H1B Visa RFE – What Does It Mean?

H1B Visa RFE

RFE, which stands for Request for Evidence, is needed by the USCIS to come up with a decision for an H1B visa case. H1B under the Immigration and Nationality Act enables all the non-immigrant individuals to stay in a specialty occupation in the US and Canada.

This program allows all the international students and professionals the opportunity to live, study, and work in the US and Canada. The H1b Rfe visa is highly being sought after, and many petitions are received every year – making it harder to obtain. 

Despite the risks with acquiring an H1B visa, the vast opportunities in the US and Canada encourage many international individuals to grab these opportunities to seek employment, and the chance to study. 

Reasons Why You Received an H1B RFE

There are several reasons why you receive an RFE for your H1B visa application. For example, the USCIS utilizes a tool named “Validation Instrument for Business Enterprise.” This tool is used to check all the necessary information about petitioning employers or sponsors. If there are discrepancies between your information and the details VIBE finds, you’ll receive an RFE.

Here are the few reasons why you received one:

  • Recent address changes
  • Recent financial statements and wage reports
  • Petitioning employer’s or sponsor’s Tax ID number
  • Requesting a lease/rental agreement

For your application to properly process, you need to gather all the necessary information. Avoid leaving any information and documents behind, and seek legal advice from an immigration lawyer.

H1B Visa RFE and Approval Rate

As mentioned earlier, H1b Rfe is needed by USCIS to review your visa application. An RFE can’t stop an applicant from acquiring a visa. It only means that the authority needed to have additional evidence to come up with a decision about your visa application.

You can receive RFE through the mail, or you can check the status online. It contains necessary information about you, the petitioner, or the employer. Once you received the notice of RFE, you have 90 days to complete all the required information and documents.

It is essential to complete all the required documents as early as you can because failing to comply can result in delays, and worse, denial of the petition.

Premium Processing of RFE

If you choose to file your visa petition under premium processing, the USCIS will work on this within 15 days. This timeframe is also the same with H1b RFE response time counted as day one from the time they receive the details.

But there’s an exception to this if your application has been sent for additional security checks. The USCIS will confirm your petitioner or employer for security clearance.

On the contrary, if you didn’t choose premium processing from the beginning, you have the option to upgrade at any time, provided the application status is pending. The premium processing fee can cost you $1,410. But it doesn’t guarantee you the success of getting approved. It only means that you’ll know the status earlier.

2019 H1B RFE Response Time

In some cities like Nebraska, California, and Vermont, they have an RFE response of 60 days upon response submission. Day 1 will start from the day you received the RFE notice. There’s a considerable chance that your application can last up to 90 days or more before receiving any notice. If you get an RFE notice on your application, consult with an immigration lawyer. They are experts in handling H1B RFE cases. You can make sure that they will process your case correctly and worry-free.

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