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USCIS Online H1B Case Status Meaning – Detailed Screenshots

If you applied for an H1B transfer or you were picked in the H1B Registration Lottery and applied for H1B petition in the recent H1B Visa 2024  season, you may have received a case receipt notice. When you check the H1B Case Status online, you may see various statuses like “Case Was Received”, “Name was updated”, etc.. You may not fully understand each of these status meaning. This article is meant to clarify each of those H1B Case Status meaning and give a complete flow of the same.

H1B Registration Beneficiary Confirmation Number Cannot be used for Tracking

If you were picked in the H1B Registration Lottery, the registration selection notice would have a Beneficiary Confirmation Number. You cannot use that number to track your H1B on USCIS website.

That number is only for internal reference and to run the lottery. The USCIS case number has a certain format and the beneficiary confirmation number does not follow that as well. So, do not try to check online on USCIS website and be confused.

H1B Case Receipt Number – Check Online

After an applicant is selected in H1B Registration Lottery, the company or H1B sponsor need to file an H1B Petition with USCIS using form I-129. After the H1B petition is properly filed, USCIS would send out a H1B receipt notice to the employer/ attorney indicating that the application was properly filed on time. The H1B Receipt notice would have a case number and it can be used to track the status of the H1B petition. You can check article : How to Check USCIS Case Status online that covers the details on how you can track case status at  USCIS.gov case status website

What’s the H1B Case Number?  Processing ?

The H1B receipt number is a 13 character alphanumeric string that is given by USCIS. It typically starts with EAC or WAC. You may read Understanding H1B Case Number Details, to know more info.  For high level understanding of how each H1B petition is processed at USCIS, you should read the article H1B processing steps at USCIS adjudication center.

Also, in the past, USCIS used to assign many statuses like Acceptance, Initial Review, Decision, Post Decision Activity, etc.  Some of these have been changed with the new system this year. To get an idea of the past flow and statuses, you may read H1B Old Case Statuses and Flow.  Below information corresponds to the latest H1B statuses available on USCIS website for a H1B petition.

Various H1B Case Statuses on USCIS website

Below are the various Case Status that you usually find on USCIS website, when you Check Case Status on USCIS website.

  • Case Was Received and A Receipt Notice Was Emailed
  • Case Was Received
  • Request for Additional Evidence Notice was mailed
  • Response to USCIS’ Request for Evidence Was Received
  • Case Was Approved And My Decision Was Emailed
  • Case Was Approved
  • Decision Notice Mailed
  • Error : The application Receipt Number is invalid
  • Name was updated.
  • Fees will be Refunded
  • Withdrawal Acknowledgement Notice Was Sent
  • Case Was Transferred and a New Office has Jurisdiction.

Let us look at each of them in detail

H1B Case Status Text – Form I-129 Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker

If you notice any of the H1B statuses’ text below, all of them would say “Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker”. The reason is that, when you file a H1B petition with USCIS, you would use form I-129, thats why you see the status text to indicate the form number. USCIS does not explicitly tell H1B Visa petition in the status as the form I-129 is also used for other visa types as well. It can be confusing, if they put in all visa types in there, so USCIS intentionally does not put in H1B in there and only indicates the form type. Your receipt notice would have “Class Requested” as show in below screenshot, indicating it was a H1B petition.

H1B I-797C Case Receipt Notice - Class Requested shows H1B
H1B I-797C Case Receipt Notice – Class Requested shows H1B

Case Was Received and A Receipt Notice Was Emailed

USCIS emails receipt notices to petitioners, if they filed their H1B petition under premium processing.  The H1B case status “Case was Received and a Receipt Notice was Emailed” indicates to us that the petition with this case number was filed under premium processing with USCIS. A receipt notice with case number and details about processing was sent to the email of the attorney/ employer. Below is the screenshot for the described status.

