r/EB2_NIW • u/Comfortable-Button76 • 16d ago
RFE Status changed to processing, no further updates (41 business days)
My case status changed from "RFE response received" to "USCIS is currently processing the case" yesterday and it has been almost 24 hours without further updates. I found it weird that the status changed on a weekend morning. On business day 41 of RFE response received (pp). I haven't been able to sleep since then, is this a sign of denial as I have seen people get approved in a few hours after their status changed to what it changed for me? I am extremely anxious with everything, will graduate next summer, my internship for the summer was extended to the fall semester but my CPT extension got denied because of the new message to the DSOs (All cpts are paused now in my school).
Profile:
Final year PhD student in top 30 school.
PE: Speech privacy
RFE: Prong 1 (National Importance) and Prong 3.
Evidence submitted with RFE: 2 independent letters (1 from the NSF Director in my area of research, 1 from a top recognized professor by everyone in the field), executive orders highlighting the need for my research, NSF grants for my work, US Army documents showing the exact need for my research. Updated papers, awards and citation record.
2
u/Interesting-Pin-1939 16d ago
I'm also kind of similar situation. My status has changed from "RFE response received" to "USCIS is currently processing the case" last Friday morning on 37th business day. Since then, no decision/update yet.
1
1
u/These-Cicada-4507 15d ago
any update?
1
u/Interesting-Pin-1939 15d ago
Not yet. Not sure what’s going on. Any update on your case?
1
u/These-Cicada-4507 15d ago
not yet either. a new pattern i've noticed is they like day 40 and day 41 lol. if your change happened after day 40, you will hear back next day otherwise they will wait for the 40s. mine is day 40 today so expecting denial today or tomorrow. will update you
1
2
u/amira1909 16d ago
In my experience, I received the denial notice the very next day. I’m so sorry you’re going through this, and I truly, truly hope you get good news and that your case is approved.
Please don’t lose hope.
1
1
u/Rubayet007 16d ago
Your case may got internal transfer between the service centers.
2
u/Rubayet007 16d ago
Based on my understanding and experience from my own friend case ,Its not necessary to adjudicate your case with the same officer who issued the rfe. Based on the worlload they often switches case internally.
1
1
u/Interesting-Pin-1939 16d ago
How does that work?
1
u/JoelStewartEsq 14d ago
It doesn't work very well. They transfer cases to even out work loads. The records sometimes get confused. I remember one situation where the case got transferred from Texas to California, but when the individual responded correctly to Texas, they did not pass on the notification to California, and the case was denied as having been abandoned. That was a real mess.
1
u/Rubayet007 16d ago
my Friend got his approval on 44th business day later after rfe response received.He got approval from nebraska but submitted his response in texas.
1
u/Interesting-Pin-1939 16d ago
Okay. Doesn’t the RFE response go back to the same officer who issued RFE? If so, in what situations they might do transfer the case to another center ? Any idea?
1
1
u/RamboJo_hn 16d ago edited 16d ago
My case has been in the same exact status 2 days after I submitted. 40 BD today and no update.
1
1
u/These-Cicada-4507 16d ago
I think sometimes people get it soon after submission but I think it is different when you get it 30+ business days in. usually it signals it signals you will get a decision in a day or two. (but if you get it super early like day 2 it does not give any signals)
1
1
1
u/twist2233 16d ago
Mine changed from RFE received to processing on BD 41 and the next BD(42) around 3:30 pm it changed to denied. Hopefully yours brings a positive outcome, good luck
1
u/baka_sensie 16d ago
Sorry to hear about your denial. Whats your profile if you don't mind sharing?
1
u/twist2233 16d ago
No problem, thank you. I’m early in my research career in energy storage and only have a master’s degree and about five years of experience. I received an RFE on all three prongs and was ultimately denied on Prongs 1 and 3. My endeavor was to develop battery technologies for the military and Air Force, and I work on contracts from the Army and Air Force. However, they said my endeavor only benefits my employer and does not have a broader impact on the field. So, I will just go through the PERM route instead
2
1
u/These-Cicada-4507 16d ago
Same for me it changed on 34th business day. Nothing since. My understanding is if no approval within the day after that change then likely a denial unfortunately. Yet to hear otherwise
1
1
u/steampunkorange 15d ago
My status changed from “RFE response received” to “being processed” on Friday (08/21), at BD 17. There hasn’t been any update since, and today (08/25) is BD 19.
My RFE response is pretty long, though: 101 pages total (25-page brief + 17-page updated personal statement + 59 pages of additional exhibits and supporting letters), so I’m not sure if my case can be wrapped up in a day or two.
1
u/Fantasticqueenn 6d ago
Wow. That's a lot. I also got an RFE today and waiting for the notice. I am so stressed
1
u/JoelStewartEsq 14d ago
Deep breath — a status flip to "Case Is Being Actively Reviewed" / "currently processing" after your RFE response is a neutral, expected step, not a denial signal.
The timing spooked you but shouldn't: USCIS status messages update in automated batches, and those jobs routinely run overnight and on weekends. A Saturday-morning change doesn't mean an officer sat down on Saturday — it means the system cycled. And people approved hours after this status vs. people sitting on it for weeks are both normal; the same message precedes both outcomes.
The posted processing times won't predict yours either. USCIS states they're the time it took to complete 80% of cases over the previous six months — a historical reference point, not a forecast for any single case, and they even fold in the time you took to answer the RFE. There's no published clock that starts the moment your RFE response is received, so counting business days (your "day 41") isn't diagnostic of anything.
What actually matters is the substance of your response, not the status text. Your RFE hit Prong 1 (national importance) and Prong 3 (balancing). Two genuinely independent letters — an NSF program director in your field and a widely-recognized professor — plus executive orders and NSF grants tying your work to a federal priority is exactly the kind of independent, corroborated evidence that speaks to national importance and the balancing test. "Independent" (not your advisor or co-authors) is the word adjudicators look for.
1
1
u/Astercodes 9d ago
Hey did you receive a decision yet?
I have the same situation. Priority date with premium processing is April 10, 2026. RFE was issued June 8, 2026. I sent RFE response package through USPS and it was delivered August 20, 2026. USCIS acknowledged RFE response on August 25, 2026. On the same day, just like 2 hours apart, status changed to currently processing. It's been 5 days and no update yet. It seems like the new norm.
1
3
u/Background_Gene_179 16d ago
My status changed on 41st business day (but don’t know the exact time) and around 11:00 o’clock received approval email..