Checking the status of your H-1B visa after the application has been approved

If you are lucky enough to have your H1B visa application selected in the lottery process, you will then have to wait as your application goes through the various steps of the approval process. You will be given your own unique thirteen digit tracking number, known as the H1B Case Number, which you can use to track your application’s progress. The wait between selection and your visa’s approval can be a long and anxious one. Each time you check your application using your Case Number you will be given a case status, however, these can be confusing and often lead to applicants asking more questions. So, in order to put your mind at ease through this process, we have made a list of the most common case statuses and explained their meaning.

Case was received and a receipt notice was emailed

You will only receive this Case Status if you upgraded your application to premium processing, otherwise , his notice will have been sent to your employer or attorney. This case status simply means that your application was selected during the lottery process and your Case Number has been issued.

Case was received

This status indicates the hard copy of your receipt notice will be sent to your attorney or employer’s address. Applicants who have upgraded to premium processing will receive an email of this receipt notice.

Request for additional evidence notice was mailed

This status indicated that a Request for Evidence notice, RFE, has been sent to your attorney or employee requesting and outlining any further evidence needed to continue your case. REFs are issued with an expiry date and need to be addressed before that date expires. If a response is not received within the timeframe outlined, the application will not go beyond this stage.

Case was approved and my decision was emailed

This status means that your application has been approved and an email has been sent to you attorney or employee informing them. You will only see this status if you have upgraded to premium processing.

Case was approved

This status will be seen by people who did not upgrade to premium processing and indicates that your application has been approved and the hard copy receipt notice has been mailed to your attorney or employer.

Decision notice mailed

If you see his status it means that your application was rejected. Your attorney or employee will be sent a notice indicating the reasons your application was rejected and offer them the chance to appeal the decision.

Name was updated

This is one of the more confusing statuses you are likely to see when checking your application progress. This may be down to a clerical error and indicate that a change of name has actually occurred but it can also appear when other activity is happening on your case. This status can often lead to an RFE being sent and, in some cases, can indicate that the application may be rejected. If you see this status it is probably best to consult with your attorney or employer.

Fee will be refunded

This status is likely one that will cause some panic if it is seen as you will probably be aware that fees attached to unsuccessful applications are refunded. However, in this instance, the fees that are being refunded are unnecessary fees that were paid by by attorney or employer and does not indicate that your application was requested. Again, we would suggest contacting your attorney or employer if you see this status.

Have you come across any other statuses when checking the progress of your H1B application? Have you had an experiences you feel may help other people during their application process? Why not let us know here.

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