On April 21, 2016, USCIS began allowing petitioners who filed Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, requesting an extension of status or change of employer to submit an inquiry after their petition has been pending for 210 days or more. This inquiry may be based on the petition being outside of normal processing times.
FAQ: Changing back to F-1 student status after filing for green card; I-94 given for duration shorter than entitled; H-1B amendment when change of cities; Impact of traveling while H-1 extension is pending; Birth certificate non-availability, affidavit; Changing jobs after I-140 approval; STEM OPT extension for consulting or staffing companies; Effect of divorce on an employment-based case and cross-chargeability; Transferring H-1 subject to cap, cap-gap extension; Remedy for denial of I-485 AOS; Sued by employer.
Other: Effect on relative petition if petitioner loses their green card; Revocation of I-140; Porting priority date; Changing jobs H-1 or EAD, converting from EAD to H-1; F-2 out of status converting to H-4; H-4 family traveling while H-1 extension is pending; CAP-GAP extension and drivers license; Effect of relocation to India during green card processing; Visa stamping for H-4 out of status, etc.
USCIS has received a sufficient number of petitions to reach the numerical limit (the “cap”) of 12,999 workers who may be issued CW-1 visas or otherwise provided with CW-1 status for Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. May 5, 2016 was the final receipt date for CW-1 worker petitions requesting an employment start date before October 1, 2016.
Discussion Topics, Thursday, September 30, 2021:
FAQ: Obtaining student or visitor's visa while a green card is pending || Continuing to use H-1B when I return on Advance Parole || Nuances of changing employers during the green card process || Green card holder working on multiple jobs - Is it legal? || How long can green card holders stay outside the U.S.? || Effect of a career change on naturalization process and timing.
Published by: The Times Of India - Date: October 02, 2021
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
We filed an H-1B extension petition for a small software company that offers customer software and technology solutions to the local clientele. USCIS approved the classification portion of the petition, but denied the portion of the petition requesting an extension of stay. USCIS stated that beneficiary had failed to maintain his nonimmigrant status because his H-1B status had expired prior to the filing of the H-1B extension petition and he was only in an authorized period of stay because of a pending extension request from the previous employer.
We filed an H-1B petition for a company that provides IT related services, on behalf of the beneficiary, a software developer. An RFE was subsequently issued, responded to and then denied as failing to prove that petitioner established that sufficient speciality occupation work was available and that the position qualified as a specialty occupation. We filed an appeal with the Administrative Appeals Office, the appeal was sustained and the petition was remanded back for issuance of an approval notice.
We filed an H-1B extension petition for a software consulting and professional services firm on behalf of a software architect requesting status and work authorization for a duration of three years. The extension was, however, approved for a duration much shorter than requested and the approval notice was both dated and received after the shorter validity period had already expired, thereby destroying the legal status of the employee and causing him to accrue unlawful presence.
Discussion Topics, Thursday, October 14, 2021:
FAQ: Reentering the U.S.A. on a Visitor’s/Tourist Visa Soon After Leaving || Can GC-EAD holder start business and what impact on the pending I-485? || FAQ: Can GC-EAD holders start a business and what impact on the pending I-485? || Is there a problem listing one location in a PERM application while living and working remotely in a different location? || EB-2/EB-3 Options in PERM Filing and EB-2 to EB-3 downgrade and upgrade
Release Date
10/20/2021
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is issuing updated and comprehensive guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual on adjudicating applications for T nonimmigrant status (or T visas) submitted by victims of human trafficking, including clarifying how applicants establish eligibility.
As part of the credit card payment pilot program, the Vermont Service Center is now accepting credit card payments using Form G-1450, Authorization for Credit Card Transactions, for petitioners filing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, for O and P nonimmigrants.
As of April 21, 2016, petitioners who filed Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker, requesting an extension of stay or change of employer, can submit an inquiry after their petition has been pending for 210 days or more. Petitioners may now submit this inquiry online by selecting “case outside normal processing time.”