It is more than 90+ days on average due to the high backlog and increased number of RFE being issued by USCIS after Trump’s orders.
If you get an RFE in standard processing, you can expect to get USCIS response in about 80 days after your RFE submission.
USCIS RFE Response Time - Normal
15 Days to no limit. Official standard is 60 days. Real average is 80 days.
USCIS Request for Evidence review - RFE processing times vary widely with no real insight into what they are doing with your visa application.
H1B RFE and L1 visa RFE are most common but, can be made in any visa application type.
Officially, USCIS says that they will respond to RFE within 60 days after your RFE response submission. 60 day clock starts on the day USCIS receives your RFE response.
How long USCIS takes to respond to RFE varies widely on case-to-case basis along with USCIS work load. But, as a general guideline, USCIS tries to respond within 60 days to your RFE.
Once USCIS receives your RFE response, the status that they show online is ‘RFE Response Review’ or ‘Request for Evidence Response Review’.
USCIS RFE Response time with Premium processing
If you filed your visa petition using premium processing, your case will be worked on by USCIS within 15 calendar days.
This 15 calendar days limit also applies to RFE responses as well. The USCIS clock starts as and when they receive your RFE response.
If you initially filed your application using standard method (no premium), you can upgrade it to premium at any time during your application is in pending any final result.
Once the upgrade to premium application is received by USCIS, your case will be responded within 15 days.
Fastest RFE response is undoubtedly achieved using Premium processing. - 15 days.
Average is about 30 days.
Slowest has no limits. We know of people who have waited for even a year for RFE review response.
USCIS RFE again on RFE Response time
It is possible to get RFE again on RFE response that you submitted.
Whenever you receive a new RFE, you get 60 days to respond back.
The USCIS resets its OWN clock to start counting 60 days (15 days in case of Premium processing) as and when you submit RFE response.
We stopped the 15-day premium processing clock for your case
This is the case status shown on your case if USCIS has issued an RFE request. The clock is re-started when you submit yout RFE response.
USCIS RFE response review - Exceptions to 15 Days premium rule
If your case has been sent for ‘Security Check’, you are out-of-luck seriously. There are no TIME LIMITS followed in this case even if your application has ‘premium’ processing paid for.
Related:
NOTE - If you would like to add more information about this topic, please feel free to add below.
It’s been 2 months RFE response given…For H1 B cap case …but not yet heard back…Got RFE on client letter and org chart…is it pretty common…what can be the chances for my case to get approved
Anil thanks for your reply…just I want to check with you for the chances of approval for this type of RFE…(client letter and org chart)…is it a major concern
Chance of approval depends on what kind of documents you have submitted. People do get approval if all documents that were requested have been submitted.
@Laluth2021 - When exactly you had filed your RFE response to USCIS? I am into same situation where my RFE response was file in Nov end and still waiting on the decision.
@Anil_Gupta - Hi Anil, my RFE response was filed my company attorney in end of Nov 2019. It has been ~80 days for me waiting on decision. Does this sound any kind of risk or normal to continue to wait for decision?
Nov 15 around my company submitted response being my due date on Dec 14 th… for client letter and org chart…my team members two guys got their H1 approved last week… little tensed
Hi @Anil_Gupta
Thank you for your response
My team members got their H1 approval from within 1 week to 1 month upon submission of their RFE. But only difference I see is, for them they received RFE in July end to Aug mid which was almost 2-3 months early compared to me. I think, USCIS has responded quickly to the most of the RFE issued early i.e., well before Sep. Do you think the response time depends when the USCIS had issued the RFE ? I see people who got RFE in very late are the one whose decision is taking a lot of time.
In my case, the RFE was submitted on Nov 26 2019 and Dec 26 being due date. Even my RFE was majorly on Client letter and renewed SOW [contract document]. Everything is in place but still dont see the decision yet from USCIS.
My team members got their H1 approval from within 1 week to 1 month upon submission of their RFE. But only difference I see is, for these people they received RFE in July end to Aug mid which was almost 2-3 months early compared to me. I think, USCIS has responded quickly to the most of the RFE issued early i.e., well before Sep. I feel those who got RFE late are the one whose decision is taking a lot of time. Let us not lose hope, we should be getting approval sometime soon.
@Anil_Gupta, I have applied H1B transfer on Jun17 2019, RFE received on Nov 25 2019.
RFE Response Submitted on Jan 23 2020.
Center : Vermont
Normal processing.
Waiting for response from USCIS.
One of my friend submitted RFE response after Jan 25th 2020, his Visa is approved.
Any suggestion on this ?
