Guestbook Entry for Chandrashekar Srinivasul, United States
Name
Chandrashekar Srinivasul
Country
United States
State
California
Search
Are kids allowed in the waiting area at the interview?
Okay. Thanks for the reply. Money was never an issue here. You can not get the babysitting at 5/6 AM as the travel from home to downtown is involved. Anway... I wanted to provide my experience to help others in similar situations.
Citizenship and Naturalization
Guestbook Entry for Puja M.C., United States
Name
Puja M.C.
Country
United States
State
CA
Comment
I was referred to Rajiv Khanna's law firm by a friend. I filed and recently got my marriage-based green card through him. I had talked to one lawyer before Rajiv ji and consulted with Rajiv ji for a second opinion. Rajiv ji went beyond my list of questions and provided information and suggestions that I wasn't looking for and didn't even know existed (They say "You don't know what you don't know" for a reason). He was confident, kind, and professional. He even gave me an emergency appointment on a Friday morning when I was just an hour away from the airport, rushing to get on the flight back home to another country. When I was hesitant to take his advice, he said "If my daughter was in your place, I would have given her the same advice." I hung on to those words, stayed back in the country, got married, his firm filed my paperwork in time and I got my GC within 2 weeks of the interview. If it wasn't for Rajiv ji's firm and timely advice, I can't imagine how this immigration process would have turned out for me. I'm thankful to Heather Riddick for staying on top of things and being accessible to answer questions. Rajiv ji, you are doing a great job! May God bless you with a long and healthy life so you may continue to help many more people.
USCIS Administrative Appeals Office Launches Search Tool for Non-Precedent Decisions
The Administrative Appeals Office (AAO) of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has launched a search tool for most non-precedent decisions since 2005.
Non-precedent decisions apply existing law and policy to the facts of an individual case. The decisions are binding on the parties to the case, but do not apply new or alternative interpretations of law or policy.
H-1 entering USA when visa is about to expire
Question details
My amendment has been filed by my company in Aug15 but not approved yet. Now I want to travel to India in month of April & get back in same month . after coming back H1B extension will be filed by company.
My question is can they create any problem on my return since my visa is about to expire in June 2016 & amendment is not approved yet.
FAQ Transcript
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
Travel while H-1 COS is pending
Question details
My Spouse is on H-4 and has a Valid H-4 stamped till Jan 16 2017. I am planning to apply H-1 for my Spouse through an Employer this year. Is it advisable to travel to India while her H-1B is in Process? What will be the implications if she travels to India?
FAQ Transcript
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
Does H-4 EAD have to be applied again if H-1 changes jobs?
Question details
I am currently on H-1B(Valid till Sep 2018) with approved I-140 for Company A and spouse has H-4 EAD (valid till Sep 2018). My question is, if I switch my job to a company B. Can my spouse continue working with the current H-4 EAD (which is valid till sep 2018)?Will it cause any issue during next H-4/EAD extension?
FAQ Transcript
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
USCIS Reaches FY 2017 H-1B Cap
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has reached the congressionally mandated H-1B cap for fiscal year (FY) 2017. USCIS has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the U.S. advanced degree exemption.
USCIS will use a computer-generated process, also known as the lottery, to randomly select the petitions needed to meet the caps of 65,000 visas for the general category and 20,000 for the advanced degree exemption.
Recording of Free Community Conference Call (Every Other Thursday), 7 April 2016
Immigration.com
Green Card
Substantial transcription for video
Topics for Discussion, Thursday, 7 April 2016:
FAQ: Gaps in immigration status; Getting married when AOS I-485 is pending (following to join and other options); Name variation in diploma or degree, name change for immigration
Other: STEM OPT extension; H-1 approval quota exemption without visa stamping or working; I-94 for visitors B-1/B-2 visa; H-1 quota issues in converting from H-1 to H-4 then back to H-1; OPT sent incorrect/wrong fees; OPT if out of status; Revocation of I-140 and AC21 for a slightly different job (to Systems Analyst, from Software Developer); Unlawful presence consequences; Recouping time on OPT EAD lost because of USCIS processing delay; Travel while second RFE on I-485 is pending; I-751 delay; USCIS delays; Options upon receiving NOIR on I-140; EB-3 and H-1 from nonprofit to for-profit company – H-1 quota and EB-2 issues; Impact of I-140 withdrawal/revocation on H-4 EAD; etc.
AAO Processing Times as of April 1, 2016
| Form Number |
Case Type |
Time |
|---|
Agency
Immigration Law
Visa Bulletin - May 2016
Green Card
USCIS Completes the H-1B Cap Random Selection Process for FY 2017
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on April 7, 2016, that it has received enough H-1B petitions to reach the statutory cap of 65,000 visas for fiscal year (FY) 2017. USCIS has also received more than the limit of 20,000 H-1B petitions filed under the advanced degree exemption, also known as the master’s cap.
USCIS Publishes New Edition of Form N-400, Application for Naturalization
On April 13, 2016, USCIS revised Form N-400, Application for Naturalization. The revised version is available at uscis.gov/n-400. You may continue to use the 9/13/13 edition of the form until August 9, 2016. USCIS will reject and return previous versions of Form N-400 submitted on or after August 10, 2016.
