My wife received her Permanent Resident card today and mine was approved (and received GC card on August 5, 200 on July 28, 2008. I would like to thank Mathew , Prerna and Bharathi for all the timely answers and advices through the process. Mathew and Prerna were always accessible . I always felt that I am getting best service and I would recommend Mr. Khanna’s team to my friends who need help with GC / immigration.
Thank you
I and my wife received our green card in August 2008. We started the process in November 2005 with Rajiv Khanna as our attorney. He and his team have helped us at every point in the whole process and they were always there for us to help out. I must mention here that the paperwork done was been perfect and I had no RFE and this has substantially reduced the total time of the lengthy process. I found the team in his office in general very co-operative and prompt. Our special thanks and best regards to Heather Crump, Yvonne, Mark, Art and Leslie for making this happen.
Once again thanks to Rajiv and his team.
Got my LCA approved within a few months thanks to the untiring efforts of Mr. Vijay Durgam, my case manager and Mr. Rajiv Khanna. Thank you.
My husband and I got our green card approved this month. It was a long and tedious journey but I always felt confident about having Rajiv Khanna on my side. They are a very professional and efficient Law Firm. I always got replies to my million concerns. The paper work was filed perfectly and we never got any RFE'S. I have used Rajiv and his team for all my immigration work (H1B) and there is nothing but praise for them.
I would like to thank Mathew, Bharathi, Heather, Shubha, & Kumuda for all the help. I will always recommend them to anyone in the immigration process.
Best wishes for continued success.
Hi Rajeev, Vijay, Aruna , Prerna, Bharathi ,
Got Green Card last week(08/200. Although it was a long journey , all of you have made it a pleasant one. I always got a good support , help and information from you .It was flawless service. I highly recommend your services to all.
My wife and I recently got our citizenship case approved. Our case was a fairly complicated case because we were out of the country for 2 years after getting our GC and had returned since then. While every other lawyer we enquired they asked us to wait for 5 years since our return, immigration.com was able to sort our case and file for it much earlier using the 4yr - 1 day rule. I was amazed at the responsiveness from the team at immigration.com. Every time I had a question, they would respond within 24 hours or less and definitely understood the laws surrounding citizenship approval. My special thanks to Mr. Chacko and Mr. Art Shifflett who handled our cases.
You all are the best. I got my GC approved in 08/2008. I would like to thank everyone at your firm for all the help and support in this long journey. One thing that stands out compared other firms is your customer service. The staff at your firm are epitome of customer service. You guys rock. Keep up the good work.
I had applied for an L1-A for start-up in 2007 August. Rajiv and his staff put all their efforts to make sure that the petition was correct and all the required supportive documentation was there. L1-A was approved in a span of 4 days from application and I got it for a period of one year, which is the normal case, that the Law Office had notified well in advance. Though the responsibilities of Rajiv was over with that application, he put extra efforts in detailing out the steps required in the coming year before going for the renewal so that I will be able to get it renewed.
He told me that getting the first L1-A is relatively easier compared to the renewal where in they thoroughly scrutinize the documents. He also detailed each activities I should fulfill based on my application for going for the renewal in 2008. However, I had to wait for 3 months in Chennai to get the appointment for Visa stamping. So all I had was 9 months of working time to fulfill these steps.
I came to U.S in November 2007 and contacted Rajiv. He gave me an abridged list of key things to be done in 9 months for the renewal. I worked according to the plan and we started the L1-A renewal process in July 2008 end. Vikas from the L1 department was meticulous in preparing this application. He gave me a list of documents required and he put lot of time to go through each one of these documents, provide suggestions to make it better etc. Over a period of 4 weeks work, we had a comprehensive petition in place.
The Law Offices of Rajiv send the petition on 21st August. It reached the USCIS on August 22nd 2008. They started processing on 25th August since 23&24 was Sat & Sunday. My renewal was approved on 25th August itself and the approval notice was sent on the very same day. Notice of Action (I-797) and (I-94) reached the Law Office on the next day, August 26th itself. It was unbelievably fast because the petition application was done perfectly.
What more do you want from an immigration attorney; he delivers what he says plus he takes the right steps to guide you to the next step. And can you believe, he is already advising me on the next steps to be taken in business path. I vouch for Rajivji and his staff and I recommend them for anybody who want to go to the best attorney in Immigration. Thanks once again Rajivji, Anna & Vikas for making this possible.
We are delighted to share that my wife and me both got the green card in the mail.
