Feb 22, 2018, Discussion Topics - 7th year H-1B extension - H-1B approval without I-94
1. What documents do I need to travel outside the United States?<br>
2. What documents do I need to present to reenter the United States?<br>
3. Does travel outside the United States affect my permanent resident status?<br>
4. What if my trip abroad will last longer than 1 year?<br>
5. What if I lose my green card or reentry permit or it is stolen or destroyed while I am temporarily traveling outside of the United States?
1. In general, you will need to present a passport from your country of citizenship or your refugee travel document to travel to a foreign country. In addition, the foreign country may have additional entry/exit requirements (such as a visa). For information on foreign entry and exit requirements, see the De
Note: 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.
WASHINGTON—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) launched a pilot to test a redesigned processing times webpage that displays the data for all forms in an easier-to-read format and also tests a new way of collecting data and calculating the processing times for some forms.
Can I keep the notarized copy of my green card instead of original green card? Because I think it’s risky to carry GC all the time and have fear of it getting lost. cost and wait time for replacing GC is very high.
When I will travel out of town or government buildings I can take my GC with me. But for other day to day routine travel can I keep my GC safe at home ? What is the maximum penalty I have to pay if random checked by immigration officer (very unlikely) I provide my driving license and notarized copy of GC? Is it very serious offense ? Have you seen people getting into immigration(USCIS) trouble for not carrying original GC?
Do we have to do police complaint if GC is lost? If yes then can you please explain the procedure, and forms to fill.
Note: 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.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) reminds special immigrant religious workers, who have a pending or approved Petition for Amerasian, Widow(er), or Special Immigrant, (Form I-360), to file their Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, (Form I-485), on or before Aug. 31, 2009. Special immigrant religious workers who wish to file a Form I-360 petition with an I-485 application should also file on or before Aug. 31, 2009.
1) After getting the GC through a sponsoring employer, is there any procedure to indicate that the future job is accepted by the employee. I mean switching from H1B to GC status is just based on letting the employer know about the status or is there any paperwork needed to be sent to USCIS?
2) Also, based on getting a green card, is there a stringent requirement of payroll checks? This is based on the fact that H1B employees have to maintain the payroll constantly (based on my knowledge). I am asking this in case I want to take a vacation for some time in case I get my GC?
3) After joining the sponsoring employer, if on GC, more opportunities come by, is it allright to consider those opportunities? What is the timeframe for USCIS to consider that the employee did have the right intent to join the sponsoring employer?
A1) There is no formal procedure other than joining, preparing a Form I-9, being on the payroll and actually working.
A2) You can behave like you would in any other permanent job - take vacations, etc.
A3) That question has been answered on my blog. See http://forums.immigration.com/blog.php?b=36
1) I am a US Citizen. My parents (or spouse/spouse-to-be) are in USA on visitors visa. Can I apply for their green card? How does it all work?
2) My parents' I-130 application is currently pending. They are currently living in their home country, India. Can they visit me during the pendency of the green card application?
3) Is it better to apply for adjustment of status or consular processing for the last step of their green card?
4) Updated FAQ - My parent came to US with B1 visa and they are still here. But the visa were expired several years ago. Now I am a citizen, I wonder if I can still apply for green card for them. Could I apply by myself or need to consult with a lawyer?
A1. There is nothing that stops you from applying for their green card. Note also that the same answer applies to children and spouse of a US citizens. But it does NOT apply to brothers/sisters.
There is just one issue. It is INAPPROPRIATE (may be even illegal) for a person to enter USA on a tourist or other similar visa if they have the intent to apply for a green card. BUT, if they enter USA without that intent, and after a few days of entry change their mind, that is perfectly appropriate and legal.
May B-1/B-2, E-1, E-2, F-1, H-1, J-1, L-1 O-1 visa or TN holder apply for green card?
One of the questions I am asked quite frequently is whether or not an E-1/E-2 visa holder can apply for a green card and not jeopardize his or her E status. The answer is PROBABLY yes he can.
In the E visa context, this is what the govt says:
Quote:
9 FAM 41.51 N15 INTENT TO DEPART UPON TERMINATION OF STATUS
(TL:VISA-404; 04-29-2002)
Please find attached Details of USCIS National Stakeholder Meeting which was held on July 27, 2009.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Application Support Center (ASC) stand-alone sites will move to a Monday through Friday schedule beginning Nov. 2, 2009. Stand-alone ASCs are those which are not co-located with other federal offices and which previously operated Tuesday through Saturday. All ASCs, both stand-alone and co-located sites, will continue to be open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.
1. I am on H1B. It is valid until 2010. Since I am hearing that there are many queries on the port of entry, do ou think I should travel back to the country with valid AP or H1? Which one is more preferable?
2. Considering I have valid H1B until 2010 and valid AP (though I don't have AP at the moment). I plan to stay on H1 as long as I am waiting for my greencard. But for travel purposes I use AP. Does coming back into the country using AP will change my status from H1 to EAD?
3. How long is AP processing taking these days?
4. All my co-workers are getting huge queries on H1 extension or H1 transfer. Is AP processing also getting queries? Should I even start AP processing?
