time frame for premium processing.
Track H1B Visa 2016 Cap Count updates ?
As in previous years, we have created a page, where would track the cap count updates for FY 2016. You may check out H1B visa 2016 Cap Count Tracker.
While you wait, you can check out April 1st – USCIS H1B Visa 2016 Season Starts Today, When to expect Lottery ?
H1B Lottery Completed – Official Tweet and Press Release
USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2016 http://t.co/fQ6EPUb8Y4
— USCIS (@USCIS) April 13, 2015
H1B Cap Reached – Official USCIS Tweet and Link to Press release :
We have reached the congressionally mandated H-1B cap for FY 2016 http://t.co/RTja7POWYY — USCIS (@USCIS) April 7, 2015
Any other questions ?
Hi,
Anyone from ecomnets consultancy whose case is not approved yet?
I am also from Ecomnets consultancy, case is not approved yet
Did you get an RFE?If yes,when was response recived by USCIS?
I got and RFE.
Yes I got RFE , it was responded on oct 19th and got the RFE received status on Oct 29th
Mine was responded on Sep1 still no update.
What was the reason for rfe??Did ecomnets tell you??
Did they tell you reason for rfe??
They din tell any reason for RFE. When was your RFE due date for submission? Does it got exceeded now?
I got rfe on June 5 and they responded on Sep1.Till now no update.
When did you got an rfe??And are you in US or India??
Have hope. I got Rfe on July 28. I am in U.S.
Finally my case is approved.
13th April — Case Received
23rd July — Request for Additional Evidence
06th Oct — Request For Evidence Was Received
29th Oct – Case is Approved.
Alhamdulillaah, So happy to finally see ‘Case is Approved’. So relieved after a long wait.
My case details:
April 13: Case received
June 26th: RFE
Sep 9th: RFE responded
Sep 29th: RFE response received
Oct 28th: Case approved
Thanks guys and redbus for sharing information.
All the best to guys waiting for results.
Guys,
My case approved and waiting for stamping but my passport photo got damaged slightly(half of the pic got blurred). Will it be a problem now if I change passport? because re issued passport will have a different passport number than that I mentioned in h1 petition.
Or do you think I need to go for stamping with my damaged passport and get a new one once the stamping is done.
Go n get new passport before going for stamping .VO don’t consider to stamp on damaged passport.Your old passport will be sticked to the new passport, so no issues. Go n get new one and don’t waste time here for silly questions.
Thanks mate, it would have sounded silly but there are few people like me who are like layman in h1 processing 😉
Sure…even once i faced a similar situation, i submitted my passport (whihc was slightly damaged, the cover peeled off)and VO sent on courier my passport without any stamping and asked to provide new passport as my old one was damaged, so had to do that.
Regular Processing
RFE response sent : – 23rd Sep 2015
RFE response received :- 2nd Oct 2015
Waiting ..Waiting..Waiting 🙂
You may hear gud news within a week
God bless you man 🙂 …lets hope for the best..
hi rvr,
u got it approved after the security clearance? i am also with Iblesoft and my case is still in received status, so just want to know the background.
I dont knw about security clearance and i never heard that. possibility of company audit might occur but iam not sure about security clearance .
all case received status are moving now. not to worry. you will be thru soon.
Thank you..I think it’s an audit.looks like the uscis officials went for a site visit and that’s the reason for many petitions still in received status
Hi h1b_2015,
Did you get receipt notice copy from employer i.e. I797C ?
Nope, I just got the receipt number from my point if contact through email
Hello Guys,
Last week I updated to Premium Process and got an RFE. Me from Anira Technologies…anybody from same consultancy or in same situation?
Thanks,
Raj
Hi,
I also filed my H1B from Anira. And still my case is in “Case Received” status.
Do you know what additional document they are asking for ?
no idea.
Is this possible that cases will not approve still january ????
mine is Rfe received status
I guess they will try to clear as much as they can during November upto mid of December. After that they will be gone till the mid of January or maybe February.
