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H1B Visa Case Receipt Number, Petition Number – IOE, EAC, WAC – Meaning?

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USCIS H1B Receipt Number format and meaning

USCIS accepts various kinds of H1B petitions, such as new H1B cap-subject petitions, petitions for H1B extensions, H1B petitions for the transfer of companies, and H1B cap-exempt petitions. One thing is common: they all receive an H1B Receipt Notice from USCIS indicating they received the H1B petition.

When you look at the USCIS-issued Receipt notice for the H1B petition, it would have a receipt number or case number. This number can be used to track the petition’s status with USCIS.

If you are new to the process, looking at the long number and guessing what that number means can be puzzling. In this article, we will cover what the H1B Case Receipt Number or Petition Number indicates by looking at each of the letters in the H1B Case Number.

Article Contents hide
1. What is the H1B Visa Case Number? Petition Number?
2. H1B Petition Number vs. Receipt Number
3. Understanding the H1B Case Receipt Number, Petition Number
4. How to Check the H1B Case Status on USCIS.gov?

As a background, if you are a first-time H1B applicant, you will need to go through the H1B Visa registration Lottery process, and only if you are selected in the H1B lottery, then you would be eligible to file an H1B petition with USCIS. Also, the H1B petition can only be filed by a Company. As an applicant, you cannot file the H1B petition alone.

What is the H1B Visa Case Number? Petition Number?

USCIS sends a “Form I-797C, Notice of Action” after they receive the H1B Petition. This form is called the H1B Receipt Notice. It is a generic form used to notify the receipt of a petition or application, but the Class requested field indicates whether it is a receipt notice for an H1B petition or not.

As part of sending the H1B receipt notice, USCIS assigns a unique case receipt number for every H1B petition they receive. The receipt number consists of 13-digit alphanumeric characters and typically starts with three alphabets, like WAC or EAC, based on where it was filed.

This 13-digit alphanumeric number is called the H1B receipt or H1B Petition Number. It appears at the top of the H1B Receipt Notice (Form I-797C, Notice of Action), as shown in the screenshot below.

H1B Receipt Number on USCIS Receipt Notice
H1B Receipt Number on USCIS Receipt Notice

H1B Petition Number vs. Receipt Number

People sometimes use the term “H1B Petition Number” and ask for the “H1B receipt number”. This can be confusing if you are new to it. The “H1B Petition Number” and the “H1B Receipt Number” or “H1B Case Receipt Number” mean the same thing and are often used interchangeably.

On some websites, you may be asked to fill out the H1B Petition Number; in some cases, you may be asked to enter the H1B receipt number or USCIS H1B Case number. In all these cases, you would use the same 13-dight alphanumeric number on the H1B receipt or approval notice. If you are filling out the H1B Visa Stamping application, you will asked to fill out the Petition Number, which is nothing but the H1B Case Receipt Number.

Understanding the H1B Case Receipt Number, Petition Number

Of the 13-digit alphanumeric characters that are part of the H1B Case Receipt Number or Petition Number, each set of characters has a specific meaning. We need to break them out properly to understand them correctly.

We should break down the H1B Case Number into sets of characters grouped like below:

  • XXX—XX—XXX—XXXXX
  • EAC—24—128—50345 ( example for H1B FY 2025 filed petition)

Now, let’s look at each of the groups of characters.

First 3 Letters of H1B Case Number: EAC, WAC, LIN, IOE, SRC

The first three characters indicate where the H1B petition was filed.

  • EAC – Vermont Service Center (old name: Eastern Adjudication Center).
  • WAC – California Service Center (old name: Western Adjudication Center).
  • LIN – Nebraska Service Center (LIN refers to Lincoln, Nebraska).
  • SRC – Texas Service Center (old name: Southern Regional Center).
  • IOE – IOE stands for Integrate Operation Environment(where the petition was processed); it is not a service center location but indicates that the petition was filed electronically or electronically scanned and processed. In the H1B petition context, it was scanned at a shared service center and then processed. The service center details will be at the bottom of the receipt notice.

