An H-1B visa holder has shared a confusing immigration experience after receiving approval for a visa extension while their spouse’s work permit application was denied.
According to the applicant, both the H-1B extension and the spouse’s H-4 visa extension were approved without issues. However, the Employment Authorization Document application linked to the H-4 visa was rejected.
The employer had filed the extension using premium processing on February 6. The filing package reportedly included the H-1B extension, the H-4 extension, and the EAD renewal application together.
The rejection of the EAD request has raised questions because the other applications in the same package were processed successfully.
The rejection notice reportedly mentioned a problem related to payment processing or documentation. However, the applicant said no receipt number was issued for the EAD application.
This has created confusion about what exactly caused the rejection. Without a receipt number, tracking the case details became difficult.
The applicant’s attorney believes the issue may be connected to a newly updated Form G-1450. This form is used to authorise credit card payments for immigration filings with the USCIS.
The updated version of Form G-1450 was released on February 6. This happened to be the same day the immigration package was filed.
After identifying the possible issue, the EAD application was refiled using the updated form. The new submission was accepted on February 20 and has now received a receipt number.
However, the applicant now has another concern. Since the EAD was refiled separately, it may be processed as an independent application.
The worker worries that the case might no longer be linked to the original bundled filing. Bundled submissions sometimes benefit from faster processing timelines.
Another point of confusion is that the receipt numbers for the three applications come from different series. This has raised doubts about whether the cases are still connected in the system.
The applicant described the situation as unfortunate. They fear a minor paperwork issue may have affected the processing advantages that often come with bundled immigration filings.