5. Please list out all the documents that I should carry while traveling?
1. I think I prefer AP. Read the Cronin memo and you will understand that even if you enter using AP, you will be considered to be on valid H-1 as long as you were maintaining H-1 status before you left. Search the word "Cronin" on my blog .
2. No. See answer above.
3. It is impossible to predict times. Plan for a six-month turnaround.
4. Do not be scared of queries. We are yet to lose an H-1 case. I am not aware of any queries on AP.
5. Advance Parole and Passport.
My 6 year period of H1b visa expires in Dec 2010 and my labor application is still pending for approval. It was filed in February 2009. Am I eligible to apply for a visa extension , if so when should I apply for that? I assume I still have time.
H-1 extension beyond six years can be obtained under two circumstances:
First, indefinite H-1 extensions in one-year increments can be obtained, if the I-140 (or I-485) was filed and the green card process was started a year ago. The GC process is started for:
- Labor Certification based cases (including PERM) the date for the begining of the countdown is the date when the labor certification is officially received:
- for PRE PERM cases - by the local office (SWA); and
My company (an LLC) is filing Chapter 11 Bankruptcy to restructure debt. They are planning to emerge out of Bankruptcy filing as a "C corp" company. We were told that there wont be any interruption to the day-to-day business.
1. How does it effect my H1B visa and GC application (filed I-485 - pending)?
2. Do I need to re-apply (transfer) H1 B to the new company or can I send an amendment?
3. Do I need to file AC 21 portability or send an amendment to pending I-485 application?
1. If your job remains the same and regular salary continues to be paid I see no issue for H-1 or green card.
2. An amendment should be filed, though it is debatable if it is required.
3. In my view, AC21 port is easier.
I am UK citizen and had withdrawn a bank loan when I was in UK, which I did not pay back. I am on bad credit in UK.
Currently I am working in USA for more than 2 years and my current employer in USA is ready to sponsor Green Card for me. My current USA employer does not know about my bad credit in UK.
My Question is: During background and security check for green card process, will this loan effect my GC? Does the GC background and security check process includes financial unpaid loans/bad credits in other countries as well?
Watch the Video on this FAQ: Does bad credit or private loans/litigation affect immigration?
Video Transcript:
Note: 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.
I just wanted to thank you Rajiv and his team, esp Prerna, Rita and Pramita for their wonderful work and guidance throughout my greencard process.
USCIS offers a Questions and Answers to clarify issues on filing adjustment applications, work authorization documents, and refugee travel documents for refugees and asylees.
Discussing allegations of fraud and consequences when a short-term visa holder tries to convert to green card or another long-term visa from within the US.
If the Child is born in India and we have the GC by that time, is there any way the child can travel to US?
Your child may accompany you or travel with you to the U.S if the following conditions are met:
a) the child has a separate passport;
b) has a birth certificate from the corporation, municipality or a registrar of births and deaths (please note hospital records are not adequate)
c) the child accompanies the immigrant mother or father upon her or his return to the U.S following the birth of the child
d) the child is under the age of two years
e) the immigrant mother or father has a valid Form I-551 or I-151, alien registration receipt card (in short called
I have worked with Ms. Diane Lombardo and Mr. Khanna from past several years for my O-1 visa, J1 Waiver and GC. Diane and Mr. Khanna are always very accommodating and helpful. They have guided me through the entire process diligently and professionally. I have very truly recommend them to my friends without any second thoughts.
I recently started my GC application with Mr. Khanna and his team. What I found most remarkable was the timely responsiveness and expertise of Mr. Khanna and his team. They were quickly able to address our issues and provide valuable insights based on their vast experience in the immigration area. Thanks once again for all your efforts. Truly appreciate it.
The current prediction that the priority dates for employment based green card applications are likely to retrogress again has brought a lot of speculation and questions from our clients and our community. Let me clarify some of the questions and concerns.
Q 1. What happens if my priority date (“PD”) retrogresses while my I-485 is still pending?
Q 2. Can we expedite the adjudication of our pending I-485 (or any application, for that matter)?
A 1. There are two possibilities. First, the case is not yet ripe for adjudication (for instance, it has not been assigned to an officer or the security clearances are not yet submitted or obtained), USCIS can shelf the case and not process it any longer untile the PD becomes current again. Second, USCIS can “preadjudicate” that case. That means the case is adjudicated and then shelved for PD to become current again. I do not believe there exists a mechanism currently to determine what USCIS will do with an individual case.
Hi Rajiv, I want to take this moment and offer you my utmost gratitude and thankfulness for your support and cooperation in my Green Card process. My case was little complicated as I had another I-485 with another lawyer with different job descriptions but same company. But with your expertise there was no RFE . This has been possible by the perseverance and dedication that was offered by your office. And I want to specially thank Amrita who has been exceptionally helpful to me for all these years. I must have contacted her zillion times for questions and concerns that never left me alone. But she always maintained her professional outlook and gave me the best guidance. This entire immigration process was only possible through your support. I will highly recommend your law firm for all immigration matters. Its the best indeed. Regards, Ashish Agrawal