B-2 Visa

What happens if you overstay your I-94

Question details

Parents came to the USA on a B-2 Visa in March 2021. I have requested an I-539 extension in August 2021 due to COVID and they stayed till Jan 2022. Eventually the extension got denied. Is this a problem?
 

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FAQ Transcript

The government will say as one has overstayed their I-94, they will now be subject to section  222(g). If you overstay your I-94 the visa stamp on  your passport is automatically canceled, so you have to apply for a new visa. For more details on this issue, visit my author page on The Economic Times.

 

Recording for January 19, 2023 Conference Call with Rajiv S. Khanna

Immigration.com

FAQ: Entering the U.S. on a visitor visa while green card is pending |Qualifying for Visa Waiver Program (VWP) | Spouse visa through H-1, L-1, or O-1 | Any special visas for UK, EU, Singapore, Dubai or Australia || Qualifying for EB-1C green card by working abroad for a year | Expected processing times for EB-1C for an L-1A visa holder from India || Consequences of employer withdrawing I-485 Supplement J || Layoff while on an H-1B visa - what if I cannot find a job in 60 days?

Options for Nonimmigrant Workers Following Termination of Employment

Release Date 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is providing information for nonimmigrant workers whose employment has terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily. These workers may have several options for remaining in the United States in a period of authorized stay based on existing rules and regulations.

Parents tourist/visitor status I-94 expires while I-485 is still pending: Overstay issues; impact of leaving USA

Question details

I  had filed for my parent's green card in July' 2022. It is concurrent filing.

The I-130 filed by me shows processing times of 4 weeks and 6 months for my dad & mom respectively.   

The Advance Parole shows processing time of 11.5 months and I-485 (Minneapolis-St. Paul field office) is almost 2 years.

Their I-94 is expiring on the 30th Nov. What is the process to withdraw the application so that they can return back to India legally before 30th Nov?

Also wanted to know:

Will I need to withdraw the I-130 petitions that I had filed for them ?

Will this impact their existing B-2 (visitor) visa? Will it still be valid?

 

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FAQ Transcript

1. There is no need to withdraw the application, but if you want to withdraw you will have to send a letter. Even if they leave without getting an advance parole the I-485 is deemed to be abandoned but the I-130 can still go on. You will have to call USCIS to open a customer service request and convert the I-130 to consular processing. Even though the I-485 is abandoned the I-130 is put in the consular processing queue.

2. If they leave before November 30th their visitor visa should not be affected.

Parents staying in or traveling to the U.S. while their green card petition is pending

Question details

Would there be any issues with parents reentering the country after filing for GC application? Say the parents entered the US on a B1/B2 visa but applied for GC while they were visiting (not for the first time). They were going to file for it once they were back in the home country anyway, but decided to submit the application now than at a later date due to some health situation that came up during the visit.

Are there chances of the application being denied/or will the parents not be allowed to reenter the country because there have been some medical emergency that happened during the visit? Should those factors need to be addressed before exiting the country before the 6 months stay time is up? And would it still be a problem if that has been addressed with the provider, given it will all be in the history file now? Would there be some state assistance that anyone can get some help with in terms of financial and patient well-being and all?
 

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FAQ Transcript

I have known many immediate relatives of the U.S citizens and they have never had a problem. However, theoretically the problem exists. It would be right to do an immigration pre-clearance somewhere close to home.

Regarding your query on medical emergencies, you could tell them that your parents took the medical treatment. As long as there was no government funding I do not see any problem.
 

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Note: Unless the context shows otherwise, all answers here were provided by Rajiv and were compiled and reported by our editorial team from comments, blog and community calls on immigration.com. Where transcribed from audio/video, a verbatim transcript is provided. Therefore, it may not conform to the written grammatical or syntactical form.

Can I change my status from B-1/B-2 to H-1B, L-1, F-1?

Question details

I have worked in the U.S. under L-1\H-1B from June-2015 to March-2020. I have been in India since the last 2 and half years (Not working for any US based company). Now I have got Job offer from a US company and the H-1B I-797 petition is approved. I have a previous employer's H-1B Visa stamp (which expired last month) in my current passport, and B1/B2 Visa stamp(got in 2013 and valid till Sep-2023) in my older passport. I also have approved I-140 (EB2) from my previous employer.

My Question is due to the high wait time for Visa appointments, in worst case, if I can not secure a visa appointment anywhere close to joining date, can I travel to the US with a valid B-1/B-2 Visa and approved I-797 and later change status to H-1B and join the job? If yes, would it impact the GC process in future?
 

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FAQ Transcript

I would strongly recommend against it. I think you would do a lot better trying to get an H-1B Visa stamping in a third country. People are going to places like Singapore, Hong Kong and Maldives. Look around India and you might be able to make an appointment. 
 

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Note: Unless the context shows otherwise, all answers here were provided by Rajiv and were compiled and reported by our editorial team from comments, blog and community calls on immigration.com. Where transcribed from audio/video, a verbatim transcript is provided. Therefore, it may not conform to the written grammatical or syntactical form.

Recording of October 13, 2022, Free US Immigration Community Conference Call with Rajiv (Every Other Thursday)

Discussion Topics:

FAQ: Can I change my status from B-1/B-2 to H-1B, L-1, F-1?|| Can an H-1B holder open an LLC in the US and employ their spouse on H-4 EAD? || Parents staying in or traveling to the U.S. while their green card petition is pending? || Volunteer work on an H-1B visa || Deportation when a permanent resident is involved in Shoplifting || 7th year H-1B extension with pending PERM

The Economic Times NRI Helpdesk: Can I extend my US visitor visa before it expires? And other FAQ's answered by Rajiv S. Khanna

Question: I have a visitor visa for the USA for multiple visits up to June-2023. Can I apply for an extension of the visa before the expiry date? Also, advise procedure for extensions and where I can get the application form, so I can keep all details ready.

Answer: I am not aware if there is a procedure to apply for a visitor visa extension before expiration. You can send an email to the consulate to confirm. There is, however, a restriction under the consular standard operating procedures on holding concurrently valid visas of the same type.