Following 2 Letters of H1B Case Number: Year of filing

The following two digits indicate the year when it was filed. It is not the fiscal year but rather the calendar year when the petition was filed. Do not try to read something that says WAC2023XXXX to think it is related to the year 2023, you should only look at the following two letters after the first three characters.

  • For the H1B Visa FY 2024 season, it would be 23
  • For the H1B Visa FY 2025 season, it would be 24

Subsequent 3 Letters of H1B Case Number – Computer Working Day

The next three digits indicate the computer working day of the USCIS fiscal year that starts from October 1st. It indicates the computer workday does not include weekends and holidays. USCIS computers do not work on weekends and USA National holidays :-).

October 1st is when the fiscal year starts for USCIS. If your H1B was filed on October 1st, it would be 001. It is a little tricky with this number; computer workday indicates only working days and not weekends.

For example, if it is October 20th, it would be the 16th working day or something like that…For April 12th, it would be 134 as the weekends and federal holidays are taken out. You can use websites like TimeAndDate to compute that number.

  • For April 8th, it would be 128.

Subsequent 5 Letters of H1B Case Number – Actual Case Number

The following five digits is the actual case number and is assigned based on some internal USCIS logic. There is no guarantee that it would start with 0001 and go in sequence. Sometimes, it may start with 5; sometimes, it may be with other digits as well.

  • One sample number would be 51244

Below is a nice visual explaining the H1B Receipt Number format. It is the same as any other USCIS Receipt Number format.

USCIS Case Number Format - What they mean
USCIS Case Number Format – What they mean

How to Check the H1B Case Status on USCIS.gov?

After you receive your H1B Visa Receipt case number, all you would have to do is to track the status on USCIS website. Read How to Check H1B Petition Status on USCIS website.

Premium Processing for H1B :

If you were to file H1B visa petition under premium processing, you would have received the case number and a confirmation email that your petition was received by USCIS and it is under processing. Usually your attorney or your employer would get that information. Once your case is approved, similar email with approval status would be updated via email.  A hard copy would be emailed after the emails to the address specified in petition.

Regular Processing for H1B:

If you were to file your H1B visa petition under regular processing, you would not necessarily get an email from USCIS, rather you would get a hard copy receipt mailed to your employer or attorney.  Also, decision information would be mailed to your attorney or employer after the decision.

You can read Steps after H1B Lottery – Flow Chart to know more on the next steps

Did I miss anything?  Any other thoughts to add?

   

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3,682 Comments

  2. EAC center is working very slow. The petition approval rate of WAC is way much ahead of EAC…! Bechare EAC wale..Keep hope and keep on waiting until next year..hopefully they will clear it by next visa cycle 😛 😀

    Reply

  3. Finally finally. Got my approval today, below is the details:
    RFE – 16th Aug
    RFE Response – 15th Sep
    Approval – 11th Oct
    File number – EAC1314253***

    RFE was regarding employer-employee relationship.

    Best of luck to everyone! 🙂

    Reply

    • Hi Ron,

      I also got the same query Employee-Employer Relationship. I have submitted all documents that shows i am employee of X company and also submitted individual client letter but will not be able to get SOW and MSA.

      Just wanted to check with you that have you submitted SOW and MSA. i have submitted DM letter stating that SOW and MSA is not allowed by client to share with external parties.

      I just wanted to check possibility of approval of H1B.

      I am from infy basically. if you are also in infy then you can find me using 627018.

      Will wait for your reply.

      Thanks,

      Reply

  4. Hi All,

    My H1 Approved finally and the details are below.

    RFE: July 8th (Education Evaluation)
    RFE Response Review : August 12th
    Approved: Oct 10th (60th day from Aug 12th)
    E Request: Raised E request on Oct 10th at 1PM and petetion approved at 4PM. I dont know whether it e-request has any impact on approval.

