Discussion Topics, Thursday, October 28, 2021:
FAQ: Change of jobs with an approved I-140 from employer A and Reapplying PERM through B || Impact of reportees outside the U.S. or in third countries on L-1A and EB-1 petitions || Are L-1B visa holders eligible to work remotely? || Approved EB-2/EB-3: Interfiling/upgrading to EB-2 with employers A and B || Working outside the U.S. for four months with a recently issued green card || Documents needed by and anticipated questions for green card holders at the port of entry
Discussion Topics:
I am a G.C. holder and will travel next month and plan to return to the U.S. in December. What documents do I need to carry and show at the port of entry when I return to the U.S.? What questions does a CBP officer usually ask a green card holder at the port of entry? Do I need to carry tax returns, pay stubs, W-2, and previous H-1B documents ( I was in H-1B before I got G.C.)?
If it is less than six months, all you need to carry is your green card and passport. If you have any evidence of continued employment, for instance, a couple of W-2's, scan them and put them on the cloud. You can show them to the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers if asked. Usually, for exits of less than six months duration, the scope of the CBP inquiry is limited. I doubt you will be asked any questions.
Note: Where transcribed from audio/video, 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.
We successfully responded to an H-1B request for evidence (RFE), questioning the beneficiary’s maintenance of status. The beneficiary’s previous employer (Employer A) had submitted an H-1B extension. While the petition was pending the beneficiary’s nonimmigrant status expired. An RFE was subsequently received by Employer A, and following the filing of a comprehensive RFE response, the petition was denied.
We assisted petitioner, a public accounting firm, in filing an H-1B petition for beneficiary for the position of staff accountant. We received an RFE requesting additional evidence that the position qualified as a specialty occupation by satisfying at least one of the four qualifying criteria for a specialty occupation. In our lengthy response, we argued that the job duties, as detailed in the petition, and as compared with OOH’s job description for staff accountant not only comports with but goes beyond OOH guidance in its uniqueness and complexity.
We filed an H-1B extension for a specialized medical practice on behalf of a physician who had completed a fellowship in this specialty. We subsequently received a Request for Evidence questioning whether his position satisfied the requirements for a specialty occupation and questioning his current immigration status.
We were approached by an employer in the health and wellness industry to respond to an RFE (Request for Evidence) for an Operations Research Analyst. The RFE indicated that the job duties were vague, and did not allow Service to ascertain the minimum requirements for the position, or determine whether it constituted a specialty occupation. We responded with considerable detail, elaborating on the job duties and providing considerable context about the employer and the strict FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulations that they are required to operate under.
In this case we assisted a client whose employee, with a valid H-1 visa stamped in this passport, traveled outside the U.S. and was unable to return due to the COVID 19 travel restrictions. We prepared a comprehensive letter with details about the petitioning employer, the specific project that the employee would be assigned to, and the urgency of the employee’s presence in the U.S., to the consulate requesting consideration under the National Interest Exception (NIE) for business travel to the U.S. for vital support of the U.S.
We assisted a client company, who develops its own software products and provides related consulting services in filing an H-1B petition to employ a software developer. An RFE was issued requesting additional information regarding the employer, and additional documentation to show that the beneficiary was engaged in a valid curricular practical training (CPT) and was maintaining a full course study in a master’s degree program at a U.S. university at the time of filing.
U.S. businesses use the H-1B program to employ foreign workers in specialty occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise in specialized fields, such as scientists, engineers, or computer programmers.
USCIS starts accepting H-1B petitions subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2012 cap on April 1, 2011. Cases will be considered accepted on the date USCIS receives a properly filed petition for which the correct fee has been submitted; not the date that the petition is postmarked.
I do not qualify to apply for OPT. I have used my CPT completely by working for my current employer for past 1.5 yrs. They started my H-1B process. My current job (QA Analyst) minimum requirement is Associates degree or 0+ yrs experience. Lawyer came back saying job description should be changed to minimum bachelors or equivalent. I have 16 yrs education from India + MBA from here (April 2011) + 1.5 yrs experience. My employer is not willing to change the job description. Can they ask the lawyer to continue the process with the current job description?
