Guestbook Entry for S.C., United States
Name
S.C.
Country
United States
State
FL
Search
Guestbook Entry for Suresh, United States
Name
Suresh
Country
United States
State
NJ
Comment
I got my passport stamped last week to complete the GC processing. I am thankful to Mr. Khanna and his cooperative team for all the effort they put in for my case. I am impressed by the attention to the case provided by the entire team and also the backup measures that were taken to ensure speedy success. Overall it was a very pleasent experience. I had chosen Mr. Khanna over my company's lawyer and I feel it was a wise decision. My Labor Certification papers were filed in May 99 and the Center was VSC.
Guestbook Entry for Paresh Randeria, United States
Name
Paresh Randeria
Country
United States
State
MD
Comment
I got my GC approval on July 11 after a Interview at LOCAL INS Baltimore. Thanks to Rajiv and his team. I do not want to mention any of the staff members name as all the staff was prompt (Very important to me) and were extremely helpful. I really appreciate them answering all my questions patiently throughout the case. Like most of Desis, I was also asking same questions again and again in different ways but his staff were always patiently answer all my questions politely. I always got replies to all my (Phone/Email/Fax) inquiry within 24 hours. Rajiv also gave me his Cell Phone number on the day I was going for Interview which gave me feeling that he is with me for the Interview.
Guestbook Entry for Deepak Bapna, United States
Name
Deepak Bapna
Country
United States
State
AR
Comment
Hi, I got my GC approval on June 20th (filed mid Aug 99 at TSC). Kudos to Rajiv and his team, esp. Diane who handled my case. Both Rajiv and Diane were extremely helpful. I really appreciate them answering all my questions patiently throughout the case. Esp. email exchanges with both of them works great. I got replies to all my emails within 24 hours. At one point (March/April) after filing I-485, I was thinking about doing counsular processing. Rajiv asked Fidelina to check on status and suggested that we wait for a few more months. We did that and got GC. Bottomline, everyone at Rajiv's office has been very helpful. I recommend his office anytime. Thanks Deepak
Guestbook Entry for Abha , United States
Name
Abha
Country
United States
State
New Jersey
Comment
Thanks to the whole team. Rajiv jee, Judi, Anna!! Great work. All my questions were answered by the team and my paper work was prepared meticulously. Very highly recommended.
Guestbook Entry for Kiran Kasuganti , United States
Name
Kiran Kasuganti
Country
United States
State
Maryland
Comment
Thanks to Mr.Rajiv Khanna and Ms.Sheena Gill. I got a most substantive RFE on my I140. INS asked too much information and the time is less. Sheena and my company worked over time and replied to the RFE with perfect documentation with in the time.I was surprised to see the approval time within a week.
The credit goes to Ms. Sheena and my employer.
Guestbook Entry for Ravi , United States
Name
Ravi
Country
United States
State
Connecticut
Comment
I got an RFE to prove my experience with skills and old employer was not ready to give letter with skills. Sheena, Rajeev and Mathew took care of it so professionally. When I read the RFE reply before sending it; I was amazed at the work put in. Once again thanks to Sheena and all.
Guestbook Entry for Ram Krishnan , United States
Name
Ram Krishnan
Country
United States
Comment
Thanks to Sheena for working on I-140 RFE that required lot of documents and finally it was approved. Also I would like to thank Mathew, Prerna and Richa for working in my GC process. I hope I-485 will be approved soon.
Guestbook Entry for Arnab C, United States
Name
Arnab C
Country
United States
State
MA
Comment
I and my wife recently got our green cards approved, which was been processed through LORK's office.
The process took a while to complete but finally it got over. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Rajiv Khanna and and everybody at his firm for handling the processing of our application so expertly and professionally.
Special thanks to Mathew Chacko, Prerna Mehta, Amrita and Bharathi Gajala who were involved with our cases at different stages. The LORK team members were always very cooperative and helpful with all of our GC related matters. I had also received RFEs for my case and they were responded to very promptly and with accurate detail by Rajiv and his team members.
I would also like to thank Rajiv Khanna for the great service he provides for the immigrant community through his Live chats. These chats and the recorded transcripts helped us with answering our queries and doubts over the whole complicated process of Green card and also kept our hopes up during the long-winded process.
Looking forward to working with LORK's office again in future.