    Don’t loose hopes. I know waiting kills and we cannot plan anything until this is approved.

    All the best to everyone.

    Reply

  5. Did any from Vermount got any updates these days. Its been 43 days since my status changed to RFE RES. Waiting makes perfect imperfect.

    Reply

  6. Hello All,

    I just want to share my Stamping experience.

    US Embassy/Consulate Place : Hyderabad
    Scheduled Date & Time : For Finger Prints : 9/Oct/13 11AM Interview : 10/Oct/13 10:30 AM.

    Conversation between me & VO:

    Me: Good Morning
    VO: Very Good Morning. How Are You Doing?

    Me: I am doing Good. How about you?
    VO: Doing Good. Give me your passports/
    Me: Passed
    VO: Give me your I-797
    Me:Passed
    VO: Left the little one at home ?
    Me: Yes Sir
    VO: Gave a break to the baby from dad & Mom?
    Me: Yes Sir
    VO: madam can i get your left hand 4 fingers
    Wife: Given
    VO: Sir can i get your right hand 4 fingers.
    Me: Given
    VO: Is your arranged or Love Marriage?
    Me: Arranged
    VO: Who Arranged?
    Me: Parents
    VO: Who is your employer?
    Me: XYZ
    VO: Who is your client?
    Me: I am directly working with the Employer only. Because its a Product based company and there are no clients.
    Vo: What is your project?
    Me: and its not a project..its product.
    VO: Salary in US?
    Me: 000000$
    VO: How did you find this job?
    Me: I am already working with this client since 2 years from ABC company. So they offered me.

    VO: YOUR VISA IS APPROVED
    Me: Thank You Very Much 🙂 🙂 🙂

    Reply

  7. Hi,

    My case EAC131435*** turned to initial RFE status on July 26th , no change on this status till now. My employer says my case has been moved to offshore delivery center in Kentuky from Vermont hence delay in response. because of the shutdown it is taking more time on response. Do any body have this issue?

    Reply

    • Not to worry..keep on waiting until next year..EAC is not going to update it in near future no matter your raised a ticket of your case is RP or PP. They are working dam slow…!

      Reply

  9. My employer has filed my H1B petition as in-house project in their company.
    My H1B is approved and am yet to go for stamping in India.

    My employer is asking me to work for a new client instead of in-house project.
    I have got client letter as well from the new client.

    Here is my question:
    1.) My H1B petition was filed as in-house project. Can I go for stamping with the new client letter? Will there be any issues?
    2.) Will there be any rejection if I go for stamping as in-house project (I mean, if I don’t have any client letter) ?

    Please clarify

    Reply

  11. WAC seems to be processing quickly. Got my approval today, below are my timelines:
    RFE – 08/10/2013
    RFE Response – 09/30/2013
    Approval – 10/09/2013

    RFE was regarding employer-employee relationship.

    Best of luck to everyone! 🙂

    Reply

  12. Hi,

    My Petition was approved on 9th Aug 2013.
    But still we haven’t received the approval Hard copy.

    We have raised a SR# with USCIS before 15 days, but haven’t heard from them as well.

    Can you please suggest, what should be my next course of action.
    Also, is any body else on the same boat 🙂

    Reply

    • Sometime courier guys miss the consignment. Sometime address change mess up things. Sometime center people are lazy enough to send it..may have been any reason.

      Its better way to enclose a self addressed envelop instead. I did that my time and i got the copy within a week.

      Reply

  13. Hi All,

    My Case# EAC13138512XX is in IR state from Apr 8th. My Employer has raised E-Request yesterday. Not sure raising E-Request helps. Anyone in the same boat or any thoughts?

    Thanks

    Reply

    • Hi,

      I’m also in the same phase My case number is also showing in IR state from April onwards.It will take some time no problem.

      Reply

      • One of my friend i know is on same status since april. Nothing to worry in such cases internal enquiry goes on and from IR it goes to PDA directyly without any RFE. I have many such cases.