Once again thanks a zillion times from bottom of our hearts for Rajiv and his teams support and help during this long and painful process.Initially our case was handled by various other team members but lately our case was assigned to Mathew and Rita.I would like to sincerely thank Mathew,Rita and Pramita (our earlier case manager) for their support and help.All the team members were professional, courteous,prompt,patiently answered all our questions and helpful which makes ton of a difference.We didn't get an even single RFE.
May god bless you all for doing such an excellent job.Keep up the good work.
Our case was filed in August 2004 in EB2 category.Later it was transferred to Dallas BackLog Center.After 3 years in 2007 our first stage(Labor) was approved and just in time for July'07 fiasco filing.Rajiv asked us to be prepare with all the documentation for 140&485 concurrent filing during turmoil period.There was lot of uncertainty, chaos due to July/August 2007 Visa Bulletin.During that crisis time Rajiv and his team not only guided us very well but also came up with an innovative idea of opening up a new web site exclusively for their customers to share the information and to answers all our concerns. Rajiv and his team is very particular and prompt in answering all the questions via above mentioned web site.It provided lot of update and information about how the team was handling such crisis situations and also helped us better understanding the BIG picture.
Based on our personal experience for the past 4 years+ I would highly recommend Rajiv and his team for any immigration needs.
I had accepted an offer of employment from a well established Indian Consultancy company last year in the month of June 2007. I was given the pre approved labor and they filed I 140 and 485, EAD, AP during that Visa bulletin fiasco last year. I got EAD and AP for both me and for my wife. My I 140 approved from TSC last month. Now I have a better opportunity.
My employer is threatening to withdraw GC files processing unless I work with them till I get my GC.
Qo1. Is that possible for them to withdraw like that?
Qo2. Does that affect my GC process in negative way?
Qo3. What I have to do in case they withdraw?
Qo4. Is it possible to re-start the whole GC process again in case?
Qo5. By the time I file AC 21, if the present employer withdraws the GC files, what happens to my case?
Qo6. How do we know whether they have withdrawn GC process or not?
Ans1. They can withdraw the 140. That is their petition, but they cannot withdraw the I-485. That is your petition. If they withdraw the I-140 you can still take recourse to AC21 and not suffer any negative consequences.
Ans2. If you are covered by AC21, you should be fine.
Ans3. File AC21 letter as soon as possible.
Ans4. Sure .
Ans5. See this link: http://www.immigrationportal.com/blog.php?b=25
Q1. How soon can I leave my petitioning employer once I get my green card approval?
Q2. I did not willingly left the GC sponsor employer but actually after three months I got my GC, i got laid off from the project and due to the bad economy , my employer was not able to get me other project so he gave me letter saying that he wont be able to pay me salary since he doesnt have any project for me.And, after getting that letter I resigned from GC sponsor employer.
Q3. I am employed at the XYZ University (XYZU). I applied for 485 myself (without attorney). My 485 was approved last month and I got my passport stamped in July. My contract with XYZU is coming to an end. My job is renewed every year based on the availability of funding. I have been with XYZU for the last 5 years. There is a possibility that they (XYZU) may not extend the contract because the research grant I got is coming to an end in september.
Will my termination from the job at XYZU affect my Green Card in the future, and is it better to be terminated from service (based on unavailability of funding) by the WVU or is it better to offer my resignation?
A1. There is no brief answer to this question. Let me explain. The basic premise (or theory) behind permanent residence through offer of employment is that an employee is accepting a job on a "permanent" bases. What does "permanent" mean? Does it mean for ever. Obviously not. That would be unreasonable. But "permanent" also does not mean that you pack your bags the moment you receive your green card. So what is the answer? No one really knows. Each case has to be determined upon its own merits.
We got an approval for a L1 to H1 with an I-94 effective Oct 1, 2008. But the candidate got an admission for a one year full time MBA program which he wants to pursue and join us in August 2009. His MBA program is starting in September 2008. So, he will be applying for his F1 status soon.
Qo1. What choices do we have to keep the H1 approval valid so that he can join us in August 2009 ?
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
45 CFR Part 152
[CMS-9995-IFC2]
RIN 0938-AQ70
Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan Program
AGENCY: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS).
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds customers affected by Hurricane Isaac of certain U.S. immigration benefits that may be available to them.
USCIS understands that a natural disaster can affect an individual’s ability to maintain lawful immigration status. Eligible individuals may apply for temporary relief measures, including:
A J-1 exchange visa holder who received graduate medical education or training in the U.S.
