F Visa

Obtaining student or visitors visa while a green card is pending

Question details

I am 19 years old and live with my parents in India.  I have an approved F3 family based immigrant petition which the National Visa Center has shown as “documentarily qualified” since April 2020 My priority date became current in January, 2021. I am waiting for my interview and  have received three  emails, each requesting I wait another 60 days for my next reply. This fall I enrolled in an associate degree program at  a community college in Maryland. I am studying online from India. Should I apply for an expedited F3 family based visa interview based on my educational needs if I want to go and study in the U.S.?

 

Video URL
FAQ Transcript

You can certainly try and then go for the interview once it is scheduled. Although consulates have indicated that they are going to frontline family-based immigration dedicated to family unity first, there are certain categories which you might not fall under. Regardless, it is worth trying to get an expedited interview and then try to get a student visa. More...

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Sept 30, 2021, Free US Immigration Community Conference Call with Rajiv (Every Other Thursday)

Discussion Topics, Thursday, September 30, 2021:

FAQ: Obtaining student or visitor's visa while a green card is pending || Continuing to use H-1B when I return on Advance Parole || Nuances of changing employers during the green card process || Green card holder working on multiple jobs - Is it legal? || How long can green card holders stay outside the U.S.? || Effect of a career change on naturalization process and timing.

Applicants for Change of Status to F-1 Student No Longer Need to Submit Subsequent Applications to ‘Bridge the Gap’

Release Date 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services today announced new policy guidance that eliminates the need for individuals who have applied for a change of status (COS) to F-1 student to apply to change or extend their nonimmigrant status while their initial F-1 COS application is pending.

Rajiv's Article - Can student visa holders apply for a Green Card?

Published by: The Economic Times - Date: June 30, 2021 

Synopsis

A green card is considered to have been filed usually when an application for an immigrant visa (Form I-140) is filed with the USCIS. The majority of the green cards require preclearance from the US Department of Labor, referred to as labor certification or PERM petition.

For more on this article please see the attachment below.

Business or Employment Related Travel to the USA During Ban - National Interest Exception NIE

The travel bans necessitated by the COVID pandemic have created much flux and uncertainty. Synthesizing the information now finally available from various US government sources, it is clearer now that many intending travelers can seek and obtain an exemption from the ban under a series of provisions for a National Interest Exception (NIE).

 

Do you Qualify for an NIE?

 

You should be able to apply for an NIE to overcome the ban on travel to the USA if you meet any one or more of the following categories: