THANK YOU Dr. MATHEW CHACKO!
Hey folks, if you are looking for a law firm with a solid professionalism and ethical dignity, call Rajiv Khanna's office. Last six years I have been repeatedly misguided by some (so called)immigration lawyers. Mathew Chacko is the first lawyer with a solid knowledge, ethical dignity, and warm personality, I come across in this country. I am surprised that he did not want any payment. Well, since I am not a citizen yet, I will do my best to find a way to do so I am starting to forward immigration.com to my friends. Thank you million times.
My in-laws have been issued visitor's visa on 28th at Chennai.
Some points:
* I have sent the sponsor documents.
* Advised them to take special care about arrangement and presentation of the papers
* I have sent two sets of originals/copies for them.
* Trained them on the possible questions and the answers.
*They are both around 70 years of age.
*This is their first interview and they have never visited any foreign country.
The questions they faced:
I thought this info might benefit some people.
My FIL entered US end of July '04. His 6months stay expired end of Jan '05. Our request to extend the stay was denied and he left within 10days of receipt of that letter. But he returned in 4 wks from India (he left on Feb 6th '05, returned on March 3rd '05). At POE in Los Angeles, they questioned him, but finally gave him 6months stay on I-94. He has a multiple entry visa.
Hi All,
My mother got her visitor visa approved at Chennai Consulate. I'm also including the questions that they asked my Mom. The interpreter(requested for one) was already there in the cube with officer it seems.
1Q. Since how long your son is staying in US ?
A. 5 Years
2Q. Where is he staying?
A. YYYY City.
3Q. How many months you're planning to stay?
A. 6 months.
4Q. Did your son applied for Green Card?
A. Yes.
I start my experience first with a big thanks to Rajiv who helped us through the process of getting F1 visa stamped. Without his encouragement we would not have done it.
My timeline:
eb3, priority date June 2002
RFE on 485 for self March 2005, spouse a couple of weeks later.
Replied to RFE beginning of May. Received notice on June 8 that our case was transferred to Cincinnati, Ohio
Made infopass appointment to visit Columbus and was told that Cincinnati was the office that received files from the service center and that Cincinnati would forward the files to Columbus.
Our case was initially filed with VSC in March, 2001 (EB2 and future-employment based, the petitioning company is located in NJ and we always work in California)
In Jan, 2004, our case was said to be "transferring" to SF local USCIS office for interview and after many times of phone inquiries and letter/fax sent over to them from my wife and the attorney, an office finally (after 7-8 months of newless waiting) get in touch with the attorney(in NJ) earlier this month and indicated that interview is unnecessary, however, we do need to surrender some docuemnt.
Pleased with my H1B/H4 experience with Mr Khanna's firm I have decided to use his services for my GC processing 3 years ago. Today I got my passport stamped. Thank you for all your efforts, Rajiv, Diane, Leila, Hellen and for all your help. Would definitely recommend this firm to anyone
I got my I-485 approved in about 1.5 years,which is much faster than I predicted.... and I am sure it could have been approved faster if I had been more diligent about sending the paper work back to you guys... thanks for allowing this victory come true in my life... I have recommended your services to many friends, and I hope they are smart enough to follow my advice... green card
party soon!!!
I got my GC approved on 2/4/05 approximately with overall 3 years time from LC application. My sincere thanks and appreciation goes to Prerna, Liela, Suman, Vijay and all others worked on my case. Rajiv's law office is professional, yet with personal touch. I got all my questions answered in all stages promptly with detailed recommendations.
I am thankful to Shri Rajiv Khanna and his team for great services and guidance throughout the process.My employment based green card is approved.All my family members too are approved.My special thanks to Ms.Prerna Mehta for her wonderful service.
But for Rajiv's team's friendly,professional,prompt,educative relationship I guess the long journey of 3+ years would not have been so pleasant.
Once again I would like to thank all the team members of this great office. I sincerely recommend this office for all immigration related services.
My timeline:
Eb3, priority date June 2002
RFE on 485 for self March 2005, spouse a couple of weeks later.
Replied to RFE beginning of May. Received notice on June 8 that our case was transferred to Cincinnati, Ohio
Made infopass appointment to visit Columbus and was told that Cincinnati was the office that received files from the service center and that Cincinnati would forward the files to Columbus.
Our case was initially filed with VSC in March, 2001 (EB2 and future-employment based, the petitioning company is located in NJ and we always work in California).
USCIS recently updated the following form(s):
Form G-884, Request for the Return of Original Documents
11/09/2023 03:22 PM EST
Edition Date: 11/09/23. Starting Jan. 29, 2024, USCIS will only accept the 11/09/23 edition. Until then, you can also use the 12/02/21 edition. You can find the edition date at the bottom of the page on the form and instructions.