        So nothing to worry and stay chill..!

        Reply

  14. HI Everyone

    I had applied for my H1 transfer. It is on acceptance phase does that means it is approved or what? Please share. Will it go to initial review after acceptance or acceptance is after initial review?

    Thanks

    Reply

    • No that doesn’t mean approved.. From acceptance it will go IR then RFE (if any) then RFE review then decision and then post decision activity..!

      Reply

    • I am also waiting for Approval. but no status changes till now. How many days it will take God only knows. getting tensed 🙁

      Reply

    • Yes you are correct. There is almost nil approval or status change from vermont center. Don’t know these people drunk more and out to sleeping or wat? 😛 No one seems working as there is no status change for numerous petitions..

      Reply

  16. Hi All,

    I was at least happy to know that my petition was updated from IR to Post decision Activity on 4th Sep and then it is again went back to Acceptance on 23rd Sep. Is there anyone with the same situation?

    Is this something i need to worry about? In what circumstances it will happen like this?

    Thanks,
    MMH

    Reply

  19. Hi ,
    My H1 was approved on 27th August and I have to go for stamping yet .

    As my passport expires sometime in May 2014, I applied for reissue and got a new passport (new number).

    Will this cause any issue in the process of stamping , as I gave my older passport details during Visa application ?

    Reply

  20. Hi All,

    My Case# EAC13138512XX is in IR state from Apr 8th. My Employer has raised E-Request yesterday. Not sure raising E-Request helps. Anyone in the same boat or any thoughts?

    Thanks

    Reply

  22. Hi,

    Currently I am working on L1B visa for company A. Company B applied for H1B and COS.

    My family staying with me on L2 visa.

    Query?
    – Once my H1B and COS approved, does my family L2 visa automatically tranfer to H4?
    If not,
    – how soon I need to file for visa status transfer (L2 — > H4) for my family after my approval?
    – Do I face any issue while applying for GC, If there is delay during applying visa status transfer (L2 — > H4) for my family.

    Please advice.

    ./
    Ricky

    Reply

  23. Hi guys
    (WAC131375****)
    I got RFE on July 12th on education evaluation and my employer replied to this issue and the uscis received my education evaluation papers on Aug 9th they mentioned that my case has been shifted from Vermont service center to California service center and my case status got shifted from RFE to [request for evidence response review].Now its almost getting to 2 months and my status is still the same.I am little bit concerned will it get approved or not.

    aisu

    Reply

  24. Hi I got an below RFE

    MULTIPLE BENEFIcIARIES ON LCA : The LCA submitted indicates that more than one H1B non immigrant has been ceritified for employement with the petitioner.
    Hence it is necessary to identify all the file numbers for beneficiaries who have previously used this LCA. Therefore, Submit a detailed list of all service file numbers for beneficiaries who have been approved using this LCA.

    Questions :
    1) please let me know the difficulty of this RFE and possibility of approval.
    2) in case if the related docs are submiited is there any possibility they may ask for any other docs other than related to this.Since I got only this RFE, does this indicates rest all docs which are submitted are fine? or they may be a chance they verify the other docs once again?

    Please help me on this.

    Reply

    • I received the same RFE, and you should not be worried for this RFE. While your employer/attorney must have submitted LCA, they must have mentioned more than 1 beneficiaries. Now they are asking who all are beneficiaries for this LCA. It is pretty simple RFE, and if your employer will respond to this in timely manner, by providing file number to this, it should be fine. If you want, you could refer to my article. Do not worry, however there are possibilities that they might come up with any other RFE later on, but chances are slim.
      http://redbus2us.com/h1b-visa-petition-filing-rfe-response-successful-stamping-experience-new-delhi-2013/

      Reply

  25. Hi I got an below RFE

    MULTIPLE BENEFICIARIES ON LCA : The LCA submitted indicates that more than one H1B non immigrant has been ceritified for employement with the petitioner.
    Hence it is necessary to identify all the file numbers for beneficiaries who have previously used this LCA. Therefore, Submit a detailed list of all service file numbers for beneficiaries who have been approved using this LCA.