As of Aug. 10, 2012, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) no longer provides admission stamps on Forms I-20/DS-2019 for prospective and returning international students and scholars (traveling with F, M, and J visas) seeking admission to the United States. This change makes CBP processes consistent with U.S.
The United States Embassy in India today announced it is implementing a new visa processing system throughout India that will further standardize procedures and will simplify fee payment and appointment scheduling through a new website at www.ustraveldocs.com/in. Minister Counselor for Consular Affairs, Julia Stanley, announced at a press conference here today that beginning September 26, 2012 U.S.
A J-1 exchange visa holder who received graduate medical education or training in the U.S.
Ours is a long story. My green card was filed under EB3 India with a PD of May 2006. My husband's green card was filed under EB3 India in 2005. When our dates became current sometime in 2007, my I-140 was already approved and his was pending. So, we decided to go ahead with my case and filed for I-485 for both of us. However, the dates then retrogressed and our lawyer informed us that my husband's case is no longer valid since his LC expired 3 months after it was approved. We didn't know that LC expires if not used within a specific time frame and the lawyer did not inform us either. Anyways, my husband's GC was again filed, this time through Rajiv's firm with proper guidance and through EB2. Rajiv also guided us to go through Consular Processing instead of I-485 since in our case, my husband could legally work using EAD via the I-485 applied through my case. In all these years, the company I work for has increased in size and wants to promote me. I consulted with Rajiv regarding this and inquired about possibility for porting from EB3 to EB2. Rajiv answered all our questions and guided us appropriately this time too. We are now waiting to hear about the Priority Dates for October 2012 bulletin and will make a decision about EB3 to EB2 porting. It feels so good to be able to talk to Rajiv regarding these questions related to immigration and his knowledge and experience in this field is very very valuable for people like us. Every time we have talked to him we have received excellent response and guidance. My husband and the company he works for had a very good experience with EB2 filing. Everything was very professional and was checked and rechecked before it was sent through. Thanks to Rajiv for all his help with our case so far!
I have looked at this forum a million times throughout my journey and have found it sooo amazingly helpful I thought I would share my experience in the hopes that it might help some people.
On sep 5th, I arrived at the embassy 06.30am for my interview, but waited till 11am before being interviewed as the cashier was not at her desk for me to make my visa payment.Good morning
good morning sir I replied
do you swear that everything you have written in the forms and you will say this morning is true? I answered yes
what is your name? I answered
you are .... Years old right? ..... Yes
why did you apply for dv lottery in the first place.......... I answered
where were you when you applied.... I answered
EB3 to EB2 conversion
EB3 to EB2 porting
EB3 to EB2
Good afternoon, everyone. This is US Immigration Attorney, Rajiv S. Khanna for immigration.com, the Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khanna, P.C.
This is a community information call. It is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship. Whatever we say here remains merely an informational conversation.
This is a follow-up to the August 30 Community Conference Call.
We are talking about issues related to converting from EB3 to EB2.
What is this idea of EB-3 to EB-2 conversion?
Most of you know that EB-3 for countries like India and China are very backed up and EB-2’s are better. Actually, for the rest of the world also, EB-2 is much better. So sometimes even though you have obtained a Labor Certification (PERM certification) and then you obtained an I-140 approval or you are on the path to that, you feel, “Oh, maybe I should have filed an EB-2, or maybe circumstances have changed and now I can file under EB-2.” So, in those cases, when we get the priority date from an EB-3 case and put it on top of an EB-2 case, thereby essentially converting an EB-3 case to an EB-2 case, we refer to that loosely as a conversion. Really, it is not a conversion. It is a new case filed under EB-2, and essentially the priority date is being transferred.
One relevant question here. Can priority dates be transferred if an employer revokes my old I-140?
The answer is “Yes.” USCIS has said that they will allow transfers (carryovers) of priority dates even if the old I-140 is revoked, as long as the revocation is not for fraud.
So, when you do this analysis of EB-3 to EB-2 conversion, the first question you want to ask yourself is “Am I currently qualified for EB-2?”
Why is this question important? Remember a Green Card is for a job in the future, which means today I am working as a programmer; tomorrow’s job could be a project manager, and even though I continue to work as a programmer for the next three years or until I get my Green Card, it is not a problem. The future job of project manager can be given to me once the Green Card is approved. Or before. That is up to the employer, but it is not required. So the idea is a Green Card is for a future job. However, you must be qualified for it on the date you filed the PERM application.