Finally approved yesterday. Case Received since apr 13th. no RFE. no PP. EAC15144*****. i thought it will go to RFE but it went approved directly.
Hi
Congrats
Can you please give some more details like which consultancy/company if you dnt mind
iblesoft
Hi rvr,
I am applied thru same company and still in received status. can you please give your contact details once. thank you.
not to worry, out of 30+ , 4 cleared as of now. rest are all in case received status i guess. you will hear in 10 to 15 days mostly.
Thanks rvr, hope it will be get thru soon….
Hi,
I am also from same company and still in received status, can you please give your contact details to know about company statistics. thank you.
HI All
What are all the chances to get approvals as they have been asked for “end client tax doc” which my consultecy unable to submit for RFE ..
Thanks in advance
Anyone waiting for H1B Approval confirmation mail from Eapt Solutions.
my petition os approved however my dob was incorrect in the approved petition.
whats the procedure what would be the impact. how long this will take to correct it
Vivek,
You need to file H-1 amendment to get it corrected.
Hi,
My husband visa has not approved still; waiting since June 2015..It is cap exempt case and status showing as case was received. Didn’t get any RFE also.. Any one in the same boat?
Many are sailing in the same ship.. Dont worry, even i waited since june, it got approved only last week.
Gob Bless.
Thank you. Can u tell me in which center u got approval and did u get any RFE?
Hi Vimal/Feelingbad,
can you tell whether it is EAC/WAC. I am also cap exemption case waiting from Jul 02nd. Mine is EAC15196*****. Regular processing.
Mine is EAC and RP.
Hello..
Dont worry..I just got to know from Attorney that there are many pending backlogs from Vermont EAC*
Soon we will get that good news… Feel Good 🙂
My H1B petition got approved today.
I had got RFE on 29th June. Had sent the documents on 3rd July.
Congrats …
Hi TCS fellas,
Can you pls mail me 882503 . am also from tcs
can you share whether it is vermont EAC or regular case ?
Congrats…
Any idea when it was approved as in USCIS site?
Thanks evryone.
History:
Aprl 13 – case received
Oct 14. – USCIS assigned my ticket for an inquiry of y it s taking more tine than normal processing times to an officer
Oct 28 – petition approved
Friends, I was also desperate as there was no update for 6 months. Keep your hopes. Hope this helps few people. Best of luck
could you let me know who raised a ticket..ur employer or USCIS directly
My attorney. I think they will process all case received cases.
Attorney.
It was an MNC or a small company?
Guys,
Which consulate is better Hyd or Chennai? and current earliest available slots ?
Hi CK,
Both Consulates handles the process as same, I have collegues attended both Consulates. Chennai is terrible considering the weather and facility in consulate, u have wait outside in the sunny i u arrive early.
The interview questions are same.
For slots check in the below link- u have to register. Currently the slots are available on same day from both
https://cgifederal.secure.force.com/
Waiting since September 01.
Have seen cases waiting from August 07 after receiving RFE response.
I have been waiting since Sep 01 as well.
RFE response received since 23rd September. Is someone mightier than me? 😛 🙂
I am waiting since 22 sept.
Mine is Sept 25 🙂 🙂
Checked some cases randomly, seen atleast 5+ cases in Resp received status since August(around Third week)
Mine also same situation, still in received status, called employer but he is saying got many RFE and uscis officials came for site visit…
what is site visit ? are they stopped working ? or do u know when they will go for holidAYS ?
what is site visit ,
Site visit means USCIS officer physically came to employer/client office to verify the information submitted.
After long wait , happy to see good news ” case was approved “on 22 Oct 2015. I am very much thankful to God . This comments forum helped me a lot, thanks to one and all. Now, i am planning for visa interview.
My case is in received status since April 13. Employer says it is under security check . Can anyone help me understand if upgrading to premium processing will help ? I believe , cases are security check belong to FBI and not under immigration. So not sure upgrading to PP will help or not.
who is the sponsor/employer?
How did they get to know that case is under security check? Has any service request been raised?
Mine also same situation, checked with employer but he is saying many got RFE and USCIS officials came for site visit. Not sure how long will it take to see change from received status……
I too heard the same from my employer. Who are the other consultancy/sponsors that have cases under security check except geminiitlabs? Please share.
1.I am also from GeminiItLabs.
2. Employer told me that my case is under security check.
3. I read in other blog it is extremely rare and difficult to get approval once a case is under SC.Also upgrading to PP does not help if the case is under SC. But I do not have have any confirmation on this.
I even received same response from employer, is this in concern with consultancy BC check???
Hi Anita ,
I think we are exactly is in the same boat. If you want , you can connect with me at Legands2015 at GMAIL DOT COM
Dont be afraid of sharing your sponsor/consultancy name here. It wont impact your petition. Boys are getting too scared these days.
Case under security check,
If the petition is under security check, upgrading to PP doesn’t help. They will take their own time in the check and once it passes, only then 15 calendar day window commences.
Hi,
My marriage certificate is in Hindi and without pics. Will it be acceptable for H4 stamping?
Marriage certificate should be in English. Try to get it issued in English by Authorities or I guess you can get a notary done in English but m not sure on this.
So you are not sure that Americans can’t read and speak Hindi?
Mr. Modi, I hope u have heard the term Translator.
Today I have given interview at consulate and they asked for marriage certificate for H4.
You can try your luck with supporting docs for marriage but if VO is not satisfied you will get 221g
Hey, Is your marriage certificate too in Hindi and without pics? Could you please confirm.
My marriage cert is in English and I carried marriage album too but VO never asked for pics.
Hi Kumar / Saurabh,
I have one query. I am working for one of the big 5 IT companies in India and have been to USA before and worked for a client there for 2 years. I came back to India in February this year, and since my VISA was expiring on Sept 30th, so employer filed for cap exempt petition in June. This cap exempt petition is filed for a different city, although my client and project will remain the same. Only difference is- previously I was working from client’s office in NJ, and this time I will work from office of my own employer which is located in North Carolina. My client and project remain unchanged.
I realize that my LCA and other documents say that my work location will be North Carolina. But SOW and MSA are two documents which say that onsite resources will work from NJ or SFO offices of client. Do you see any possibility here that USCIS would issue an RFE because work address and city in LCA is different from those mentioned in SOW and MSA? Does addresses mentioned in SOW and MSA carry that significance, or LCA is the only main document to talk about work location? Please note that in addition to LCA, documents like client letter and onsite manager letter also have NC address mentioned.
Thanks in advance.
Cap Exempt,
See my response in Q&A forum.
Im attending h1b interview next week in chennai. Can someone guide me or will get any complicated questions?
Be confident, the interview mostly will not be complicated unless they find something in your file records.Good luck
Dont worry it will be easy one but be prepared . I just gave my interview to weeks back.
Standard question what your going to do there?,client name, salary @ US, name of the city u applied
Hi,
I’m also going to attend the interview next week in chennai. please share if you get any information related to interview.
tamilprabhu at gmail dot com
Thanks
I’m one of those silent watchers of this blog. Finally its my time to say -“Case approved”.
Waiting for stamping
History:
On October 26, 2015, we approved your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, Receipt Number EAC1514*****. We will mail your approval notice. Please follow the instructions in the notice. If you move, go to www.uscis.gov/addresschange to give us your new mailing address.
10/07/2015
We received your response to our Request for Evidence for your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. Our Vermont Service Center office is working on your case again.
07/16/2015
We mailed a request for additional evidence for your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker.
07/14/2015
We updated your name for your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker.
04/13/2015
We received your Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker.
Hi Ck,
Have you upgraded your visa to PP at any point ?
Yes it is RP/Non AD
RFE Response received on 7th Oct and approved on 26th Oct hope it is RP?
