FAQs: Traveled on Advance Parole - Maintaining H-1B status without going for stamping and filing multiple I-485 or Interfiling || Green card application for parents during tourist visa || How are PERM minimum job requirements determined? || Extending or Renewing F-1 student visa risks and requirements || Various Interfiling Issues ||
Discussion Topics:
As per I-94, parents are admitted until 8th August 2022 for their B2 visa. We just sent the I-130/I-485 documents to USCIS.
Q1. What happens if there is no receipt generated till 7th August? Do parents have to leave the country?
Q2. If receipt is generated after they have left the country, what happens to the GC process?
Q3. If receipt is generated in time then what is the process to extend their stay or are they automatically eligible to stay till the GC process is completed?
1. Your obligation is complete when the government physically receives your papers with the proper filing fees. After that, if they delay in creating the receipt it's really not your problem. As long as you can show that the papers were sent and received by the government.
2. The answer is No. Let's say that they did leave, then they’re I-130 would still go on but their I-485 would be abandoned and you would have to convert the case to consular processing.
3. They are automatically eligible to stay because once their I-485 is timely filed, they are considered to be an authorized period of stay. They cannot be illegal as long as the I-485 is pending.
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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 am on an F-1 visa. I just need to know what are the consequences of working without authorization. I have a situation due to a hardship problem during the Covid times, I worked for one and a half months (approximately I don't remember exactly). I had a loan that paid my tuition but during the Covid times the bank from my hometown denied the transfer of funds. So, for that particular period I worked because I did not have a choice. All of my family members were fighting the worst covid situation at that time. There are five people in my family; four were in the hospital for weeks. I was not aware that working without authorization is a serious violation of my status.
In the future when I apply for H-1B or apply for OPT, what kind of consequences do I face? What are my options to get out of this situation? Can we get one pardon from the USCIS for this mistake?
The DSO could assist you in this matter and figure something out. But be prepared to leave the United States and secure a job if possible. Keep applying for an H-1B and if you ever get through the lottery and you get an H-1B approval make sure that you reveal in your visa papers that there was a violation. Be truthful about it. Remember this is not a ground for denying your H-1B. Therefore H-1B is definitely a possibility, but getting back the student status may be difficult.
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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 been in the U.S since 2017 and my F1 visa expires this month due to the 5 year validity period.
1. I graduate in December 2022, so is there any risk in renewing my visa this summer? Any chance of rejections?
2. What is the risk involved in renewing my F1 visa in another country besides my country of citizenship? I lived my whole life as a resident in another country without citizenship, but am no longer a resident there, so was wondering if renewing there is fine?
3. Is renewing an F1 visa necessary for OPT? I believe it's not necessary. Is renewing an F1 visa necessary to apply for H-1B and Green card?
1. First of all, unless you are traveling you do not have to renew your visa. If the visa expires while you're still completing your course, it's absolutely no problem.
2. Technically, once your F-1 has been granted, any country should be able to renew it.
3. It is not necessary for both your queries.
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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.
1. Can I have multiple employers i.e. jobs in the first year of OPT and also after getting STEM OPT extension?
2. Can all my employers start my green process simultaneously?
3. If H-1B COS is approved through one employer i.e. switched from OPT to H-1B, can I still continue other jobs and GC process with them? If not, is there a way to continue all jobs?
4. Does it make a green card case stronger if the sponsoring employer is a big renowned company like Microsoft or Amazon? Also, what about if the company is small?
5. Does OPT, STEM, and H-1B allow you to do a job that allows remote work from within the U.S. regardless of the pandemic? Is such a job eligible for H-1B and green card sponsorship?
1. Yes. STEM OPT people can also have more than one concurrent job, but they have to work with their DSO's to make sure the paperwork is filed properly.
2. Yes, as long as there is a good faith intention to join any one of these employers who can get your green card.
3. Yes, you can. You can have multiple H-1B approvals living together in the same space.
4. It does not impact the speed of the green card. What is most important is the company's financial solvency.
5. Remote work is possible for both OPT STEM, H-1B and Green Card jobs.
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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.
1. Is H-1B visa stamping required?
2. Can an H-1B visa be obtained while remaining in the US?
3. Can an H-1B visa be rejected?
1. The answer is No. It is only required if you travel outside.
2. It is a good idea to check with the consulate and they will respond through emails.
3. Absolutely.
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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 had filed for my parent's green card in July' 2022. It is concurrent filing.
The I-130 filed by me shows processing times of 4 weeks and 6 months for my dad & mom respectively.
The Advance Parole shows processing time of 11.5 months and I-485 (Minneapolis-St. Paul field office) is almost 2 years.
Their I-94 is expiring on the 30th Nov. What is the process to withdraw the application so that they can return back to India legally before 30th Nov?
Also wanted to know:
Will I need to withdraw the I-130 petitions that I had filed for them ?
Will this impact their existing B-2 (visitor) visa? Will it still be valid?
1. There is no need to withdraw the application, but if you want to withdraw you will have to send a letter. Even if they leave without getting an advance parole the I-485 is deemed to be abandoned but the I-130 can still go on. You will have to call USCIS to open a customer service request and convert the I-130 to consular processing. Even though the I-485 is abandoned the I-130 is put in the consular processing queue.
2. If they leave before November 30th their visitor visa should not be affected.
Release Date
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is providing information for nonimmigrant workers whose employment has terminated, either voluntarily or involuntarily. These workers may have several options for remaining in the United States in a period of authorized stay based on existing rules and regulations.
I was on H-4, and it was valid till Jan 2023. I got my h1b approved via the Change of Status application and it came along with a new I-94 date. My employer is saying that they need some time to onboard me. They are working on finding a suitable project for me and it is going to take some time. Is it ok to defer the joining date and should my employer or I file any application to let USCIS know that I am not starting the job right away?
That is not your problem, they should be really paying you. It is illegal. They cannot keep the employee out of a payroll. Employers cannot stop paying you merely because they don't have a project.
I was on F1, and my spouse was on F2. My H1B was approved in 2020 for client A, but COS from F1 to H1B was denied, so I just continued my F1 status. Later, I moved to client B, and my employer filed an H1B Amendment and got the complete approval with I-94, effective 29th April 2022. After approval, we filed I539 for my spouse's COS from F2 to H4 (still pending) with a receipt date of 17th May 2022.
Question: Since there is a gap between my H1B start date (04/29) and my H4 receipt date (05/17), may the USCIS deny our case? If so, what are our best options to proceed further?
Technically Yes, this can be an issue.
USCIS recently updated the following form:
Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker
11/02/2022 12:05 PM EDT
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.
Is it considered a violation of F-1 status to be on "unpaid leaves of absence" instead of being unemployed while waiting for OPT approval?
In my opinion, if you go on leave without pay you are only entitled to benefits or not even benefits as long as you are not working. I do not consider this to be a violation of the student 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.