    Questions :
    1) please let me know the difficulty of this RFE and possibility of approval.
    2) In case if the related docs are submiited is there any possibility they may ask for any other docs other than related to this.Since I got only this RFE, does this indicates rest all docs which are submitted are fine? or they may be a chance they verify the other docs once again ?

    Please help me on this.

    Reply

  26. Hi,
    i have been applied for H1b visa extension in july-13 as my visa is expired in sept-13.
    My current status of visa is in initial review.
    I have following question:
    1)what is processing time for H1b visa extension?
    2)Can I change the job while Visa is in initial review stage.if yes what is process.I am worried about my current employer should not revoke my visa.
    3)If my current client want to hire me, what is procedure? (LCA is on current client name. )

    Appreciate your response, thanks in advance

    Reply

  28. Hi All,

    My visa has been filed by a consultancy company A where as currently I am working with company B.
    Now company A wants me to go for stamping and fly to US ASAP.
    But :
    1 ) what if I don’t go for stamping, can I use my approved visa few months later with some other company?

    2) what if my stamping is done but don’t want to go to US with company A, in that case can further use my visa with some other company?

    Please suggest options for above mentioned two scenarios.

    Thanks.

    Reply

    • You can transfer visa once it is approved. So you can go for stamp after few month or transfer it to new employer and go for stamp.(whenever you want). The only thing is, Employer A can withdraw/Cancel your h1b. You will need to take care of that thing while transferring it to new comapny.

      Reply

      • What are the implications of withdrawal/cancel of H1 by the sponsor?
        Can I still apply H1 transfer to another employer under cap exempt category?

        Reply

      • Thanks for your reply, few questions again:

        Can I transfer my visa to other company without informing employer A or what documents required from employer A to initiate transfer process with new employer?

        Also can I transfer it to another company after stamping done with employer A?

        It would be very helpful if you can provide more details on this, as it is quite urgent I have decide ASAP.

        Thanks.

        Reply

  29. Got approval on Sept 19th.
    Mine was under RFE Response review for almost 2 months.
    Converted to premium, got approved within 48hrs.

    Best of luck to all

    Reply

    • If you had already waited for 2 months, you could have called up USCIS and they would have been obligated to close your case by 2 month deadline. Seems like you already had the approval and they just updated the application to reflect that. I have seen many such cases on this forum where people got approval on deadline just after calling USCIS.

      Reply

  30. Hi,

    My application got approved on 30th Aug. But my employer has not received documents from USCIS till now. Any ideas how long does it take?

    WAC1313950***

    Reply

  31. For those who are tracking their I129 status, here is my timeline.
    I had H1-B petition from Company A in 2007, and came to US on L1-B from Company A. Just before my 6 yrs get over, I was able to find Company B who transferred my unused H1-B. So on H1 finally!

    H1 H4 Documents received by Vermont – 09-SEP-2013
    Case Numbers generated by Vermont – 12-SEP-2013
    H1 H4 Approved – 19-SEP-2013

    On 19-SEP-2013, at 7:45 AM CST got this notification:
    On September 19, 2013, the 15-day Premium Processing clock stopped on your I129, PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER.

    But my spouse H4 case number was showing approved on 19-SEP-2013. Also I was not able to retrieve my I-94 online, it said ‘Travel date should be after automation date and no later than today’. Both these points gave me/my company confidence about the success of my filing!

    Attorney got approval e-mail from USCIS at 11:45 AM CST.

    On 21-SEP-2013, at 1:00 PM CST, the status changed to:
    On September 19, 2013, this I129 PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER was approved and we sent you an e-mail notice.

    Reply

  32. Is H4 to H1B mostly a scam? Yeah like seriously how many times it happens when husband and wife both are in a specialized field? But after seeing the high rate of H4 to H1B conversion i think its some sort of scam…..