13th April — Case Received
11 July — Request for Additional Evidence
21th Oct — Request For Evidence Was Received
Waiting for Approval
RFE Response received date is more than 90 days from RFE issue date did you submitted the requested documents before given dead line?
Yes and updated to Request For Evidence Was Received
yes and updated to response received
Finally its approved thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences,
Case Received on Apr-13
RFE Jul-10
Responded RFE on Sep-12 but status did not change till Oct-10, so moved to premium on Oct-16 and approved on Oct-27
So happy to finally see ‘Case is Approved’. So relieved after a long wait.
My case details:
April 13: Case received
July 25th: RFE
Sep 25th: RFE responded
Oct 28th: Case approved
Hi All,
My Status changes:
13th April — Case Received
20th July — Request for Additional Evidence
14th Oct — Responded to RFE
26th Oct — Request For Evidence Was Received
Waiting for Approval 🙂 🙂
We both are almost in same boat.. Below are my Status changes:
13th April — Case Received
21st July — Request for Additional Evidence
27th Oct — Request For Evidence Was Received
Waiting for Approval 🙂
13th April — Case Received
21st July — Request for Additional Evidence
23rd Sep — Request For Evideance Was Received
Waiting for Approval 🙂 🙂
Same here.. Below is my timeline..
13th April — Case Received
1st September — Request for Additional Evidence
2nd Oct — Request For Evidence Was Received
Waiting for Approval
13 th Apr – case Received
2nd Sept – RFE
27 th Oct – RFE Response received
When do we exepct to get an answer? Anyone has any idea?
Hi All,
My petition got approved through X project. But currently am working in Y project.
My questions are
1) Do I go for stamping and then do amendment or
2) First Amendment and then go for stamping
does amendment impact my petition approval?
Please Advice. Thanks
H1B amendment is only for change in location, when you go for stamping just talk about the project which is mentioned in petition.
Thanks
H1B_Amendment,
If you will be traveling to work for project Y, then you should get H-1 amended first and then appear for stamping.
If you appear w/ X’s documents and petitions and VO decides to check w/ the client about it, you will run into issues.
Thanks Saurabh.
But i am going to work for new client (Y project) and location.
H1B_Amendment,
My response was based on you working at Y.
Thanks again
I have my visa stamping done few days ago , I am currently working for TEKSystems in Hyderabad and got offer from DELL, DELL asked me to transfer my visa to them which TEKSystems processed!
my questions:
1) do I need to attend visa interview again if DELL do amendment?
2) do I get any issues with TEKSystems ? I did not tell about my new offer in TEKSystems.
thanks,
Radhika
1. Interview and stamping required again since u are not in USA
2. Issues with ur present employer depends on terms and conditions u have signed while applying h1b
You don’t need to go for stamping again. Just show your old valid visa stamping(from previous employer) and new I797B form at port of entry.
Thanks Neeraj! R
O my god ths waiting time make me mad…. I had send the RFE documents by October 12 .. But still my case status is RFE … When it ll change
Me too waiting for approval. Response to RFE received on October 6.
Me too waiting till 22 sept.
Don’t need to worry. Sometimes its happen and then directly change to Post decision activity
Current status of my H1B petition is “RFE was mailed”, hoping the RFE will be approved soon.
My question however is with my Passport. It has 6 more years validity but the pages for some reason turned yellow/pale. The Passport officer recommended me to get a new one (when I applied for passport recently for my kid). My question is, if I get a new passport, do I need to do a H1B amendment? or are there any other problems that I’m not seeing? Request your advise. Thanks gentlemen!
Nope! you have to carry old and new. H1B amendment is for job location change not for new passport!
I am following this site since six months its really helpful .Thank you Kumar for this forum for throughout support.
tell me ur EAC/WAC number and other details ?
Cheers !
