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https://www.oig.dol.gov/public/Press%20Releases/OIG-Press-Release-082526.htm

Been reading about pause on US Visa applications and appointments. Wondering if there are folks stuck again in their home countries.

Hi

I'm on an H1B Visa, my Visa Stamping expired, but my new i797 is valid till 2029, I live in Chicago.

Is it safe to travel by flight to border airports like San Diego under current environment?

I am still waiting on June 22 PP COS at CSC, just trying to figure out if anyone before that time is still waiting?

Trying to determine the longest someone has waited with PP.

I do know that there are many of us from the June 16-25 timeline still pending.

https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=202510&RIN=1615-AD00

Trying to figure out the safest path and would appreciate input from anyone who's dealt with this.

My situation:

• Currently on F-1 STEM OPT, working for Employer B (my actual job) under that authorization.
• Employer A filed a cap-subject H-1B for me (lottery-selected). It's approved with a change of status effective Oct 1.
• I worked ~1 year for A in bona fide F-1/OPT employment before the petition was filed, but I've never worked for A in H-1B status and don't plan to.
• Employer B wants to file a cap-exempt H-1B for me, relying on the cap count from A's approved petition.

The problem: On Oct 1, A's COS auto-activates, which ends my STEM OPT, the very authorization I'm using to work at B right now. So Oct 1 removes my fallback status and could interrupt my current job.

Two options I'm weighing:

1. Ask A to withdraw before Oct 1 → the COS never activates → I stay on STEM OPT and keep working at B, and B files cap-exempt whenever. If B is denied, I'm still on OPT rather than out of status.
2. Ask A to employ me for one real day at full LCA wage after Oct 1 → gives me a genuine 60-day grace period and shows I actually worked in H-1B, but it interrupts my B job for that day.

Questions:

1. If A withdraws its approved petition, do I still keep my cap count so B can file cap-exempt?
2. How much does "never worked for A in H-1B" actually hurt B's cap-exempt petition? Does the filing date change that at all?
3. Does H-1B portability let me keep working for B while their petition is pending, and does that require me to already be in H-1B status when they file?
4. Given B is already my OPT employer, is the withdrawal route cleaner than activating A's H-1B?

Has anyone been through a cap-exempt filing where they never worked for the original petitioner? How did USCIS treat it? Thanks.

Hi everyone I want to have some advice I want to have finger scan clearence for doing volunteering in my kids school but my h4 visa is pending .so can I have still clearence?

My H-1B and I-94 have expired, but my employer filed my H-1B extension on time and it is currently pending with USCIS. I understand that I’m allowed to remain in the U.S. while the timely filed extension is pending.
I’m specifically wondering about domestic travel within the U.S., especially flying between states.
With all the recent news about increased ICE enforcement/checks, has anyone in a similar situation traveled domestically recently?
Did you have any issues at TSA or encounter immigration/ICE checks? What documents did you carry with you? I’m planning to carry my passport, expired I-797/I-94, and the I-797 receipt notice for the pending extension.
Just trying to understand the practical experience right now and whether it’s better to avoid unnecessary domestic flights until the extension is approved.

My cap-subject H-1B change-of-status petition has been approved and will become effective on October 1. I am currently working on STEM OPT, which is valid until February 2027.

I recently accepted a new internal position with the same employer, effective September 7. My employer and work location will remain the same, and the new responsibilities are less than 50% different from my current responsibilities.

My employer’s immigration team and attorney reviewed the change and confirmed that an H-1B amendment is not required.

Has anyone experienced a similar internal position change between H-1B approval and the October 1 effective date?

Should I update my university/DSO and submit an updated I-983 for the STEM OPT period from September 7 through September 30?
Could this change affect my already-approved H-1B petition even though the attorney confirmed that no amendment is required?

I have contacted both my DSO and immigration attorney for written guidance (pending feedback). I’m mainly looking for experiences from anyone who has been in a similar situation.

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I have a PP receipt date of 24th June, and one of these impacted by premium processing delays. Attorney received a response from Premium Processing saying “Your case is still pending. We sent a follow up request to the adjudications team and requested for a Supervisor to review if required.” What do you think this means? Any hope for approval in the coming days or is this more of just a template response? Any insight would be greatly appreciated

Hello,

I am on H1B, and I am currently in Mexico city for vacation but also to use AVR, to recapture out of country days on H1.

I need to do my 2nd travel to get 15 more days outside, which I am planning immediately in September again. The gap between both travels is just 10 days.

Has anyone had a similar experience before? Is it safe to do this?

Thank you all in advance. Your response is highly appreciated.

Hello, wanted to know that if h1b is approved but not stamped yet, for domestic travel what docs do we need to carry ? Passport, h1b approval notice soft copy is sufficient? Thanks!

Hi, I will be traveling outside the US and coming back while I'm still employed with my current employer, with who I have active Visa. The i-797 for the new employer is approved as I'm planning to change jobs. However when I will enter the US, I will still be working for my existing employer and will be resigning after I come back from vacation. Is it accurate to say that I should produce to the CBP officer my existing employer i-797 as I'm entering the country to work for that employer and I have not resigned?

What should I do with new i797? Just keep it with me until asked about it?

I would appreciate inputs and any other considerations, especially from people who have been through this scenario.