    So my assumption is that when the wife gets bored sitting home, she asks husband, hubby i want an H1B too, file it through an employer? Just curious ….

    Reply

  33. Hi everyone!
    What is the percentage of visa rejection after H1B approval? On what grounding a VO can reject your h1b visa? If you have just two or three years experience can they reject your visa? Or if you have baby face , can they still reject your visa saying oh you don’t look that experienced?

    Reply

    • Hi Buddy!

      Don’t worry! They not going to evaluate your experience during the interview. It was a part of the longish I-129 approval process.
      They only want to go through the material facts of your application an double-check with you to exclude the application is a scam. If you really going to work in the company mentioned in the application you don’t need to be afraid.

      Reply

  34. I am very very very happy today. my H4 to H1B visa got approved 🙂 🙂

    Got RFE – July 12th
    RFE replied with PP – Sept 4th
    Initial Review – Sep 11th
    Acceptance – Sep 12th
    Decision – Sep 20th…..

    Receipt No : EAC13145*****

    Reply

    • Hi H1B Approved,

      Congratulations on getting your h1 approved, I am in the same situation. When your RFE is replied on Sept 4th does the status changed from RFE to Response under review and then on sep 11 changed to Initial Review or it directly changed from RFE to Initial Review?
      My employer replied to RFE on Sept 18 and status changed to response under review on the same day and stayed there till now. My employer said he converted to premium but we don’t have any proof. Waiting is killing me.

      Thanks.

      Reply

      • From RFE, it was moved directly to Intial review. so after upgrading to premium, it took 1 week to change status from rfe to initial review.

        So be patience and you will get ur approval soon.. All the very best..

        I know the pain of waiting. but no way, it has to go on…

        Thanks

        Reply

  35. HI All,

    I am planning to go for stamping next week but due to some personal reason my spouse and kid can not go along with me for H4 stamping.

    Is my presence mandatory for H4 stamping if they plan to go later when I will be in US?

    Thanks,
    Vikas Tiwari.

    Reply

  38. My H1B is approved (stamping not done yet)

    My husband’s H1B is approved and he got it stamped. He would be travelling to US shortly.

    I will not be able to work for 2 to 3 months for personal reasons.

    Can I apply for H4 now (when I have my H1B approved but stamping not done yet), and then travel to US on H4.

    After 3 months in US, my employer will be applying for COS from H4 to H1.
    Is it possible to apply for COS, in case we travel to US after Oct 1

    Please clarify if above mentioned scenario is possible

    Reply

  39. Hi ,
    My passport will expire sometime in May 2014 . I saw, in a post , in this forum that you need a passport valid atleast for 6 months ; at the time of interview . What can I do in that case ? I may not get an stamping aptmt. before December .

    Reply

  40. I am on L1 with company A. In 2013 B company File my H1 and COS , but in aug/2013 I had to go to japan and come back to US on L1 while COS was pending. When I came to US I got my H1 RFE related to “education evaluation” and I heard my COS get abandoned because of my Japan visiting.

    Question:
    1. As my COS is not valid in that case do i need to go for H1B Visa stamping?
    2. If my H1B visa stamping get denied/rejected , in that case does my L1 visa get impacted?
    3. Once my H1B approved, in that case can other company apply H1B transfer ??
    4. Once my H1B approved, in that case can other company apply H1B transfer + COS to avoid visa stamping interview process??

    Please advice.

    Reply

    • Hi Ricky,

      Please find answers for your questions
      1. As my COS is not valid in that case do i need to go for H1B Visa stamping?
      —> Yes your COS is not valid , because you travelled to Japan, ask H1B Employer to Change it to Consoler Processing, once you H1B approved , you have to go for stamping.

      2. If my H1B visa stamping get denied/rejected , in that case does my L1 visa get impacted?
      –> No Impact, H1B and L1 both are independent, if you get H1B Stamping successfully then L-1 will get cancelled, Non-immigrants can have only one work permit at time.