Hi All,
2 and Half months passed and still don’t know for what my RFE is, my employer is saying that they have raised an SR to get the details but till now they don’t get. Now having only 15 more days in three moths deadline to submit the RFE response and I am not sure if its possible.
Just wanted to check if it can be approved after the 3 months deadline?
Thanks,
MS
MS,
RFEs not responded within 90 days cause the case to be denied. However, your case is little different as you never received the notice. Keep a track of all communication employer is sending to USCIS regarding this and ask for extension to the response deadline.
Finally my visa interview is done!!
Efforts and waiting of one year has finally found its destination!!! Visa is approved at Mumbai consulate.
I dnt have words to thank you all guys and this forum for throughout support and for being constant source of motivation. Let me share my experience.
Ofc scanning – scheduled at 16:45 and i reached there at 16:00 they took me in and I was done with ofc scanning at 16:20
Next day interview at 9:00
Reached to consulate at 8:15 but they didn’t allow me to stand in a queue as it was for 8:30 slot. So I joined the queue at 8:35 and there was a long queue really long it was ! I was there till 9 and at 9:45 my interview was started and within 1 and half minute I heard that three golden words ” your visa is approved mam, have a pleasant stay at states” .
There was a queue and a guy was sending us to the vacant window. I was noticing standing in a queue that which vo is more friendly.. There was a lady at 29 and a sir at 30 number window.. They were really very friendly.. Talking to the candidates smiling and seems very happy. And on 28 there was a sir who seems very strict and not even smiling while approving the visa. My turn came and that guy told me to go to number 28… That moment my heartbeat increased to 100!! I went to 28 and vo was taking interview of a boy just before me. I noticed he was asking so many questions like how many employees are there in sales department and the structure of the company.. Almost 10-12 questions he asked after I queued up… But at last he approved his visa.. So I was a bit relaxed.. Thn my turn
Me : good morning sir!
Vo : good morning mam!
Vo : is this your first h1b?
Me : yes its new opportunity
Vo : looking into his system, is this your first ever visa for USA ?(as I have b1/b2 visa issued in 2013)
Me : I have visitor visa
Vo : so what your company does?
Me : answered
Vo : where you will be working at ? At your employee location?
Me : I will be working at client location
Vo : who is your client
Me : answered
( vo didn’t get the name so he asked to repeat and I repeated)
Vo: what is your salary mam
Me: so and so per month.
Vo : per annum mam?
Me: answered
Vo:are you married?
Me: yes
Vo : is your husband travelling with you?
Me : No
Vo : have you read the pamphlet of USA rights?
Me : No, not yet
Vo : ok read it carefully, your visa is approved have a pleasant stay at states
Me : thank you sir, have a nice day!
Vo : you too.
And thts it..
Just a minute and half.. I was extremely happy !!! .
All the best to you all..
And I wrote too much out of excitement.. So plz kindly forgive!!!! 🙂
Hi Priya,
Congrats on you visa approval.
Hope I will get my H1 approved and Visa stamping done soon and share the joy with all forum members.
Hoping for the best .
Ooo congrats for happy moment,,i am also waiting for visa stamping since 3 months.
Congratulations Priya!
Anyone from gemini it labs has any update?? When i checked with them they are asking for few they got approval and remaining are in security check?? Consultancy has clean chit only individual security is waiting
from Gemini…still in received only
same situation here..They said my petition is in SC..I understand that petitions can go to SC on random basis but so many petitions from same consultancy cannot go to SC for random reason..It is very clear that there is some key docs missing or some process not follwed , that is why so many of ours are going under SC… Unfortunately at this point , we cannot do anything apart from waiting…
I am from geminiitlabs too. got the same update from them but dont know if someone actually got approved. Suspect that its not all clean with company security check. how come all the individuals have gone into audit with no check on company.
I’m in the same boat!!
There seems to be something fishy going on. Keep your fingers crossed.
Hi,
Me too from same consultancy, he said same story my case is pending with Security Check.How come many applications are in Security Check not sure whats going on.Its really frustrating a lot feel like would have been better if not picked my case in lottery.