USCIS : Case Was Received and A receipt Notice Was Emailed Status
H1B Case Status – Case Was Received and a Receipt Notice was Emailed

Case Was Received

USCIS only emails receipt notices for premium processing applications. For H1B petitions filed under regular processing, USCIS will send out the receipt notices via traditional Mail/ Post.  The H1B case status “Case Was Received” indicates is that the petition with this case number was filed under regular processing and USCIS has received the same. The receipt notice hard copy will be sent to the attorney/ employer’s postal address on how it will be processed. Check below for screenshot of the described case status.

H1B Case Status - Case Was Received
H1B Case Status – Case Was Received

Request for Additional Evidence Notice was mailed

If USCIS wants more information on a H1B petition, they will ask for the same information. The H1B case status “Request for Additional Evidence Notice was mailed” status indicates the same that USCIS wants more info. As part of the adjudication process of the H1B petition, the USCIS adjudicator of this petition, with this particular case number, needs more information to make a decision on the case. The adjudicator issued a Request for Additional Evidence notice, which is commonly called as RFE (Request for Evidence).

The employer/ attorney will get an RFE notice from USCIS indicating what documents they need to submit for further processing the case.  It has an expiry date and employer/ attorney has to respond to that request by that date. USCIS will NOT process this particular case until they receive a response from the employer/ attorney with the requested information.  Below is the screenshot of described status.

H1B Case Status - Request for Additional Evidence Notice Was Mailed
H1B Case Status – Request for Additional Evidence Notice Was Mailed

Response to USCIS’ Request for Evidence Was Received

After USCIS receives a response to the RFE, they will update the same in their online system for the H1B case. This H1B Case status “Response to USCIS Request for Evidence Was Received” corresponds to the same. All the status tells us is that USCIS has received the response for the issued RFE Notice on the particular case with that case number from the employer/ attorney. 

The response from employer/ attorney could be either documents or any other supporting material that was requested by USCIS supporting the H1B petition. If your petition is in this status, it means that USCIS will start processing the case as they have received requested documentation. The status also tells the petitioner that when you can expect a decision/ update on this case. Check below screenshot for RFE response status.

H1B Case Status - Response to USCIS Request for Evidence was Received
H1B Case Status – Response to USCIS Request for Evidence was Received

Case Was Approved And My Decision Was Emailed

Usually, if you file in premium, you would informed by email. This H1B case status “Case was approved and my decision was emailed” indicates the decisions of approval that is sent by email to the attorney/ employer. This case status only appears for the H1B petitions filed under premium processing. Below is the screenshot of the status.

H1B Case Status - Case was approved and my decision was emailed
H1B Case Status – Case was approved and my decision was emailed

Case Was Approved

The H1B case status “Case was approved” is self explanatory. It tells that the the H1B petition with this particular case number was approved and they plan to send out the approval notice to the employer/ attorney by traditional post/mail. This case status appears only for petitions filed under regular processing.

USCIS Case Was Approved Status
H1B Case Status – Case Was Approved

Decision Notice  Mailed

Not every H1B Application gets approved.  Typically USCIS will issue an RFE and then review the evidence before making the final decision. If USCIS is not convinced with your petition’s supporting documents, they will deny the H1B petition and the case status will be shown as ” Decision Notice Mailed”. Your employer will get a notice indicating why the petition was denied and they can act on it as per the instructions, if they want to challenge the decision by providing additional documents, etc.  Below is how it looks.

H1B Case Status - Decision Notice Mailed
H1B Case Status – Decision Notice Mailed

The application Receipt Number is invalid

Error H1B Case Status entry on USCIS website
Error H1B Case Status entry on USCIS website

If you do not enter a valid 13 character H1B case receipt number, USCIS case status website will give you the above error message saying that the application receipt number is invalid. All it means is that, either you have taken the receipt number wrong from your employer or entered it wrong in the box…or maybe your employer did not give you the correct case number.  Below is the error screenshot. 

Name Was Updated

This is one of the very confusing statuses that USCIS online system gives, when there is some activity happening on your case. The H1B Case status “Name Was Updated” can be very confusing and misleading everyone at times. It may be genuine that the name was updated due to a clerical error, but not always the case.  

