Planning to change my employer. Priority Date: Sept 2014 (EB2). H1: on my 5th Year (Filed for an extension it is currently in process). My plan is to change my employer once my extension is approved but I have the following questions. I am 100% sure my employer is going to withdraw my I-140. How is my H1 transfer going to work?
First of all the moment, your I-140 is approved no matter which category EB-1 or EB-2, the Priority Date is yours to keep that means if you got your green card filed in let's say 2017 and you left this employer after the I-140 approval, they revoked your I-140 and you started another green card in 2020 your Priority Date will be still 2017 because your I-140 was approved. So the moment the I-140 was approved the Priority Date becomes your property and it can be carried across categories, across employers, and across geographical areas. So if you go from a PERM filing in New York to an employer in California and your previous filing was EB-3 next filing is EB2 or even EB-1 you can carry the date of the work petition as long as the I-140 was approved. The moment the I-140 is approved, the Priority Date is yours.
There are limited exceptions unless the I-140 is revoked for fraud, etc., by the USCIS. Even if the employer revokes the I-140 you will keep your Priority Date. In addition to that, if the I-140 gets approved and stays approved for 180 days you will not only carry your Priority Date you will carry your right to extend your H-1 through any employer indefinitely. You will get a second benefit after 180 days and if the lawyer revokes the I-140 you will still get the benefit of both Priority Date and the right to extend your H-1 through any employer. The government has also said if you have an H-4 EAD for your spouse, your I-40 stayed approved for 180 days your wife's or your husband's H-4 EAD is safe even if the old employer revokes the I-140 later on as long as the I-140 stayed approved for 180 days. So if you left but the I-140 stayed approved for 180 days H-4 EAD is safe. That, in a nutshell, is the general law. More
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I have been on H1B for almost 5 years and I recently got my PERM approved. My employer will file for I-140 soon. My question is related to priority dates. I saw one of your videos where you explained that the priority date practically belongs to the employee. So does that mean when an employee gets I-140 approval then the employee can change employer at any time and keep the same priority date for the next filing with the new employer?
What happens if an employee leaves or gets laid off after a month of getting i140 approval and the old employer decides to withdraw/revoke the application? In this case, can the new employer use the same priority date or get the new one for the employee? If a new employer gets the new one then what happens when an employee's 6 yr H1B term has finished before new i140 approval comes, does he/she get extension on H1B based on new application?
As per the regulations dated 17, January 2017 the moment your I-140 is approved the priority date is your property not the employers. Therefore even if the I-140 is revoked the same day and if it was approved, that priority date is yours to keep. You can take it across to any employer. If you go to another employer and if yours is a labor cert based case being filed you have to redo the PERM and the I-140 but you will carry the old priority date which is a big advantage.
In addition to your priority date, if the I-140 remains approved for 180 days, you can continue to extend your H-1B with any employer after six years. They cannot take that right away even if they revoke your I-140.
Given the current situation with tech layoffs, I wanted to understand the options available for people in my situation.
I’m currently working in the US on H-1B and my GC application (I-485) with PD July 2014 and 485 is in “Case remains pending”.
I have 485 EAD approved till 2024 and Advanced Parole is still pending.
Now if someone switches to EAD and their date becomes current before they can find a job. What are their options?
Also, do we have any info on what the status “Case Remains Pending” means?
1. Switching to EAD is very easy. There is no formal process for it. All you have to do is when you want to convert from H-1B or if you have been laid off present your EAD as documentation of your authorization to work.
2. Travel back into the United States with an H-1B visa and that of course comes after you get an approval from the USCIS.
3. In a case like this you should get your approval. Make sure you get the next job in the same or similar field. Keep some documentation that shows they are in the same or similar field.