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Recording for May 15, 2025, Conference Call with Rajiv S. Khanna
Immigration.com
Green Card
FAQs:
1. H-1B extension beyond six years. PD is now current. I changed employer. Options.
2. Employer deducted H-1B premium fee — Will this affect visa stamping or POE?
Other Topics :
H-1B extension beyond six years. PD is now current. I changed employer. Options
Question details
My GC was filed, and I-140 was approved in 2012. My PD is November 2012, which became current in March 2025. However, I changed employers a few years back. My current employer is willing to start my GC application but hasn't started yet. Do I really have only one year from the time my PD turned current to file for AOS? If yes, what are my options to maintain my H1 status?
FAQ Transcript
If your I-140 is approved and your priority date becomes current, you generally have one year to file Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status) to maintain H-1B extension eligibility beyond six years. This one-year window is dynamic: if your priority date retrogresses and then becomes current again, the clock resets. USCIS rarely accepts changing employers as a valid reason for not filing the I-485 within this timeframe, making H-1B extensions difficult if you miss the deadline while your priority date is current.
Employer deducted H-1B premium fee — Will this affect visa stamping or POE?
Question details
My H1B was picked in the 2024 lottery, but there was no progress on the case for months, so I asked my employer to move it to premium. They said that it would be charged through my payroll, and I was okay with that. Later, I received an RFE, and the petition was approved recently.
My employer has already started deducting the premium fee from my last payroll (it is set to be deducted across 6 pay cycles). But when I checked my payslip, that deduction was not mentioned in it. Instead, the base pay is reduced by the installment amount, and then all the taxes are calculated on the reduced amount. This means that for the 6 pay cycles, my pay will be run on an amount lower than the LCA amount.
Will this cause any problems during stamping or at the port of entry? Please let me know if there is anything I can request my employer to change in this process.
FAQ Transcript
Employers are generally not allowed to deduct H-1B premium processing fees from an employee's salary. Most believe the employer should bear this cost. Such a deduction effectively reduces your actual pay, which could lead to issues if your salary falls below the LCA (Labor Condition Application) stipulated amount, or even if it remains above but is lower than your expected wage.
To mitigate this, you should ask your employer to consult an immigration lawyer and reimburse you for the deducted amount, restoring your salary to its original level. This step, while not a guaranteed fix, is crucial for addressing the issue.
Rajiv's Comments in the News - Indian parents face uncertainty over US citizenship for newborns
Published by: The Economic Times - May 27, 2025
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/nri/migrate/indian-parents-face-un…
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Guestbook Entry for Harpal Singh , United States
Name
Harpal Singh
Country
United States
State
Tennessee
H-1B - Specialty Occupation
We were recently retained to address a strange problem. An H-1 petition was approved, but the parties did not receive the approval notice for two years. The notice was apparently lost in the mail. They submitted an application for a duplicate approval notice, which also was issued and also lost in the mail. The employer then filed an application for an extension of status, which was granted without an I-94 attached to it.
Status
The case was approved by USCIS with the I-94 attached.
Nonimmigrant Visas
H-1B - Specialty Occupation
Our client, an electronic document management company was issued Intent to Revoke from the Texas Service <span style="font-size: 1
Status
The Beneficiary’s I-129 petition was approved shortly after we filed the Response.
Nonimmigrant Visas
H-1B - Specialty Occupation
The consulate revoked an H-1B in 1999. The client received notification of the revocation from USCIS in 2004. In the mean time he was still working in USA. We argued against these inconsistent and unconstitutional procedures and submitted an application for extension of his status in 2004.
Status
H-1B extension approved.
Nonimmigrant Visas
H-1B - Specialty Occupation
We have filed no less than 200 cases where USCIS had denied the application or objected to an application based on the fact that the title and position did not require professional level employees. So far, we have won almost all the cases we have filed on motions to reopen or as new filings.
Status
H-1B extension approved.