It definitely means that some activity is happening on your case and your case is being worked on by USCIS.  There is a perception among users that this status will lead to rejection/ RFE, but it is not necessarily true.  So, when you see something like this status, it is best consult your employer/attorney to check further on your case. No need to panic or get confused.  It looks like below

H1B Case Status -  Name was Updated
H1B Case Status – Name was Updated

Fee will be Refunded Status

One of the others status some of the H1B petitioners see is that ‘Fee will be refunded’. What it means is that the employer/attorney has filed extra fees that is not required and USCIS is refunding the same. It can be for a host of reasons related to the H1B fees. As you can see below USCIS would tell that it will not impact the processing of the case, so do not panic when you see this, work with your employer, it will be fine.

H1B Case Status - Fee will be Refunded
H1B Case Status – Fee will be Refunded

Withdrawal Acknowledgement Notice Was Sent

If your H1B employer plans to withdraw your H1B petition or for some reason you believe that you do not want to work for the company and resigned the job, then your employer would withdraw your H1B petition from USCIS. It is not really automatic process, your employer has to request for it. If your H1B case number indicates the below status “Withdraw Acknowledgement Notice was Sent” for I-129 petition, then it means that your H1B was withdrawn by your employer and USCIS is acknowledging the same with the status. 

H1B Case Status - Fee will be Refunded
H1B Case Status – Withdrawal Acknowledgment Notice was sent.

Case Was Transferred And a New Office Has Jurisdiction

Depending on the load of H1B petitions received and processing times at any service center, they are moved to different locations to expedite processing or balance the overall processing loads. If your H1B case was transferred to different location for some of these reasons, you would see a status like below. It tells the date when the petition was transferred and when you can expect a physical copy of notice indicating the same. It does not really change anything in terms of how it is adjudicated, it is just for processing times balancing, nothing to worry. 

H1B Case Status - Case was Transferred and a New office has Jurisdiction
H1B Case Status – Case was Transferred and a New office has Jurisdiction

Did you notice any other statuses for your Petition ?  Any other thoughts to share ?

Check out the next article that articulates the flow of the above statuses After H1B Visa Lottery Case Status Flow

   

Other Articles

1,560 Comments

  1. Hi

    My case was approved on september 2022 but still I am not getting physical approval mail.can you guide why it is taking these much time?

    Reply
  2. Hello,

    Case Is Being Actively Reviewed By USCIS. As of July 12, 2022, we are actively reviewing your Form I-129.
    Notice number starts with IOE. However, at the bottom it says California Service Center.
    -Do you have any idea when I can expect a decision?
    -After a certain time, I may think of premium processing, do you have any suggestion how long to wait before going premium?

    Thank you very much

    Reply
  3. Kumar,
    My employer applied my h1b extension after h1 and i94 expired ( because we were waiting for i-140 approval) so the gap was 2 days between expiration date and new package received at uscis.
    I got an rfe for these 2 days and when my lawyer sent an reply, I saw an update online and it shoes “case was denied “
    What are my options now?

    Reply
    • Vinod,
      The simple fix is for you to exit the country right away and then file the petition as Consular processing. You can get stamping done at your home country and then come back.

      Reply
  4. My employer upgraded to premium processing, Does case status change when we request for premium processing after 5 Months of pending to H1B ?

    Reply
  5. Hello,

    I was with employer A until 21st of Dec 2020, then entered into 60 day grace period. I managed to find a new job with employer B and they are sponsoring my H1B transfer. However, my petition for H1b transfer should have ideally reached there by 20th Feb (60th day), but because of the recent storm in TEXAS the petition was not delivered by fedex on time and reached there on the 25th of Feb. I am worried, could this lead to a denial? Also, am I supposed to leave the country now that my petition did not get to the USCIS on time (Prior to end of my 60 day grace period) or do I await USCIS decision. Kindly shed some light. Thank you.