If anyone has any idea about this security check please let us know
I have also filed from gemini it labs…there is something wrong on this company then…we were all in same status”case received” and noone got approvals
Hi,
am also from gemini it labs and in the same state. told that my case is stuck in security check. he also suggested me to withdraw the application. can we all who applied through the gemini it labs can contact each other so that we can clearly discuss on this.
Hi All,
Today my consultancy people told me that USCIS asked about Client TAX documents in RFE.Is it the possible or they are giving wrong info to me?
Thanks in advance.
HI,
Same RFE for my case as well. But i am not sure whether its clients tax documents or consultancy
How come client tax doc will submitted by consultency ,is there any way to client can give this doc to consultency…
Tax Doc,
Is the client a small company? USCIS may suspect its a shell company created to get the petition approved. That’s why they want gauge financial stability of client to ensure they have funds to pay your employer for the asked H-1 term.
Who is the client? A big firm or a start-up or …?
Its a big firm..
Hi Saurabh,
My client is not accepting to give the tax doc from them so how to resolve this and my consultancy people is going to submit PO\INVOICE documents which client has given to them so Please let me know it will impact my approval chances of my H1B.
thanks in advance
TAX DOC,
Is there any publicly available financial information about the client? Is it publicly traded?
Hi saurabh
Yes its public trade client
tax doc,
If it is publicly traded, then you should get their financial information and results online. Why not send them.
Anyone case status changed from case received to RFE or approval last week ?
Nope …buddy . No movement from case received
yes i am also in same case received status. I am just getting worried , whether our case will get process or not ??
nope. same still, RP, WAC,
no
NO
Status Change: Case Received to RFE on 27-OCT-15
RP, EAC, Small Consultancy
Hi All,
I’m completely stuck now. My H1B got denied after sending the RFE documents. I work for a MNC company in Pune. I got RFE on certain documents and My company folks responded with all the required docs on Sep 29th. And I got to know on 23rd Oct that, my H1B got denied with NO reason. My manager was saying that, since there is no valid reason, and nothing wrong with the documents what we shared, we are going to file an APPEAL (could be MTR. not sure). And I read in some online blogs and most of the Appeals are going for 3 months to years time.
Not able to decide what to do next guys. 🙁
Any one went thru the appeal process or Any idea how long would it take and can I hope anything positive with this??
Appreciate your response!
Regards,
h1bslaughteragain
Sorry to hear that ….. what ever you do have faith on it …
Under RFE what Doc they have asked you to submit?
Sorry to hear ! What was the rfe about? Please give complete details so that we can give accurate response
h1bslaughteragain,
Yes, it could take that long to process. You can let this process continue and try afresh in next year’s cap.
My visa got approved in Chennai VO office. Thanks a lot Redbus
how it happened??
How long it took
What were the questions asked?
Did anyone this year enter US with visa from one employer and H1B approved petition from another?. I mean transferring H1 petition before entering the US. If so, did you run into any problems at port of entry?. I wAnt to transfer my H1B approved petition to another employer before entering the US.
Many people say this is legal, but I haven’t come across anyone who had done this in person. Moreover, I’m a bit scared about ruining the approved H1b.
Kumar and knowledgeable folks on the forum, any idea?
Thanks!
I did it in year 2013. My H1B sponsored company gave me pink slip before i could join them, because their Q3 were pretty bad. So i had to get my H1B transfer done, before i could visit US. If you already have your visa stamped from previous employer, you don’t have to get stamp again. Just show your new I797B form along with valid visa(of previous empoyer) at port of entry and you should be alright. They won’t ask you any question.
Thanks Neeraj. Appreciate for writing here. Finally found someone who did it :).