Guestbook Entry for Bharghava, United States
Name
Bharghava
Country
United States
State
VA
Comment
I have been working with Rajeev Khanna's Laws office since the beginning of 2005 when i applied my labor. The whole team has been very helpful and very prompt in informing me about the latest status. I have had RFE on labor and 40 and both have been addressed promptly and all the documentation was done without much involvement from me. Even when we had a window to apply for my I -485 within a very short period of time. I personally thank Sheena, Tarun and the whole team for being very helpful. I hope i get my 485 approved soon. I would recommend the team to everyone who is looking for their immigration and other services. Thanks once again.
E-3 Issue
Question details
I am an Australian citizen currently on a B2 that expires in Oct. I lodged I-539 application for extension in Aug and received I-797 receipt Aug 25.
I may have found an employer that will sponsor me on an E3 visa (Australians only). All I need is a letter of offer and a completed Labor Condition Application.
To apply for the E3 visa though, I need to leave the USA and visit a US consulate. I do not have my original I94 any more (I submitted it with my I-539) but I do have a copy of it. Once I get a letter of offer, I will travel to either Toronto Canada or home to Sydney Australia to apply for the visa.
Qo1. Can I still leave the USA without the original I94?
Qo2. In the event my E3 visa is denied, will I be able to re-enter the USA from Canada without the original I94, provided my stay in Canada is less than 30 days? (And how would this work if I take the trip up there after the expiration date of the original I94? Remembering that my B2 extension is pending)
Ans1. Yes. You should not need an original I-94 to travel out.
Ans2. You probably cannot reenter using a copy of the I-94. Not only that, your departure from USA renders your pending B application void (considered abandoned).
They way I see it, you have two choices. Wait for B extension before you go for E stamping. Or, go for E stamping bearing in mind the consequences of abandonment and reentry not assured.
F-1 OPT - No Job
Question details
I was approved for my OPT on February 2008 for a duration of one year. At that time, I was allowed to stay in US for 1 year while looking for job. On April, 2008, a new regulation came according to which a student on OPT can not stay in US without job for more than 90 days. I was not aware of this rule until end of September 2008. Now I have applied for dependent visa. My worry is that unknowingly I stayed for around 6 month without job when I was actually allowed for only three month.
I am worried that is this mistake going to affect my new visa approval? Is there anyway I can explain USCIS that it happened because I was not informed about this rule and I did not come across it.
Your best bet is to get your dependent visa stamp from a consulate as soon as possible. That should take care of any potential future problems.
H-1 where there is no license in hand
In professions that require a license under State law (teacher, nurse, architect, physician), an H-1B cannot be submitted without the license. This is the general rule.
Nevertheless, where the license is delayed because the beneficiary does not yet have a Social Security Number, CIS may approve the petition for at least one year. We must, however, submit documentation from the licensing State agency confirming that the beneficiary has met all other requirements for the license (except providing a SSN) and that one will be issued as soon as the agency receives the SSN.
H-1 - how to revert to old employer
Question details
My friend was working for Company A and he shifted to Company B, three months back filing a new H1B, But his employer got a 6 page H1B query list, his employer is not revealing the query and is not in a position to respond.
Couple of questions, Can I switch back to Company A.
1. Does he need to file with DOL (or) USCIS that I am switching back to company A
2. If his H1B with company B is not approved, will it be a problem that I worked Company B for 3 months and has taken the pay?
Other Question is, Company A send a letter to INS saying that he is not working with Company any more (Company A employer is telling that he did not revoke the H1B but send a normal letter to INS), Can he still switch back to Company A???
If he can not join back Company A, Can he file a new H1B with another company, knowing the fact that he has a query on his H1B with Company B.
In my view, he cannot go back to company A without taking some additional steps.
Here, company A has revoked the H-1 (all that takes is a letter), they will need to reapply the H-1 and he should get a new visa stamp. He can also get an H-1 through another employer but will most probably need a visa stamp before he can start work. The existing query (RFE) should not normally interfere with any future applications unless the RFE contains some allegations of fraud or lack of qualifications related to your friend.
H-1 quota - the law
People (even lawyers, including me) find it difficult to keep the H-1 quota issues straight. I am giving the law here for reference and better understanding.
The Law
_________________________________________
AC21
_______________________________
SEC. 103. SPECIAL RULE FOR UNIVERSITIES, RESEARCH FACILITIES, AND GRADUATE DEGREE RECIPIENTS; COUNTING RULES.
Section 214(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(g)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
H-1 transfer - what action is needed for H-4
Question details
I came to USA with an H1b Visa, my family's H4 visa was also issued with me. After coming to USA I transferred my H1b visa to new company and I got my transfer approved and I got a new H1b with new I-94, my question is whether they can travel with the old H4 or not?