    Reply
  6. My H1B application got picked in the 2020 lottery. I received an RFE in November 2020 & submitted all documents to USCIS end of December 2020. Currently, the case status is “Request for Evidence was Received”. Since there are only 16 days left to begin applying for the March lottery – I have few doubts running in my mind.
    1. Will the current H1B RFE case be active & in the adjudicating queue until a decision is made, if the applications for the coming March 2021 lottery start next month?
    2. What happens to my current H1B RFE case if I apply for the coming March 2021 lottery?
    3. Since I have already waited for more than 1 month to submit documents for RFE, is it worth upgrading to premium now? Because I believe that most people receiving decisions about H1B RFE in 70 days. Based on responses to above 1 & 2 questions, I can probably make a decision about upgrading to premium.

    Someone familiar with the situation, please do reply. I appreciate any help.

    Thanks,
    Sricharan

    Reply
  7. If you get an approval notice in email, is it okay for you to start a new job without any hesitations? Is there any possibility of case status changing after approval email was sent?

    Reply
  8. Hi, My petition for I-129 premium processing is approved and the status in USCIS website shows “Case was approved and my decision was emailed”. I have two queries:
    1. Does USCIS change status after this when I-797 is posted by mail?
    2. How many days do they need to mail hard copy after approval?

    I would appreciate if any one can comment or answer.

    Thank you.

    Reply
  9. I received a NOID saying my change of status request is to be denied due to travel when h1b was in process. I had to travel due to medical emergency and I came back to US before replying to RFE in the hope that COS can be approved. Now, I am in US and have this COS -NOID . Can I still request USCIS to approve COS request since I am in US and travelled due to medical emergency? If i need to move out of US for counselor processing/ stamping, is it necessary to move out of US before NOID period of 30 days?

    Reply
    • AB,
      You can try, but they may or may not as it is related to I-94. Talk to your attorney on this and plan. Usually, you can stay until you get a decision.

      Reply
  10. Hi, I got RFE on August and had to travel to India due to medical emergency. I came back in November and submitted the RFE response in the hope that when I am in US, I would qualify for Change of Status else it could be denied. Few days ago, I got to see status of my case as “Notice Explaining USCIS Actions Was Mailed”.
    Could this mean that USCIS is looking for further RFE/NOID to assess the candidature or it could be due to change in travel/arrival date in US that affects Change of Status application?
    Any help in this regard is appreciated.

    Reply
    • AB,
      If you leave the country, when your COS was applied, the COS part would be denied. That is a known thing. Yes, it could be. You need to wait for the document from USCIS. Check with your attorney.

      Reply
      • Thanks Kumar,
        Does USCIS send denial decision for COS denial ? Or if COS request is denied they automatically approve the case with counselor processing?
        Thanks in advance!!

        Reply
        • AB,
          You would get two things. One is approval notice, that does not have I-94 attached to it. Second is denial letter that COS is denied.
          In general, if you do not get I-94 attached to the approval notice, it is assumed that the COS is denied.

          Reply
          • What is the status in USCIS case tracker when you get h1b approved but COS denied?
            Does USCIS inform about only COS denial but H1B approved?
            I had to travel during my H1B RFE was pending, so probably my COS would be denied but I see in the case tracker that “Notice Explaining USCIS Actions Was Mailed”. Please help me understand that could it be only COS denial notice that USCIS sends or is it related to denial of h1b petition too?

  11. Hi,

    My H1B transfer I-129 petition was updated today as “Litigation Notice Was Mailed”, I have no idea about this status, neither does my attorney nor can I find any info on internet.
    Did anyone see such status before and what could it possibly mean

    P.S: I know waiting for hard copy will clear things, it may take upto 8 days, so trying to find on this forum

    Reply
  12. Hi,
    my case was applied on Aug 27th 2020, later my employer upgraded to premium now the case status is “Request For Premium Processing Services Was Received”,
    do you have any idea how many more days will it take to get the update.

