Unpaid leave on H-1

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What is the effect of unpaid leave for sick time or maternity leave on H1B status? I had to take about 3 months of unpaid leave and back to work for about two months now. I will have to file extension of stay H1B end of the year and want to know if it effects the extension of stay approval.

As long as the leave is normal, or supported by documented necessity, you should have no problem.

B-1 visa for amateur singer

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I am an amateur singer who has had an american label interested in carrying my CD's (this is my first CD, and I have never been paid for my music before). They intend on having me appear on shows on radio and tv nationally, and to do press, both by doing interviews and performing. Would I qualify to do interviews and perform for national tv shows under a B1 visa, since I am still an "amateur" singer? Or am I NOT an amateur just because a major label is carrying my CD?

In my view, a B-1 would be appropriate because you are not engaging in any employment that would take a job away from a US worker and you are not getting paid for your appearances.

Effective date on I-94 for a visitors visa

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My parents came to US in 2009 to visit me. The effective date on I-94 form allowed them to stay in US for 7 months. After they left US, customer collected the forms and left no evidences about the effective date approved by immigration officer at customer in SFO airport. Now, they were rejected for new visa application to come to US due to this problem. How should we work it out with visa officer for this problem?

The usual time is 6, not 7 months. That could be part of the problem. If CBP gave them more time than is usual, your parents must not be penalized for it. In my view, contacting your Congressmen would help you.

Green Card holder parents bringing to US a child born outside USA

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If the Child is born in India and we have the GC by that time, is there any way the child can travel to US?

Your child may accompany you or travel with you to the U.S if the following conditions are met:
a) the child has a separate passport;
b) has a birth certificate from the corporation, municipality or a registrar of births and deaths (please note hospital records are not adequate)
c) the child accompanies the immigrant mother or father upon her or his return to the U.S following the birth of the child
d) the child is under the age of two years
e) the immigrant mother or father has a valid Form I-551 or I-151, alien registration receipt card (in short called

USCIS Releases Fact Sheet on "E-Notification Capability"

On June 25, President Obama announced that in the next 90 days USCIS would launch a vastly improved USCIS.gov public website to help customers navigate the immigration system and remain up-to-date regarding their case status. USCIS has committed to delivering on this promise by incorporating both internal and external stakeholder feedback. 

USCIS Reminder For Naturalization Test to Become Fully Implemented

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is reminding the public that beginning Oct. 1, all citizenship applicants must take the new naturalization test, regardless of when they filed their Application for Naturalization (Form N-400).

“Becoming a United States citizen carries with it extraordinary rights and responsibilities,” said USCIS Director Alejandro Mayorkas.  “Our new test captures the meaning of citizenship and is consistent with our values and history as a nation.” 

Mandamus against PERM delays

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DOL seems to have stopped progressing on the Audit cases. Can litigation alleviate this problem and force them to atleast respond?

All things considered, in my view, a Mandamus is possible. But the chances of success are remote at least in DC circuit. Typically, in delay cases, courts do not interfere with the executive branch of the govt. At the very least, lawsuits draw attention to difficult issues. I think a petition to the govt. should be the first step. May be the worthy President can help. Although, speedy processing in this environment is certainly not a politically popular issue, but we have all followed the laws and the promise of the laws.

L-1B applying for green card

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My company applied to change my status from L1B to L1A at the same time as filing my GC application. It was approved and the GC only took about 5 months

True. Converting to EB1 through an executive or a managerial job is the way to go. That way you can go thorough EB1 rather than PERM based process that takes several years.