Deadline to Apply for Citizenship and Integration Grants Is April 22
Applications for USCIS’ Citizenship and Integration Grant Program for fiscal year 2016 are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on
EB-4 Visa Limits Reached for Special Immigrants From El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras
The Department of State’s Visa Bulletin for May 2016 reflects a final action date of January 1, 2010, for EB-4 visas for special immigrants from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
Gap in Status
Question details
A couple of questions on Gap in status:<br>
1. I am on H-1B and my project/job is going to end on April 29,2016 (Friday). I have my H-4 approved effective May 2, 2016. I will get salary slip from 1 April to 30 April. Do I need to have salary slip for May 1, 2016 (which is a Sunday) to maintain H-1B/ legal status (considering that I won't be getting May 1 to May 31 salary slip).<br>
2. I am currently on H-1B and have an approved H-4 Effective 15 July 2016. As part of my H-4 application (which I had filed along with my spouse extension) , I had requested USCIS to give me H-4 effective date of 13 May 2016 as my project was going to end on 13 May 2016. But, the request was not honoured and USCIS responded citing the reason "Since the beneficiary of the I-539 and I-765 will change status, we cannot give an earlier start date than what is shown on the I-129 approval notice." If my project ends on 13 May 2016 , should I leave the country as my H-4 effective start date is 15 July 2016 to maintain legal status ?
FAQ Transcript
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
Getting married when AOS I-485 is pending (following to join and other options)
Question details
My current status is AOS (Advance Parole) based on an employment-based EB3 green card filing with a PD of April 2007. I am an Indian citizen. My H-1B expired in 2007 and since then I have been working in the US on my EAD. My parents have found a prospective bride in India, so I am looking to get married soon and have her accompany me to the US after marriage. She does not have a US Visa. I have not found any information from any venue of getting married to an Indian girl from India in my current immigration status, except for hearing about Form I-824. Could you speak towards or confirm if indeed this is the process/procedure and its success rate or any caveat : filing Form I-824 to have my future wife added as a dependent to my pending AOS application, while she is still in India? And then subsequently filing my next I- 765 application and adding her as a dependent/spouse on the application. Once the EAD cards arrive then traveling to India and she could travel back to the US on her new EAD card?
FAQ Transcript
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
Name variation in diploma or degree, name change for immigration
Question details
I have BSc., [Maths] – 3 yrs degree + MSc., [Computer Science] – 2 yrs degree in India Grade A Universities and 11 years exp in IT industry applied I-140 under EB2 category. Last week I got the RFE like below. I can provide my legal name change evidence. Please see the RFE description and labor certification details below. <br>
"Is USCIS not certain that I have met the educational requirements of the labor certification position"? I can see only one statement that "USCIS is unable to determine if the beneficiary has met the educational requirements "Once I have documentation that NEW NAME and OLD NAME are the same person, will USCIS accept my educational documents?
FAQ Transcript
Note: This is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
USCIS Will Temporarily Suspend Use of Pre-Paid Mailers for Certain H-1B Cap Subject Petitions
For two weeks after premium processing resumes for H-1B cap-subject petitions, USCIS will not use pre-paid mailers to send out final notices for premium processing H-1B cap-subject petitions. Instead, USCIS will use regular mail. USCIS will be doing this due to resource limitations as work to process all premium processing petitions in a timely manner. After the two week period, USCIS will resume sending out final notices in the pre-paid mailers provided by petitioners.
New Workload Transfer Updates Web Page
USCIS has created a new Workload Transfer Updates page on their website where customers can keep track of workload transfers between the five service centers. Occasionally, USCIS will transfer cases from one service center to another in order to balance workloads and ensure timely processing.
Fiscal Year 2017 H-1B Cap Premium Processing to Begin May 12
On May 12, 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin premium processing for cap-subject H-1B petitions requesting premium processing, including petitions seeking an exemption for individuals with a U.S. master’s degree or higher.
Recording of Free Community Conference Call (Every Other Thursday), 2016, April 21
Immigration.com
Agency
Citizenship and Naturalization
Nonimmigrant Visas
Green Card
Substantial transcription for video
Topics for Discussion, Thursday, 21 April 2016:
FAQ: Is H-4 Visa needed after H-4 EAD approval; H-1 cap exempt working concurrently for H-1 cap employer; Safe time to change jobs after I-140 approval; PERM-based green card through relative-owned company; What to do if company is under visa fraud investigation, indictment, conviction.
Other: L-1B expiring, options to stay and work in the USA; Form N-600 child born outside the USA to a US citizen parent; H-1 quota exemption if visa is not stamped; H-4 EAD gap in EAD; Attorney negligence in H-1 filing; H-1 approval for projects where duration is 6 months and only vendor letter is available – no end client letter; CAP Gap extension; Priority date transfer problem – delays; Police clearance from the USA; Unlawful presence under H-1B; Renewing green card; L-1A options to stay in the USA after 7 years; Applying for naturalization – several visits outside the USA – residency requirement; H-1B unlawful presence; Bounced check USCIS fees problems; etc.
USCIS Offers Immigration Relief for Those Affected by Severe Earthquakes
USCIS offers immigration relief measures for people affected by natural disasters, such as the severe earthquakes that recently occurred in Ecuador, Japan and Burma.
These measures may be available upon request:
Guestbook Entry for Beth Dynkowski , United States
Name
Beth Dynkowski
Country
United States
State
MO
Comment
Vijay was very thorough in his emails. He always gave plenty of reference documentation. thanks!
Thank you Mr.Khanna and Team for helping me out with my questions on my status after getting laid off from the company when my GC was pending. He was very patient and answered all my questions. He also advised me on what not to do and what can I do in my situation. This was a big stress relief.