    Reply
  13. My h1b got upgraded in Aug mid. Now i got RFE by end of august.
    I got call for meeting invitation (to meet uscis office with few documents within a week) to uscis office on the same day they send upgrade confirmation email .
    Now my case status is “request for additional evidence was sent” And on same day they directly reached out to my organization asking for some documents.
    Are this two tracks are same of i should expect separate email from Attorney ?

    Reply
    • My h1b extension request got upgraded to premium in August 20.
      I got call for meeting invitation to uscis immigration office on the same day (aug 20) with few documents for face to face meeting(Aug 26).
      On Aug 31 my case status got changed to “request for additional evidence was sent” (RFE) And on same day (Aug 31) they directly reached out to my organization asking for some documents.
      Are this two tracks same or i should expect separate email from Attorney for RFE .

      Reply
        • KB,
          I have not seen this before. You were asked to visit ASC for interview for H1B ? Can you share more details ? What exactly happened at Immigraiton office, what did they ask ? Was it ASC or other office ?

          Reply
          • Hi Kumar,

            Sorry for late response.
            Yes it was USCIS office. My VISA type is H1B and external process in progress. Two Officers were present to take interview. They asked about my career detail , role and duties, schooling, also they had colllected few documents copy like VISA stamped page , passport, paystub, job offer letter, duty detail, certification if any, degrees certificate etc. Also post interview i got couple of emails to share more documents like W2, income tax , some project related documents etc . Now finally i have received RFE detail from Attorney. It took almost a month to get that . I have shared the requested doc w2, income tax , i-94 from site , paystub (again) etc . Finger crossed . Am waiting for further details now . I will update you as soon as i get some response.

  14. Hi,

    Currently I am on H1B with Company A(US Based Corporate company/Service based company).
    Applied for my H1B Extension normal processing on 02/13/2020
    I-94 Expiration date: 05/01/2020
    Current status in USCIS website: “Notice Explaining USCIS Actions was mailed- this status got updated on 09/01/2020 and I am yet hear from my employer about this. But I browsed online and came to know that this is a kind of NOID.
    Note: I got my I-140 Approval in 2016 and I am usa for the last 9 years – Just FYI

    Can you please suggest me what should I do to stay in USA
    1) Company B(small employer/consultancy) is ready to apply my H1B transfer. Can I go with Company B H1B transfer now (As I mentioned my I-94 expired )?
    2) Can I wait and see for the Company A NOID reply and wait for the result

    Please suggest what are my options to continue in USA.

    Thanks,
    Vasu

    Reply
    • Vasu,
      1. If your I-94 expired, it will be difficult to get I-94, you may only get consular processing approval.
      2. Just wait and see.
      Unfortunately, your options are really limited as your I-94 has expired. You may need to leave and re-enter the country on other visa type or same visa as transfer approval with B

      Reply
  15. @Kumar – My H1B extension status got updated as ‘Notice explaining USCIS action was mailed’. What does that status mean??

    Reply
    • Sri,
      This is slightly generic message and sometimes system generates this for a variety of statuses. You need to wait for the attorney’s response or your employer for the document. Check with them

      Reply
  16. Hi Kumar,
    I have a question on current case status.
    My employer filed H1 transfer request by November 2019 in normal processing and hit RFE on February 2020. Responded to RFE by March end. By April 2020, status changed to RFE response received. On June 2020 when premium processing resumed, petition got upgraded to premium. However the current status shows “Case Was Received and A Receipt Notice Was Emailed”, since this status shows after response to RFE received, I am bit confused. Can you please help me understand on this status after RFE response, is this a matter of concern ?

    Reply
  17. My h1b I-129 petition was rejected in 2018 due to insufficient funds and later today i checked the status of same petition, it is ‘Case was received’ and it appears in my latest I20 under change of status as pending instead the entry shouldn’t be displayed. And my petition got selected in this year h1b lottery, will it impact my new application which i file now?

    Reply
    • Meena,
      When they submit petition, they need to submit some basic information with it, that is called initial evidence, if you are missing that, they can show status as that.

      Reply
  18. How long to received an updated if my Case Was Received and A Receipt Notice Was Emailed
    On September 19, 2019, we received your Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. For husband fa1 of resident

    Reply
  19. Hi,

    My Case is approved on Jan 16th and I yet to receive the approval notice from USCIS. If the case is approved , for next 6 years can we file it in out of cap if they deny it later in any stages or during extension.

    Reply
  20. Hi !

    I received RFE on October 2, Submitted response on December 12th but the status still not changed to ‘response received’. Does it mean that my documents were never received at USCIS? Please advise

    Reply
    • knd,
      Well, it is hard to know, cannot rely on online status. You need to ask your employer or their attorney to check with USCIS.

      Reply
      • Thanks Kumar for your prompt response! Employer says Attorney is not responding properly and they don’t know what is happening. Do you think I can call USCIS directly and check status?

        Reply
        • knd,
          Attorney is paid to submit on behalf of employer, if they cannot work with attorney, it is sad…You may try, but they will ask for the attorney or employer. Ask the employer to work with attorney, it is their job…

          Reply
  21. Hello,

    We sent our RFE response on a Premiuim Processing case on January 2nd, tracked FedEx and it was received in Vermont on January 3rd. Got the online status update on January 7th saying Uscis received the RFE response. My question is, what counts as day 1? The day they received the RFE response (January 3rd) or the day they updated the status (January 7th)? Many thanks.

    Reply
      • I see! Many thanks, that is very helpful. One more question, is it true that the more you get close to day 15 the more it means it´s going to be denied? Is there really a correlation “fast response=approval” / late response= denial? I am at Day 11 and really stressing out. Many thanks!

        Reply
        • MRB,
          No, that is perception. I know many cases, that were filed in premium that were approved on last day or even couple of days after the last day…Dont worry, stay positive.

          Reply
      • Hi, my application is selected in lottery and if the petition is filed on day 1 of may, how long foes it take for me to get a case received receipt ?

        Reply
  22. Hi,
    I have applied in Normal Processing and got responded to my RFE on 10th October and on 11th October status updated to ‘Response received…..’ but since then there is no update on status . I am still waiting.Please let me know if anyone in the same situation does this much time generally taken to work on the response

    Thanks

    Reply
  23. Found my employer name was incorrect in the approved 797 document within few days of receiving it. Submitted for correction on 09/06/2019. Following is my case status and haven’t received corrected 797 document yet. Anyone know when I can get it?

    On September 19, 2019, your request to correct an error on your document or notice, referral number SRxxxxxxxNSC, was completed.
    On September 19, 2019, we sent a response to your request to correct an error on your document or notice, referral number SRxxxxxxxNSC.
    On September 19, 2019, your request to correct an error on your document or notice, referral number SRxxxxxxxNSC, was assigned to an officer for response.

    Reply
  24. Got RFE in regular processing and upgraded to Premium processing last week what could be status shown in USCIS now?
    i am currently seeing “Case Was Received and A Receipt Notice Was Emailed” is this correct status ?

    Reply
    • Hi,

      I received rfe on June 19th and I submitted all the required documents on 19th August to my employer visa team, and as per them they submitted rfe response to uscis on 12th September just before 89days completion given by USCIS. But in case status still showing rfe sent status only even after 1.5 months, status not changed to response received. Please guide me on this. I checked with about this but they saying rfe response submitted on 12th sept only

      Reply
    • Hi Nick, I got the same response after changing RFE response to premium. Could you please tell, How much time your application took to process?

      Reply
  25. Hi Kumar,
    My Case is Regular/Non AD.
    Got RFE on 19th August. But again on 27th August, my case status is changed to “Request for Additional Evidence Sent”. Is it change in status from Request for Evidence to Request for Additional Evidence is normal after a week time?

    Reply

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