My wife's EAD expired last month and she stopped working till today. She applied renewal in December, 2003. We waited till 90 days is complete and went to local USCIS office on 3/22/2003. It is a walk in. The lady in reception verified the I-765 receipt. After making sure that 90 days have lapsed. She asked us to fill some paper work and wait in the adjoining hall. The office called her and collected her Driver's License and expired EAD. After verification he returned Driver's License and asked her to get her picture taken in the next room.
I would like to provide my personal experience at the Columbus, Ohio office. It was a frustrating experience like any other government office experience.We went there at 7.45 AM. We submitted the application forms and the EAD renewal notices, which the security submitted inside to the USCIS (BCIS ) officers. We were walk-in applicants for interim EADs. It seems that the Columbus office prioritizes "all" the people who have prior appointments before the walk-ins. Therefore, our turn did not come until 12-12.30 PM.
Applied for EAD in first week of Jan (paper filing) and because of some issue with I got the application back on 26th sent again on 27th received by NSC on 28.. I got the receipt with the RD of 28 and ND of 30th ... My current EAD was expiring on Mar 12. I was waiting and checking the status every day, but when it did not got approved till like 2nd or 3rd march. I started talking with my attorney; I also talked with Rajiv and my company's attorney.
Thank you for having the best web site on immigration and for taking action to improve the processing times.
My wife and I visited the Hartford office on 4th March 2004 to get an Interim EAD issued. We filed for an extension on November12 th 2003 and as of the visit date it was still not approved.
Total processing time was about 3 hours. Interim EAD was issued for 2 months.
Went to Newark for Interim EAD recently and got in line early at 6am. Got into office at 8am went to 2nd floor, and then got the iEAD appl. With i765 receipt was soon sent to 13th floor ( room #1300 )here they check your papers, i485 receipt, i-140 etc... ( basis for EAD )then sent to room# 1304 here your photo & FP will be done got the iEAD card around 10.30am
5:15 AM Reached at 970 Broad Street(Found 12-15 people there already)
7:35 They let us in and gave a slip. Slip was basically asking to go to 2nd floor Romm # 200.
7:40 Reached 2nd floor Room # 200.
Was asked to be in a line by the wall (there were 2 lines, Line by the wall was for EAD only)
was there early in the morning 6am, entered line in orchard st taken inside at 8.00am, to 2nd floor office
- iEAD applications must have a duplicate application prepared with documents. they check before you get in
- make sure you have an address in NJ, they ask proof of residence in NJ to issue your documents, bring DL, utility bill etc to prove that.
- got the card the same day for 8 months,
- they lost our documents, then found them in the 3'rd office where your pictures will be taken
First of all, Kudos for the excellent Service provided by you. I took all the feedback from your site & went to USCIS office in San Jose, CA to get an INTERIM EAD Today. Everything went well & I was given an Interim EAD for 10 Months..
USCIS recently updated the following form:
Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
01/20/2025 12:37 PM EST
Edition Date: 01/20/25. Starting July 30, 2025, USCIS will accept only the 01/20/25 edition. Until then, you can also use the 01/17/25 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.
For more information, please visit the Forms Updates page.
| Processing Queue | Priority Date |
|---|---|
| Analyst Review | February 2024 |
| Audit Review | N/A |
| Reconsideration Request to the CO | March 2025 |
Published by: The Economic Times - July 04, 2025
https://tinyurl.com/48ww6hy6
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Published by: Business Today- July 02, 2025
https://www.businesstoday.in/nri/visa/story/major-us-student-visa-overh…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Published by: Times Now - July 02, 2025
https://www.timesnownews.com/world/us/us-news/another-blow-to-internati…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Published by: The Times of India - July 02, 2025
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/us-plans-fixed-stay-…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Published by: Mathrubhumi English - July 02, 2025
https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news/world/us-may-limit-student-visas-t…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Published by: Moneycontrol - July 02, 2025
https://www.moneycontrol.com/world/us-eyes-fixed-visa-term-for-foreign-…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Published by: Business Today- July 02, 2025
https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/us-time-limit-rule-stay-foreign-st…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Published by: NewsBytes - July 02, 2025
https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/world/us-proposes-fixed-duration-visa…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Published by: Upstox- July 02, 2025
https://upstox.com/news/business-news/latest-updates/trump-s-fresh-visa…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
FAQs: What are the risks of job seeking while on F-2 or B-1/B-2 status post-H-1B layoff || F-1 COS -- Risks of future denials, job search, and visa stamping with multiple status changes || H-4 extension (I-539) abandoned by travel? Re-filing strategy after re-entry with new I-94
Number 5
Volume XI
Washington, D.C
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS FOR PREFERENCE IMMIGRANT VISAS
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during August for: “Final Action Dates” and “Dates for Filing Applications,” indicating when immigrant visa applicants should be notified to assemble and submit required documentation to the National Visa Center.
I am currently on an H1B visa and, unfortunately, I’ve been laid off. My last working day will be July 31st. I'm evaluating my options to maintain legal status in the U.S. after that date. The two primary paths I’m considering are:
Filing a Change of Status to B1/B2 (Visitor Visa). Filing a Change of Status to F2 (Dependent on my wife’s STEM OPT)
I saw your post on LinkedIn where you mentioned that USCIS has recently issued RFEs in B1/B2-to-H1B conversion cases, citing that seeking employment while on a B status may constitute a status violation.
My question is:
If I change to F2, would I face similar scrutiny during a future change back to H1B, especially if I'm job hunting while on F2?
Does job searching or interviewing while on F2 (without actual employment) violate the terms of that status? Also, I'd greatly appreciate your insights on the pros and cons of switching to F2 vs. B1/B2 from a strategic and compliance perspective.
Seeking a job while on F-2 or B-1/B-2 status after an H-1B layoff carries no inherent risk, as the prohibition is on doing the job, not looking for one. While some individuals have faced challenges from USCIS when converting back to H-1B, the speaker views such objections as unfounded. Even in a worst-case scenario, an H-1B approval might necessitate a brief departure and re-entry to the U.S.
My question is regarding conversion from H-4 to F-1. I landed in the US on an F-2 visa, which was later converted to an H-4. So I don't have a sticker visa on my passport. Now I'm trying to gain admission to a university and change my status to F-1 again. Would I face any issues in this matter now or later? If I don't manage to get a job later, would I still be able to stay and convert back to H-4, or could I possibly face a denial?
Secondly, if I go back home and get a visa stamp, can I face any potential problems because this is going to be my second master's and I've gone through three visa status changes in a short period?
No, there's no limit to how many times you can change your immigration status within the U.S. As long as the changes (e.g., F2 to H4 to F1) are legitimate and not just for "fun," they should not pose a problem for future denials or visa stamping.