If their visa is still valid, they can travel. Each time an H-1 holder changes jobs, the H-4 holders are NOT required to change their H-4, as long as the H-4 status (I-94) or visa is still valid. An action on H-4 is required only if the status (if within USA) or the visa (if traveling abroad or outside USA) is about to expire. Of course, if H-1 holder has been out of status even for one day, my answer would change.
Naturalization - travel before oath
My husband and I have our N400 petition pending for almost 18 months. We passed our interview in July 2007 and had our 2nd fingerprinting 2 weeks ago. We were also informed that we have been cleared from background check. We have to leave for an international assignment in December and would like to understand the steps we need to take so it does not impact/disrupt our naturalization process, in case we do not get called for oath by then.
Laid off - Now what ??? (Reviewed 26 June 2015)
Question details
Current economy is making lot of people sleepless. We have heard about a lot of layoffs around the state and nation. Could you please explain us what are the options we have, if a person with H1-B (6year extension) EAD and I-485 pending in this situation.
This is most certainly a very important topic and relevant for everyone. I will address the various issues raised in the relevant parts of the blog to make it possible for everyone to find the information applicable to their case.
Promotion during the green card process through PERM
Question details
Taking Promotion in future The current PERM filing is going to be done for the position "Dentist". In the future can she accept a promotion as "Dentist (Lead)" if offered by the company? Will it invalidate the green card application.
If we accept the promotion in future can we use the same PERM application without filing another PERM for "Dentist (Lead)" job (jobs are very similar) . She is now a "Dentist(Associate)" and job duties between associate dentist and lead dentist are 70% the same. The lead dentist will have additional duties like oversee day-to-day operations/Supervision.
Quote: Can I receive a promotion, extraordinary increase in salary or change in job location during the pendency of a labor certification based green card?
Naturalization - travel before oath
Here is a question from our community:
My husband and I have our N400 petition pending for almost 18 months. We passed our interview in July 2007 and had our 2nd fingerprinting 2 weeks ago. We were also informed that we have been cleared from background check. We have to leave for an international assignment in December and would like to understand the steps we need to take so it does not impact/disrupt our naturalization process, in case we do not get called for oath by then.
Citizenship Interview Experience - New Orleans DO
First of all, I wanted to thank all the members of this forum for their insight and support. This road did not feel as lonely as we all traveled it together.
Citizenship and Naturalization
ACICS Loss of Recognition May Affect Certain Students Applying for English Language Study and 24-month STEM OPT Extension Programs, H-1B, and I-140 Applicants
Release Date
On Aug. 19, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that it no longer recognizes the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) as an accrediting agency. This determination immediately affects two immigration-related student programs:
Parents who are GC holders, applied for reentry permits, left USA; do they need to return to the USA or can they wait till I-131 is processed?
Question details
My parents who are green card holders applied for the i-131 travel document in Sept 2021. They finished their biometrics in Oct 2021 and left the USA on Nov,14th 2021.
There has not been an update to the case after the biometrics. Do they need to return to the US by Nov 14th, 2022? Or can they wait till the I-131 application is processed before returning to the US?
FAQ Transcript
If they can come back before November I think that would be a good idea just to be safe.There is no guarantee that the reentry permit will be approved, although it is very rare for reentry permits to be denied at least for the first two years.
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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.
STEM extension expiring, options to stay in USA, Is Day 1 CPT safe and legal?
Question details
I am currently on STEM Extension and my visa expires in July 2023. I also have a masters degree here in the states. I wanted to know what my options are..
If the suggestion is Day-1 CPT, I wanted to know how safe/legit it is! I have heard that going on Day-1 CPT can cause some issues when your H1 gets picked and may lead to RFE?
FAQ Transcript
It is legal and so far it has been safe. You know that the rule for Day 1 CPT requires that when you join, you are associating with a graduate program otherwise you cannot get a Day 1 CPT. The Curricular Practical Training is an integral part of your degree. You cannot finish the degree without the practical training. The other thing is the employer signs the cooperative agreement with the university. The only additional suggestion I have is if you are going to do Curricular Practical Training make it as an adjunct to your profession.
For more information please check my blog.
https://immigration.com/blogs/curricular-practical-training-cpt
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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?
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.
Iam thankful for the excellent work done by Mr.Rajiv Khanna and his colleagues Ms.Amel Berhe and Ms.Nimia Aranibar which enabled me to obtain the G.C. Keep up the good work guys.