      3) Once my H1B approved, in that case can other company apply H1B transfer ??

      –> yes You can but any way you have to go for stamping, because your COS is not valid.
      some time uscis makes mistake , they will approve COS status, but it will give you problem while apply green card, even though they approved you h1B with COS , in that case also you have to go for stamping is required?

      4. Once my H1B approved, in that case can other company apply H1B transfer + COS to avoid visa stamping interview process??

      No Not possible, only Transfer is possible (any way you have to go for stamping, you cannot avoid visa stamping interview, bcoz you travlled to japan while COS is pending).

      Thanks
      Nav’s

      Reply

  41. Jugal,

    Hello,
    I am on H4 and have a new H1B(FY2014) approved petition through company A and I am transferring it to a company B. Company B is planning to send the H1b docs to USCIS on 23rd Sept with premium processing.
    1. What are the chances of getting approval by Oct1st 2013?
    2. What if I get approval on Oct 8th, can I join company B from Oct 8th?
    3. What is the risk involved in not joining Company A from Oct 1st?
    4. I know I would be out-of-status from 1st-8th Oct, is anything can be done to avoid this?
    Please suggest.

    Thank You.

    Reply

    • Hi,
      I’m also in similar situation. But I don’t have the approval notice in hand. I just have the receipt number for the approved H1. I’m currently on L1.
      My attorney’s are saying they can’t file H1 transfer to another company without I’m being on H1 (which will be valid only from 1st Oct). Also in my case they are saying they may file H1 transfer just before end of sep or even early oct.
      Is that the case?

      -Karthik

      Reply

    • Hi,

      You have mentioned in your post that your’s is a fresh H1b , Can you please let me know how come you are planning to transfer it to some other company without having any valid pay stubs from current company?
      i guess minimum of 3 pay slips are necessary for H1b Transfer.

      Thanks

      Reply

      • As I am on H4 and haven’t used my H1b ever( since it a new h1b-FY 2014) so paylips are not required. The only requirement is that I have maintained a valid status in USA on H4 with a valid status of my spouse’s H1b.

        Reply

        • Thanks for your reply,
          Actually i am also sailing in the same boat and have been told be few folks to have 3 pay slips from 1st Employer and then look for H1b transfer.

          Can you please confirm that Maintaining the status of H4 along with the valid status of spouse is the only requirement and is confirmed by any attorney/immigration layer?

          Reply

          • This is what I got to know from company B’s HR and attorney. And that is why are going for my H1b transfer. Only thing I am worried about is that if it would be approved by Oct 1st so that I can join the project at company B from my visa start date ie Oct 1st.

      • Yes shirli, you are 101% correct. You should get atleast 3 salary from current company prior tranfer..! Nai to na tum idhar ke rahoge aur nahi hi udhar ke…bich me latak jaoge..! 😛

        Reply

  42. Hi,

    I approached a consultancy and they filed h1b for free, My receipt number is WAC131375XXXX, its still in RFE since July 02 2013. But can not get any update from that consultancy. Should i call 1-800-375-5283 ?

    Can i have hope still? 🙁

    Reply

  43. Hi,
    Is it possible to do H1 Tranfer from company A to B before my employment begins (before october 1st 2013) while i am on H4 visa and live in USA currently. I heard that atleast 3 payslips are needed to apply for transfer.

    Thanks,
    JK

    Reply

  44. Hi All,

    Anyone still in Inital Review state? My Receipt# EAC13138512XX is in IR state from Apr 8th. It’s been more than 150 days and i am worried. 🙁

    Thanks.

    Reply

  45. Hi Saurabh
    My H1B has been filed for extension by my current employer (Acceptance Date: May 9th). The current status is still initial review.
    Now I’ve gotten offer from new employer and they’re willing to sponsor my H1B.
    So will this affect my legal status in US?
    Does the status become valid the moment new employer files for my H1B transfer?
    Are there chances of getting a rejection on current employer’s I129? And if that happens, any negative consequences?
    Thanks in advance for your help.

    Reply

  46. Dear Saurabh,
    Could you please tell me how long will it take to get the result after we submit the response for RFE ?

    my employer submitted the response for RFE two weeks back.

    Thanks
    waiting4approval

    Reply

      • Once the status will be changed to RFE Response Review, it may take 1 day to 8 week. If it will take more thn 60 business days, you may need to follow-up with them.

        Reply

        • I read similar case few days back in this forum.. His H1B visa was approved and employer got the all required docs, but his case was showing Initial Review in USCIS site.
          He even called USCIS, and get it confirmed.. USCIS said this is because of system issue.
          So what information your employer has could be the right one.

          Reply

  48. Hi Saurabh,

    I was converted my Case to premium processing 2 days back(because my case hanging there from april 8th).
    and today I have checked the online status its showing ;

    the 15-day Premium Processing clock stopped on your I129, PETITION FOR A NONIMMIGRANT WORKER. A notice was sent on this date explaining the specific reason for stopping the premium processing of your case. This notice will contain detailed information on further action required by you. Your premium processing receipt notice contains contact information for direct inquiries on your case.

    I don’t understand above statements, saurabh could you explain what’s happening with my case?

    Thanks
    Nav’s

    Reply

    • It might be that the check issues to USCIS was wrong or voided or something related to the payment of the upgrade to premium. Do ask your attorney if this was the case. In that case you will get a note from the Burlington Finance center asking for another check.

      Thanks
      -A

      Reply

    • It might be that the check issued to USCIS was wrong or voided or something related to the payment of the upgrade to premium. Do ask your attorney if this was the case. In that case you will get a note from the Burlington Finance center asking for another check.

      Thanks
      -A

      Reply

  49. Hello Saurabh,

    I got my Approval Notice, wherein the validity is from 1st-Oct-2013 to 15-Sept-2015
    (just for 2 years).
    Many of my friends got validity till 30th -August – 2016.
    What could be the reason for it ?
    Anyone can please me out ?

    Regards,
    Shawn

    Reply

    • it may be due to the following factors.

      1) LCA date mentioned in yur I129 filing.
      2) Dates mentioned in the Client/Manager letter (if submitted as a part of RFE response)
      3) Your personal profile – combination of IT experience and educational qualification

      Reply

      • Hi rajeev/All
        can u tell me one thing for visa interview what documents should be submitted and do we need all the originals plz reply

        thanks sherly

        Reply

        • OFC Docs:
          1) Interview confirmation page (which has DS160 bar code and MRV receipt barcode)
          2) DS 160 confirmation page (pdf printout taken from the ceac site)
          3) Original passport (with atleast 6 months validity)

          Interview Docs: (Take 2 separate folders)
          Folder 1:
          1) Original Passport
          2) Photo as per USCIS specifications (optional)
          3) Interview confirmation letter (same copy taken during the OFC)
          4) BEP letter (in case your company applies for BEP interview slots)
          5) DS 160 confirmation page (same copy taken during the OFC)
          6) I797 (Original green coloured document + 1 photocopy)
          7) I129 filing + Resume
          8) 2 latest payslips
          9) Education certificates (only photocopies in descending order)
          10) Previous experience letters (only photocopies in descending order)

          Folder 2:
          1) Education certificates (all originals in descending order)
          2) Previous experience letters (all originals in descending order)

          though you may not be asked for all docs, this is the common list of docs prescribed by our company’s immigration team.

          All the best.

          Reply

  50. I see many cases that just turn to RFE or they are still in Initial review. I am currently in my OPT extension until the 30th September, from past forum and some Google searching I thought USCIS has to respond before october 01 with an approved or denied petition but with these cases in pending or initial review i found it hard to believe that they could do it.

    My question is October 01 is an unofficial deadline, they could take until …..?

    Reply

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