FAQs: H-1B visa transfer before arrival into the USA|| Employee paying for green card and H-1B premium costs || Using an old H-1B visa stamp of a different employer
This is regarding the H-1B transfer from India before working for Employer.
I have the H-1B visa stamped with employer A, but now I want to transfer the H-1B to Employer B. I have not yet entered the USA and I have not started working for employer A.
Can I transfer the H-1B visa to new Employer B, and what are the mandatory documents that are required?
Also, I wanted to know if the pay slips are mandatorily required for H-1B Transfer as I don't have any. Looking for more details about pay slip requirements.
If I can transfer my H-1B to Employer B, then should I travel to the USA and then start the process or should I do it from India?
Yes, you can transfer your H-1B visa from employer A to employer B even if you have the visa stamped with employer A and haven't entered the US. Pay stubs are not mandatory for this transfer, and you can travel on the old visa stamp with the new employer's H-1B approval. However, it's advisable to consult with H-1B lawyers before traveling. Ensure you obtain the H-1B approval from the new employer before entering the U.S.
Number 85
Volume X
Washington, D.C
A. STATUTORY NUMBERS FOR PREFERENCE IMMIGRANT VISAS
This bulletin summarizes the availability of immigrant numbers during January 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.
Release Date
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services will begin transitioning the filing location for Form I-907, Request for Premium Processing, when filed for a pending Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers, from the service centers to appropriate USCIS lockboxes on Dec. 15.
USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions needed to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year (FY) 2024.
USCIS will send non-selection notices to registrants through their online accounts over the next few days. When USCIS finishes sending these non-selection notifications, the status for properly submitted registrations that USCIS did not select for the FY 2024 H-1B numerical allocations will show:
Processing Queue | Priority Date |
---|---|
Analyst Review | December 2022 |
Audit Review | August 2022 |
Reconsideration Request to the CO | February 2023 |
FAQ: Converting from B visa to any other status such as H-1B, etc.
Question 1
1. Is it legal for an employee to pay all the expenses of a green card (eb2 / eb3), such as cost of attorney, pwd, recruitment, perm, I140 premium, I485, etc.?
2. Is it legal for employee to pay the cost of h1b premium transfer?
Question 2
My question is related to H1B stamping.
I have a stamped visa till April 2024 from my previous company.
I have a new I-797 from my current company.
Do I still have to go for Visa Stamping if I visit India in December 2023.
Answer 1: Employees cannot legally pay for green card expenses, H-1B fees, or premium processing associated with PERM. For the green card process, the employer must cover all costs. In the case of the I-140 stage, the employer should pay, especially if the employee is on H-1B. However, for the I-485 stage, the employee can pay.
Regarding H-1B, the employer should generally cover all expenses, except for premium processing. If premium processing is for the employee's benefit and the employer opts not to pay, the employee can choose to cover the cost. If premium processing is for the employer's convenience, the employer must pay.
In summary:
Green Card (PERM): Employer must pay; employee cannot.
I-140 stage: Employer should pay, especially for H-1B holders.
I-485 stage: Employee can pay.
H-1B expenses: Employer should pay, except for premium processing.
Premium processing: Employee can pay if for their benefit; otherwise, employer must pay.
Answer 2: Additionally, an employee with an old H-1B stamp from a previous employer can use it for a different employer. There's no need for new visa stamping if there's a new approval notice. Traveling on the old stamp with the new approval is permissible.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance regarding the F and M student nonimmigrant classifications, including the agency’s role in adjudicating applications for employment authorization, change of status, extension of stay, and reinstatement of status for these students and their dependents in the United States.
I have a valid B-1 visa and have traveled to the US recently in April 2023. Now my H1B petition has been approved, and I am eligible for Dropbox. My employer is telling me that if my case does not get approved in Dropbox, he is asking me to travel on B1 and then get the status converted to H1B. In my I-129, it was mentioned as a change of status, as my I-94 was valid when my H1B was approved. I wanted to know if there will be any issues with coming to the US on B1 and changing the status if they call me for an interview in Dropbox. Also, I want to know if it is possible to switch employers with an approved H1B petition before getting my visa stamped. If I change the employer, will it have any issues?
I strongly recommend against attempting to convert B-1 status to H-1B without approval. Additionally, changing employers without visa stamping may pose challenges according to government guidelines. However, we have a successful track record of handling such cases in practice. Always consult a lawyer.
I am thankful to Rajiv and team for their professional services rendered during the entire period of my GC processing. Their service and patience during year after year EAD & AP applications are commendable. Thanks to the entire well coordinated team Rajiv has for providing an excellent level of service. I have always recommended your services to my friends.
Special thanks to Rajiv to bring a great level of momentum in the 485 backlog reduction process. We all know how much effort Rajiv & his team members had put to build a better managed system from an unmanaged system.