An H-1 can be requested for a job that requires minimally a bachelor's degree. Note that the employer MUST TRUTHFULLY require a degree. If not, you cannot process an H-1.
I am currently on H-1B with a university (cap exempt), working full time (40-hrs/week). An opportunity has come to work part-time for another For-profit institution (not cap exempt), may be for 20 hours or so per week. So my questions are:
Can I apply for a concurrent H1 (For-profit; not cap exempt) whose work load will be additional to my current H1?
Is there a restriction on where the concurrent H-1 sponsor is located in the US?
Does 'Concurrent H-1B' need to go through the yearly quota since it is 'not cap-exempt' in my case?
The last time I checked into this issue, you could apply for a concurrent quota H-1 even though you are currently holding an exempt H-1. Location of the employer is not important, location of the job is.
Our office works regularly and closely with the Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khanna, PC, with both H1B and Permanent Resident applications. We do not have any complaints at all -- our case managers are smart, fast, conscientious, polite, and very pleasant to work with. We treasure them! I myself have worked mainly with Fran Fisher and Heather Riddick, and to a lesser degree with Anna Baker. I don't know how we could speak more highly of them or of Mr. Khanna's law firm. We appreciate them greatly!
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) today announced it continues to accept H-1B nonimmigrant petitions that are subject to the fiscal year (FY) 2012 cap. The agency began accepting these petitions on April 1, 2011.
USCIS is monitoring the number of petitions received that count toward the congressionally mandated annual H-1B cap of 65,000 and the 20,000 U.S. master’s degree or higher cap exemption.
Fact "H1Bs cannot do their own business in US". So checking the legal limit with below scenarios.
1. Can a H1b, while working for H1 employer, work for non US employer using options like work from home or other internet technologies and earn in their local currency without further documentation?
2. Does anything changes if the non US employer has clients in US and the person in above position actually work with those clients under the payroll of non US based organization?
3. Does it cross the legal H1B limit if we assume the H1b person in scenario 1 and 2 is also the owner of non US company and earns in local currency not USD?
1. In my view, no.
2. No. The critical thing is that the work is being performed on US soil.
3. I believe this too would be illegal under immigration laws.
These Questions & Answers address the automatic extension of F-1 student status in the United States for certain students with pending or approved H-1B petitions (indicating a request for change of status from F-1 to H-1B) for an employment start date of October 1, 2011 under the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 H-1B cap.
Exemplary, professional input; assessable and candid on interaction. Professional without being commerical, knowledgeable and willing to find out more as necessary. I feel in good competent hands with immigration issues.
I am currently on OPT, expiring on 23 May 11. I am currently working but my current employer is not willing to file for my visa and I am unable to find an employer who can file for H1B. I have following questions:
1) If I am not able to find a company-how much time ahead of my visa expiration I will have to file for H4?
2) How difficult it is for an employer file for H1 from H1 and what is the process?
3) If I have to travel out of country before the OPT expiration-do I need to have another visa approved to re enter before my OPT expiration?
1. Your H-4 application must reach USCIS before expiration of your OPT (although it could be argued that you have an extra 60 days, but I stay away from having to argue).
2. No different than filing a new H-1.
3. You could have a difficult time entering if cutting too close the end, although, legally you are entitled to it as long as you have a job in your field that you have been performing on your OPT.
Here is a question from clients.immigration.com, our clients-only extranet.:
As of April 15, 2011, USCIS has issued receipts on approximately 7,100 H-1B cap-subject petitions and 5,100 H-1B petitions for aliens with advanced degrees.
As of April 7, 2011, approximately 10,400 H-1B cap-subject petitions were receipted. Out of these 4,500 H-1B petitions are for aliens with advanced degrees.
Great Help, Keep up the good work.