Hi All,
My H1b was approved for 1 year on 21st September after submitting the RFE response on 7th Aug (California Center). Rfe was about Client , SOP , BRM , Speciality occupation documents. I could not able to get client, BRM letters. I have submitted MSA agreement, payslips and Speciality occupation doc. By God’s grace my case got approved. My question is, when I go for stamping , is there any possibility of asking for client letter ? I cannot get the client letter because I am now working with different client. I am planning for amendment . However, my Visa team suggested me to file LCA for new Client location and go for stamping after LCA completion so that stamping will be done for new location( amendment will be done in parallel) Is it better to go for stamping before amendment ?? Is there any any possibility of asking for letter from my previous client for which my visa got approved. Can you guys please help me what to do.
Thanks.
Congrats… You mentioned 21st sept your case got approved.
can you let us know, when you got approval status update from VISA team?
I got to know on 20-Oct-15 as the approval notice has been received by Visa Team.
TCS_H1B_RFE Approved,
They can ask for client letter when appearing for interview. However, if you are working w/ TCS, it’s a recognized name and it is likely possible that they will not even ask for it.
Check w/ your immigration team about recent visa experiences inside the company and how to address such a potential situation.
Hi,
My H1B visa application got approved for next three years by USA consultancy (office in India also). At the time of documents signed the consultant ask me sign (I have signed) the agreement of work that duration was 36 months starting from 1 Oct 2015.
Can you please suggest in case this is legal to ask employee to sign the agreement of work in USA.
This is what mentioned in agreement. Please see below:
**************************************************************************
Term Of Employment: Your (employee’s) employment will commence on the date you report for work at our office New York, will continue for a period of thirty six months beginning from October 1, 2015.
***************************************************************************
Will this agreement be valid in case I dont join this company New York office and transfer the H1B VISA to other company in India only.
Regards
H1BApproved
is ur company tringapps?
No
H1BApproved,
I am not a labor attorney, but such agreements are not typically not valid in US. Its bonded labor and employment is generally at will.
Also, the text says that employment will commence once you join they office in US. So if the H-1 is transferred even before you join them in US, it means you didn’t break the terms.
thank you Saurabh for meaningful reply.
Is this possible to trnsfer visa without joining this consultant once?
H1BApproved,
Find another employer and have them file a cap-exempt petition for you. If visa stamp has already been done, then no need to reappear for stamping; if not then appear for stamping through new employer/petition.
32 days passed now.bad process.
Talk to Namo (Narendra modi) , woh hi kuch kar sakta hai 🙂
What the F**K are you doing in here you KHANGRESS licker ??
Genrally How long approval notice would take to reach the employer from USCIS? I know this is very subjective question, I just need an idea to move to next step.Please share who has the experience.
I got RFE on Sept 2nd. I responded to the RFE on Oct 10th. But my status is still showing as “Case Received” . Is there anything to worry about ?
RFE response sent on Sep 30, but still its in CASE RECIEVED, not sure when this will move, eagerly waiting.
Then how do we know that our RFE response has been received by USCIS? Its still showing case received. 🙁 .
Please help.
Anybody from Tringapps attended visa interview? any info from Tringapps?
No, I am in RFE .
Do u hv idea when status might be changed
Thanks
Tej
Hi Tej,
Can u give me ur maild ID, we will discuss in chat.
Hi,
What do you all do after the 6 years expire on H1b? Do you go back to India, or try to switch jobs, get green card?
VEENA,
You can either leave US, or have green card process filed and reached a certain stage, which will enable you to file extensions beyond the 6th year.
Hello Guys,
Good day to every one!!!
Sharing my H1B petition approval phases 🙂
EAC1514****
VC – RP
Employer – US based firm ( Med sized)
April 13 – Case received
July 21 – RFE ( Educational evaluation, since i hold 15 yrs of Education)
Sep22- Responded to RFE
Sep29 – Received state
Oct 23 – Case approved.
All the best for remaining folks, good luck to approved ones.
A very special thanks to Kumar for such a helpful blog.
I will share my exp once my visa gets stamped.
Congrats !! was the RFE on specialty Occupation ??
Cheers Mahesh !