H-1B Petition for Extension
When should my H-1B petition for an extension be filed?
An H-1B petition for extension may be submitted to USCIS no more than 6 months prior to the expiration of the current H-1B status.
When should my H-1B petition for an extension be filed?
An H-1B petition for extension may be submitted to USCIS no more than 6 months prior to the expiration of the current H-1B status.
I do not have an I-94 from my last entry to the US in June, but I need it for my H-1B renewal. What should I do?
Please refer to the following link for information on printing your I-94: http://www.immigration.com/news/general-nonimmigrant-visa/i-94-web-appl…
1. Our employees are deployed at government sites. Are we still obliged to pay the H-1 wage?
2. Can we ask such employees to use their paid leave?
A1. Yes. In my view, that obligation continues unabated.
I am currently on my Post-completion OPT. I was recently hired as an IT by a company which agreed to sponsor my H-1B. My OPT expires on January 2013. I've done my Associate Degree in Computer Science. Also, I have BS in Computer Science but from foreign country. Seven year experience in IT.I had my BS evaluated recently. It is equivalent to US Bachelors Degree in Computer Science Computer Technology.
Q1: I will have a gap of 3 months before April 1. How to maintain my status?
Q2: I am under STEM not with my US AAS but with my foreign BS degree. Can I extend my OPT with my evaluated diploma?
A1. You can consider going back to school or B-1/B-2 status. There is information on our blog on B-1/B-2 to maintain status.
I currently have a J-1 (for four more years, no HRR). I am thinking about applying for an EB2-NIW. The question is, if I don't get the EB-2, will I have problems with traveling with my J-1? Can the officers at the airport know that I was denied an EB-2 and thus showed immigration intent?
Exhibiting immigrant intent CAN be a problem for J-1. It is not certain that you will have a problem, but the potential does exist.
1. How do I apply for F-1 OPT?
2. How do I get a 17-month STEM extension of my post-completion OPT?
1. Once you receive a recommendation for post-completion OPT from your Designated School Official (DSO) to pursue OPT, you must apply for an employment authorization document (EAD) with USCIS within 30 days. Additionally, you may file up to 90 days prior to your program end-date and not later than 60 days after your program end date.
How do I schedule a conference call?
Rajiv hosts a free community conference call for immigration related questions every other Thursday. You can post questions for the call if you are a member of the forums. Membership is immediate and free for life. (Click here to register ).
1. Are children required to have chest x-rays or blood tests?
2. What if the applicant is mentally retarded or has a learning disability?
3. What is the legal basis for requesting medical information for visa applicants?
4. What should the applicant expect at the medical examination?
1. Chest X-ray and blood tests are not usually required for children under the age of fifteen.
2. Applicants with mental retardation or learning disabilities must present a report of their condition and any special educational or supervision requirements.
1. I am currently on an L-1 visa but I am thinking of resigning my job. I have an Australian passport, so if I do so could I just change my status to the Visa Waiver Program or would I need to physically exit and re-enter the country?
2. If I subsequently wish to stay longer than 90 days under the visa waiver program, am I able to simply exit and re-enter the country to restart the 90 day period?
1. You will have to exit and reenter OR apply for a change of status to
An experience from our community reader:
I did not have to go through the grueling J-1 HRR process from India. A matter of fact for your reference, a lot of students coming from India to US on J-1 for internship or completing their last semester are put on J-1 HRR directly without any inquiry into their application at the visa window. This causes a lot of stress to individuals under J-1 HRR and very few know that J-1 HRR Advisory opinion exists. I had been reading a lot of articles and on the USIEF website when I came to know about this and applied to see after 2 months that the J-1 HRR was never applicable to me.
Rajiv's Response:
Thanks for sharing. People, note, it is a good idea to confirm whether or not you are in fact subject to the HRR. We have been doing that for years in cases where there is a likelihood that you are not subject to HRR. Two typical situations where you may NOT be:
1. No US federal government funding (reinforced by suffix "P" instead of "G" in your program number) and
Hello Sir, I was in usa on j1 till recently and am in india going for h4 visa interview for the first time in June based on my spouse h1 (she has valid i797 and expired visa). She is now traveling to india next week due to family related issues and has to book visa dropbox slot and got one in October. Can I attend the interview in June while she is in india and waiting for her visa dropbox slot which is in October? Thank you very much.
I am not aware of any law that prohibits attending H-4 visa stamping before H-1 visa stamping. Your spouse has an H-1B approval. But the consulate can ask you to wait till the H-1B visa approval. Email the consulate to check how they would want you to approach this.
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Note: Unless the context shows otherwise, all answers here were provided by Rajiv and were compiled and reported by our editorial team from comments, blog and community calls on immigration.com. Where transcribed from audio/video, a verbatim transcript is provided. Therefore, it may not conform to the written grammatical or syntactical form.
I have an approved I-797 from my current employer. I am currently in India with a H1B Visa expired in 2018 (I travelled to US in Feb '17 and stayed till June '17) from my previous employer. While scheduling an appointment for a visa interview for me, my wife and my 2 year old toddler, it was shown that we are eligible for VISA interview waiver. My wife has an Expired H4 VISA in 2018, so she was also eligible for dropbox. My question is, will my toddler have any problem with getting a H4 since he doesn't have any VISA stamped in his passport, if we schedule the same dropbox date as neither me nor my wife has a valid VISA? should I book my appointment first and after I get my VISA should I book one for my wife and toddler ? Please advise as I do not want to risk a H4 rejection for my toddler
Check the website of the US consulate where you're going for the procedures. To the best of my remembrance, children under 14 are not required to be interviewed.
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Note: Unless the context shows otherwise, all answers here were provided by Rajiv and were compiled and reported by our editorial team from comments, blog and community calls on immigration.com. Where transcribed from audio/video, a verbatim transcript is provided. Therefore, it may not conform to the written grammatical or syntactical form.
Hi Sir, I have the H1B Extension approved and its valid till 03/2025. However, the H4 extension is still pending for my wife and son. I heard, even though the H4 extension is pending and H1 Extension is approved, dependents can get the stamping by referring to H1 Extension approval. Could you please clarify and if this is fine; let me know the process. Note: For personal reasons; my Wife and Son need to travel to India in June and they are planning to come back in October (Current stamping is valid 22nd Oct 2022)
H-4 visa stamping does not require any H-4 approval from the USCIS. The H-4 visa is approved based upon the H-1B approval.
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Note: Unless the context shows otherwise, all answers here were provided by Rajiv and were compiled and reported by our editorial team from comments, blog and community calls on immigration.com. Where transcribed from audio/video, a verbatim transcript is provided. Therefore, it may not conform to the written grammatical or syntactical form.
Hello Rajivji, in other question, you mentioned you can not interfile as EB2 is converted to EB3. Can you please help clarify? Employer 1: PD April 2013, EB2 Employer 2: EB2 in Jun 2019 in Oct 2020, Downgraded to EB3 as amendment I-140 and this EB3 I-140 is approved, I got EAD/AP too. I interfiled with 485J in March 2022. Would my interfile be accepted? if no- what are my options? I don't want to stuck in EB3 for next 5-10 years! Thanks for your help.
When an I-140 downgrade to EB-3 has been filed as an amendment instead of a new case, to get back into the EB-2 category, you have to file a new I-140 using the same PERM application. If the dates are current, you can concurrently file for adjustment of status.
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Note: Unless the context shows otherwise, all answers here were provided by Rajiv and were compiled and reported by our editorial team from comments, blog and community calls on immigration.com. Where transcribed from audio/video, a verbatim transcript is provided. Therefore, it may not conform to the written grammatical or syntactical form.