Form Tracker

H-1B Status Tracker: Follow Your I-129 Petition

An H-1B case is a Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker: petitioners use it to file on behalf of a nonimmigrant worker, and H-1B is among the classifications it covers.[1]

If the petition was filed online, its case data is in the USCIS online account. Paste it below to read each event in plain English and see the current I-129 processing-time range. Your case data stays in your browser.[2]

Check Your H-1B Case

Copy the case data from the USCIS account (our step-by-step guide shows how), paste it here and press Check My Case.

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Typical Stages for H-1B

An H-1B petition usually moves through the stages below. Not every case has every step. Each code links to its page in our status code library.[3]

  1. Received

    USCIS accepts the petition and sends a receipt notice with the receipt number used to check the case.[3][2]

  2. In review

    An officer reviews the petition. Premium processing is available for H-1B specialty occupation petitions: USCIS guarantees adjudicative action within a set period, and a code marks when that clock starts.[4][3]

  3. Evidence request

    An officer may ask for more evidence. The request states the deadline to respond. Under premium processing, the clock stops until USCIS receives the response.[5][4]

  4. Decision

    USCIS orders and sends the approval or denial notice.[3]

Current H-1B Processing Times

Form I-129, across offices

0.5–22.5 months

  • Service Center Operations9–12.3 months

USCIS published · All I-129 offices and forms

This range is not an H-1B time alone: the data covers Form I-129 as a whole, every classification it is used for, averaged per office by ImmigrationTimes.org. USCIS shows the time for each classification on its processing times page, and an H-1B case can fall outside this range.[6][7][1]

Data: ImmigrationTimes.org (CC BY 4.0), from USCIS published processing times. These describe past cases: not a prediction for yours.

H-1B Questions

Which form is an H-1B petition?

Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. The petitioner files it on behalf of the worker, and the same form covers other classifications too, such as L-1 and O-1.

Source[1]

How do I check my H-1B case status?

Use USCIS Case Status Online with the receipt number from the receipt notice, or the USCIS online account for the most recent case updates. To read the full event history in plain English, paste the case data from the account into the case check on this page.

Source[2]

Can an H-1B petition be premium processed?

Yes. Premium processing is available for Form I-129 specialty occupation petitions. USCIS then guarantees to take adjudicative action within a set period: an approval, a denial, a notice of intent to deny or a Request for Evidence. If USCIS misses that period, it refunds the premium processing fee.

Source[4]

What happens if USCIS sends a Request for Evidence?

An officer needs more evidence to decide the petition. The request states the deadline to respond. For a premium processing case, the clock stops and starts again when USCIS receives the response.

Source[5][4]

Why is the processing time for all I-129 petitions?

The data this page uses summarizes Form I-129 across all classifications and offices. USCIS publishes the time for each classification on its processing times page, which is the place to check the H-1B number.

Source[7][6]

Related

Not legal advice. This page is general information from public sources. For advice about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney or accredited representative. CaseTicker is not affiliated with USCIS. Not legal advice.

Sources

Checked . Numbers in brackets in the text point here.

  1. [1]I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant WorkerUSCIS
  2. [2]Checking Your Case Status OnlineUSCIS
  3. [3]NIEM 5.0 BenefitDocumentStatusCategoryCodeSimpleTypeNIEM
  4. [4]How Do I Request Premium Processing?USCIS
  5. [5]Policy Manual: Evidence (Requests for Evidence and NOIDs)USCIS
  6. [6]Check Case Processing TimesUSCIS
  7. [7]Open Data (CC BY 4.0)ImmigrationTimes.org

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