So let’s say you have three years of experience after Bachelor’s Degree, and you know that the Green Card will take three or four more years, can you file under EB-2 today?
No, because you are not qualified. You may be qualified in two years or three years, but that does not mean you can file an EB-2 right now.
So are you currently qualified for EB-2?
One of the recommendations I have is for people who are not qualified and don’t have the five-year experience or have a three-year Bachelor’s Degree, you may consider doing a Master’s Degree online. I have a video on this. It’s on my blog. It tells you how to choose an appropriate on-line Master’s Degree program that is accredited and that will help you get into EB-2.
Here is a link to the video and a transcript:
Accreditation of distance education for EB-2
The next question you want to ask yourself is Do I want to process my EB-2 case with the same employer who petitioned the EB-3 or some other employer?
It is a little bit easier to do it with another employer, but given the choice between going with a totally new employer and going with an employer who is totally, solidly behind me, who is going to pay the attorney’s fees. This is a considerable expense. If they’re on my side and they want to cooperate fully with the law, then of course I would stay with the same employer.
The next question you have to ask yourself is Do you need a promotion--present or future?
What does that mean? What if you have three years of experience before you joined this employer, you want to process your Green Card through this employer, and you’ve got two years with this employer now? Now you’ve got five years but two years are with the same employer through whom you are going to file your EB-2 who also did your EB-3 earlier. In order to use that experience, you must be offered a job which is more than fifty percent different than what you were doing before. Let’s say the old job was all coding and the new job is mostly providing project management, so that’s a promotion and then the experience that you have gained with this employer can be applied towards your EB-2.
I hope I’m making myself clear. Most of you already know the concepts, but still I want to put it out there so that you are sensitized to the issues. You can ask your lawyers the right kind of questions and make sure your case is being properly approached. These concepts are difficult. They can be complicated. Even we can make mistakes. Lawyers are not perfect, as all of you know. Be educated and take your lawyers’ help in making these decisions.
It is very important to have a bona fide job.
What does that mean? If you have a three-employee company and the employer says, “I will you a promotion.” That’s a little difficult to establish and believe. It can be true but, if you are a 300-employee company or a 3,000-employee company, probably a better case for a promotion, but of course it all depends upon the facts of the case. I’m just giving you an example. This does not mean smaller companies cannot process promotion cases.
How do I eliminate the risk of problems of EB-3?
What does that mean? I already have my EB-3 approval. I don’t want to do anything that’s going to mess that up.
What you can do is, you can make sure, taking the example of the programmer under EB-3 who wants to go for project manager under EB-2. If your EB-3 was for a programmer, make sure you continue working as a programmer until the I-140 for the new case is approved. So don’t change jobs, because, if you take a promotion to project manager, then the Government could question, "This guy has already taken a promotion, then why would he come back to the lower job which is the Green Card job?” Do not take a promotion until the I-140 for the new case is approved. That would be important.
What if I used AC-21?
This is a very tricky situation. You are one of the lucky ones who’s got your I- 485 pending and I-140 is approved under EB-3. You changed from IBM to Sun Microsystems. You changed employers. Your job was programmer. Now, for AC-21, the job that Sun gives you has to be the same or similar to the job IBM gave you. So it’s got to be a programmer or thereabouts. Now the problem here is this. In order for Sun Microsystems to process your case under EB-2, they have to assess whether they have to promote you so that an EB-2-level job can be given to you or can they use the same job. This can be tricky.
So for AC-21, the key question is can the same job which was the subject of AC-21 be used to file an EB-2 case?
Tricky question. Depends upon the facts of the case.
Now, to the posted set of Questions from the Community Conference call of August 30th.
First Set of Questions
Question: I have an I-485 pending on EB-3. I have been with my company for 12 years. They are planning to apply for EB-2. Same company. I have a Bachelor’s four-year engineering degree from India. Can I qualify for EB-2?
Answer: Yes if the job that is being offered to you is sufficiently dissimilar from the EB-3 job.
Question: Is there any audit risk?
Answer: No. Filing for a conversion (again, I am using the term “conversion” loosely) does not create any additional audit risks.
Question: If we apply in EB-2, will my EB-3 application processing stop?
Answer: No, it does not stop.
Question: What happens to the EB-3?
Answer: It goes on. Don’t take up a promotion. I just mentioned that.
