H-1B visa holder travels abroad (Canada) for work sometimes; is an H-1B amendment required for change of address or location abroad?

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H-1B visa holder travels abroad (Canada) for work sometimes; is an H-1B amendment required for change of address or location abroad?

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The bottom line is there is no law that requires you to have an H-1B if you are working from a country other than the USA. Now if you go to Canada and you are a citizen of India and you do not have any work visa in Canada you will probably need a work visa in Canada. But sitting in Canada you could work for a U.S. company. Also the intermittent H-1B allows you to visit the U.S. for a few days as well as months. This is even allowed under the law. I therefore do not see any problem in working from abroad and coming to the USA intermittently.

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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.

What are the chances of an H-1B visa (STEM OPT) after completing Masters in the U.S?

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What are the chances of an H-1B visa (STEM OPT) after completing Masters in the U.S?

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One is not sure what the laws are going to be or what the procedures are going to be in another few years. Congress is keenly aware of the perceived shortcomings in the H-1B process. Things might change by that time. It appears to me that having three tries through STEM and having a Master's degree improves your chances.
Please see my blogs and articles for more information.

https://www.immigration.com/blogs

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/migrate/can-student-visa-holders-apply-for-a-green-card/articleshow/83976519.cms
 

 

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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.

I have an Approved I-140 from a previous job. My new employer has initiated the PERM. How can I make sure that the attorneys use the priority date from my old I-140?

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I have an Approved I-140 from a previous job. My new employer has initiated the PERM. How can I make sure that the attorneys use the priority date from my old I-140?

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Even if your lawyers do nothing to use the old priority date, that priority date is your right. The government itself is supposed to run a data sweep. Check their databases and give you the earliest date you are entitled to. If none of the documents reflect that you've been given the earlier priority date it is still not a problem. Hence there is no other procedure required for you to follow. You do not  have to be overly concerned about the attorneys using the old priority date.
 

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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.

What is the meaning of a US “visa canceled without prejudice”?

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What is the meaning of a US “visa canceled without prejudice”?

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Whenever the authorities, whether it is a judge or the government says "canceled without prejudice" that means they are canceling for some technical reason. This is not going to cause any harm if you want to apply for the same visa again. This therefore means cancellation without affecting your ability to apply again. It is not a black mark against you. 
 

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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.

Impact of alternate wage survey for H-1B LCA; the success rates of H-1B extensions; AC21 rule when the company is bought by a successor-in-interest

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Impact of alternate wage survey for H-1B LCA; the success rates of H-1B extensions; AC21 rule when the company is bought by a successor-in-interest
 

 

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One cannot use  any wage survey to convince the government that one’s wage survey is as good as the government's own. I think there are about ten requirements that the wage  survey must meet. A few requirements are for example the survey must be conducted by a reliable third party, the survey must not be more than two years old, you should be using the most recent copy of the survey, it must  have a significant statistical pool from which the survey was conducted. These are a few requirements. 
 

 

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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.

I-140 was approved and then revoked in 2011. Can I keep my priority date and also apply for I-485? What is the deadline for filing I-485?

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I-140 was approved and then revoked in 2011. Can I keep my priority date and also apply for I-485? What is the deadline for filing I-485?
 

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It depends on a couple of things. First of all the regulations changed in your favor on January 17, 2017. Therefore, if the revocation occurred before January 17, 2017 chances are you might have lost even your priority date. On January 17, 2017 the laws changed and now the rule is if the moment your I-140 is approved the priority date is yours to keep. The second rule is if the I-140 stays approved for 180 days you also have the right to extend your H-1B and your spouse their H-4. There are two different rights  - right to keep your priority date the moment I-140 is approved and  the right to extend H-1B if the I-140 stays approved for 180 days. Hence this is a protection even if the employer revokes your H-1B.
For more discussion on this matter you can have a look at my older blog entries.
https://www.immigration.com/blogs/

 

 

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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.

Change of employers after H-1B is approved and before October 1; the number of pay stubs required; revocation of H-1B before October 1

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I am currently on F-1 Stem OPT, and my H1B got approved this year a few days back. My current company is shutting down its operations and moving everything to Mexico.
1. They have given me the last date of employment as 31st October 2022. So my question is how soon can I change my employer and can I transfer my H1B to a new employer before 1st October 2022? 
2. Also, if I can do my visa transfer only after October 1st 2022,?
3. Can I do that with 1 paystub, or will I require 2 paystubs?
 

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1. You are fine because you are going into the fiscal year of the government, which begins on October 1st  and that makes you exempt from the H-1B quota forever. 
2. You can change your employer even now if your current employer won't revoke before October 1st. If you are nervous about that you can file for a transfer after October 1st.
3. You do not need any particular number of pay stubs.

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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 Sept 15, 2022, Free US Immigration Community Conference Call with Rajiv (Every Other Thursday)

Immigration.com

Citizenship and Naturalization

Discussion Topics:

FAQ: Was Green Card approved in error? Time taken by the USCIS to respond to an E request for correction, travel?|| Entry into the U.S. using the Advance Parole after green card approval during a trip abroad ||

Husband not giving my H4 documents

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Hello, I am on h4 visa with approved ead. My husband has a valid h1b and an approved I-140. The situation is my husband doesn't give my H4 documents like ead and approval notice which are required by my employer and university for establishing my valid presence in US. Is there any way I can ask any authoritative body here in US to help me in getting me access to my own documents? I know my husband will be the primary applicant on h4 visa given I am dependent on his h1b visa. But does that give my husband a legal right to withhold my own documents without my permission or approval? I have a 2year old kid and because of his inability to support us I have to study and get a job and his actions are preventing me from doing so.

I think you can try two things. First, ask the USCIS for a copy of all your immigration papers. Go here: https://www.uscis.gov/records/request-records-through-the-freedom-of-in… Second, speak with local lawyers where your husband resides. It may be possible to get the police involved to recover your immigration documents. Those should be considered your personal property.

USCIS to Implement Next Phase of Premium Processing for Certain Previously Filed EB-1 and EB-2 Form I-140 Petitions

Release Date 

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is implementing the next phase of the premium processing expansion for certain petitioners who have a pending Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, under the EB-1 and EB-2 classifications.