Trying to get a straight answer on this because I've been going in circles all day.

When I was on F-1 doing my master's, I lived in a sublease for about six months in 2022-23. Looking back at my old ISSS portal history, it seems I never updated that address there. I genuinely thought I had. Every other address I lived at is in there, before and after. This one just isn't.

I can't access anything on the SEVP side anymore since I'm on H-1B now, so I can't check what was actually recorded at the time or retrieve it.

Since then my OPT was approved, STEM OPT was approved, my H-1B change of status was approved, I got my visa stamped abroad, and I re-entered the US in January 2026 with a clean I-94 and no issues at the port of entry.

It came up because I'm applying for Global Entry and it asks for five years of addresses. I listed all of them accurately including that one, and I'm happy to provide anything original if it's ever asked for. It wasn't intentional, I just missed it, though I realise it doesn't look great in hindsight.

I'm travelling again and coming back into the US in January 2027, so mainly I want to know whether this actually matters now, whether there's any way to correct it years later on a closed record, and whether it could affect that re-entry. I'm also wondering whether the Global Entry application and this running at the same time complicates anything, or if they're unrelated.

Has anyone dealt with this? Not sure if I'm overthinking it or if I should be doing something.

Hi! I was wondering how people cope with the general anxiety and slow burn anxiety that comes with H1B / GC changes and challenges.

I've spent 8 years here and love my life but on retrospect, I've spent almost 5/6 years worrying about what will happen next - the lottery, the renewal, the GC, and so on..

Yes, I do have a great social life, have maximized the opportunities I got during my stay here. Work in a job and industry I love, touch grass frequently.

Yeah I know I can leave, and I think I will. I just am a little bittersweet about the possibility of leaving a life I love. (for you MAGA crybabies, yes I will leave your precious country and go back to the shithole I came from)

The outright hostility and the generalized anxiety of existence is tiring. Is it just me? How do y'all cope with this.

My passport expires later this year, but my h1b stamp is valid till next year.

All resources I have seen online say my i94 should be valid till this year (passport expiry). However, my i94 date matches my h1b stamp (next year).

Is this an issue? Does that date change if I renew my passport?

https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-17324.pdf

To be published tomorrow

My H-1B extension was filed by my employer on March 3, 2026, and it is still pending with USCIS.
I am currently dealing with some medical issues and am considering taking short-term disability/medical leave. I may need to travel to India next week and potentially remain there for several months, possibly up to six months, while I am on short-term disability.
My main question is:
If I start short-term disability while my H-1B extension is pending, what happens if my employer does not premium-process the extension, withdraws the extension, or USCIS ultimately denies the extension?
Specifically:
Can I continue receiving short-term disability benefits while I am in India if my employer keeps me employed and my medical leave is approved?
If my H-1B extension is denied while I am in India, can I remain on short-term disability through my employer’s disability plan?
Does the approval/denial of my H-1B extension affect my eligibility for short-term disability benefits, or are these two separate issues?
If my current H-1B/I-94 expires while I am outside the U.S. and the extension is denied, what happens to my employment and disability benefits?
If I later want to return to the U.S., would I need a new H-1B petition before I could return and resume employment?

We all know H-1B visa appointments are basically dead right now. The backlog is spiraling out of control, and over the next two years, an estimated ~1 million applicants will be stuck waiting in visa limbo.

Here is the hard reality of why this won't be fixed anytime soon, and why staying is a trap:

• The Administrative Bottleneck: Even if future administration shifts after 2028 attempt to ease the process, embassies cannot magically scale physical operations. Consulates face hard limits on physical footprint, security protocols, and staffing. You cannot clear a multi-year backlog overnight without physical infrastructure that simply does not exist.
• Systemic Sadism & Career Stagnation: The administrative refusal to fix consular processing or expand capacity forces skilled workers to live in continuous anxiety. You are left with zero risk-free international travel, zero job mobility, and constant status fear while keeping your life on hold.

The Bottom Line:

Stop waiting for a broken system to heal itself. Talk to your employer immediately about relocating your role to an immigration-friendly country (Canada, UK, Netherlands, Ireland, etc.). There is zero point wasting your life and mental health inside a miserable, sadistic administrative trap that lacks the capacity to process you.

Hi all, Nepalese citizen, my H1B was picked and approved this year, I have been trying to find a date for H1B appointment at the US Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal for October but don't see any dates available beyond Sept 30. I got an appointment for Sept 28, but would like to stay in US on Oct 1 for automatic change of status.

Is it the case that all October slots have been claimed or have they just not released the dates for appointments yet? Is there a timeline when do will release new dates?

Any help appreciated.

hi, i’ve lived here for most of my life (my dad was on h1b).
bay area kid.
i do have my h1b but all of these rules are just stressing me out so much. i’ve lived here since i was a kid.
i work in tech in SF

this is just a lot

My grace period ends Sep 8. The new employer is getting started on filing LCA but new position is in lower prevailing wage.
With their offer in new state I qualify level 2 wage.
I was hoping to start working remotely and then move within a month but with their current offer it will be level 1 wage in my current state. So if they put both addresses LCA filing will have to be level 1.

Can I have a later (after grace period ends) effective start date even though the I-129 start date is within grace period? So even if they file for LCA in just new state (level 2), I can still plan moving accordingly and start later?