Question: My wife is working on EAD. Will her EAD be affected?
Answer: No, not at all. No problem at all.
Question: If I get EB-2 I- 140 approved, can I use EB-3 priority date?
Answer: Yes.
Question: At that time, will I get another EAD from EB-2 processing?
Answer: No. What you do is, you take the EB-2 I-140 approval and put it on top of the existing I-485. So your old I-140 gets knocked out and the new one now sits on top of your I-485. So I-485 does not need to be re-filed.
Second set of questions
Question: He is preparing for his I-140 for EB-2. Can this be done premium processing?
Answer: Sure.
Question: Do we have to specify the pending EB-3 case information?
Answer: You will have to, because if there is an I-140 approved or pending under the old case, you have to mention that. There is a question I think on the form.
Question: Should we do it during the I-140 filing?
Answer: Yes. On the form itself, there is a question. If there is only a Labor Certification pending, there is nothing to say. If the I-140 is either pending or approved from the old case, you have to say it in the new I-140.
Question: When I started filing for my EB-2 case, my attorney mentioned not to file AC-21.
Answer: I think that’s a personal choice. I like to file AC-21’s and then I like to assess whether I would need a promotion case or I can go ahead with the same AC-21 job for EB-2. I would like your lawyer to decide that as I do not know the case.
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 173 (Thursday, September 6, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 54944]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-21975]
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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice 8016]
My pleasant experience in summary and in little detail.
Summary:
People at Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khanna are highly professional, very much detail oriented, easy to work with, very prompt and very nice people. They are always available and will stand up for you when required. This will be a very rare combination to find. They always prepare very convincing case and review the case in detail. I always believed that if my case is accepted by Mr. Rajiv, Mr. Mathew and Co, it will be very hard for anyone to reject the case.
Little in detail:
It all started in October 2005. My company asked me to find a lawyer to represent me for my GC process. I have a good friend/family that got GC thru immigration.com (Mr. Rajiv Khanna handled his case. My friend assured me that Mr. Rajiv would go above and beyond to meet client's needs.). He referred us to immigration.com. I sent a mail to immigration.com. Mr. Suman has contacted me. When my HR wanted to talk to a lawyer, he referred us to Mr. Mathew Chacko. Mr. Mathew explained the process in detail. He was very descriptive and communicated everything very well to us. He is always patience even during his busy days such as 2007 July-Aug crazy time when everything became current. I am fortunate enough to get quick e-mail replies every time. When I had thoughts about Consular Processing, he explained to me all about consular processing and why one should opt for it or should not opt for it. His review on my I-485 are very much helpful.
One of the most memorable moments is this: my wife attended an interview in a company and they had hesitation about hiring her without Green Card. They always thought that the company has to sponsor her GC at some point in time and they were not ready for it. I told them it is not the case since she is a derivative applicant in my GC. They were not ready to buy it. They wanted to talk to my lawyer. When I requested Mr. Mathew, he was ready to talk and convince them. I am not sure if all the lawyers would do this kind of stuff. Thank you very much Mr. Mathew.
Another important player during my GC process is Ms. Richa Narang. She has done an incredible job of completing my PERM application on time that once I thought would nearly be impossible. Considering that we started our process very late in my 5th year, it is highly remarkable. We completed 6 days before my 5th year expired. She went thru the documents over and over, and helped preparing a very convincing case. I am highly impressed with her patience and prompt replies. She is easy to work with. She always let me know what she was doing for my case and why it is done this way. That gives me an idea about what is really going on with my case.
This is in contast with my previous attorney in my previous company. Thank you Ms. Richa.
I have not worked directly with Mr. Rajiv Khanna. But my case manager Ms. Richa was working with him for my PERM. He is a REAL expert in what he does. Mr. Rajiv really built a very strong case for my PERM. His inputs are priceless. I attended his conference call during July/August 2007 when USCIS opened and closed the door briefly. It provided lot of valuable information to me and to lot of immigrants that were eagerly waiting to apply for I-485. It is really a great gesture towards the people that were waiting to apply for I-485 during that time.
Thank you Mr. Rajiv
Others that helped me are Ms. Mohana, Ms. Prena etc. They are all very nice and easy to work with. They made sure my case was built in a convincing manner.
I will definitely comeback to Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khanna for my future immigration needs.
I have referred two of my friends to Immigration.Com so far. They all like the service. Please feel free to contact me. I will be happy to answer any questions about my experience.