Form I-131A Now Available
USCIS has published Form I-131A, Application for Travel Document (Carrier Documentation), a new form that allows lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to apply for a travel document (carrier documentation) if they:
USCIS has published Form I-131A, Application for Travel Document (Carrier Documentation), a new form that allows lawful permanent residents (LPRs) to apply for a travel document (carrier documentation) if they:
Discussion Topics, Thursday, 12 January 2017:
FAQ: FAQ: New Regulations Calculation of 180 days for H-1 extension and several related questions; FAQ: Consequences for green card and other in switching to H-4 EAD from H-1; FAQ: Compelling circumstances EAD
Other: DUI affect on naturalization; CSPA; L-2 reentering the USA; SEVIS errors and J-1 options; Abandonment of I-130; Types of H-1 extensions after 6 years of H-1 are over; Applying for naturalization - counting days; Rules for H-1B quota exemption; Applying for h-4 visa; I-131 reentry permit; Effect of employer’s bankruptcy on green card and H-1, etc.
USCIS published an updated editon of Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. The new edition is dated 01/22/16. (USCIS will continue to accept the 03/22/13 edition, but no other previous editions will be accepted.)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) provides a number of humanitarian programs and types of protection for individuals in need of shelter and/or aid from disasters, oppression, emergency medical issues and other urgent conditions. Humanitarian parole is one such program.
Processing time of I-765 and I-131s - The EAD processing time should be back down to an average of around 45 days. The center aims to adjudicate all I-765s and I-131s within 50 to 55 days.
Processing time of I-765 and I-131s - The EAD processing time should be back down to an average of around 45 days. The center aims to adjudicate all I-765s and I-131s within 50 to 55 days.
For more updates click here .
USCIS reminds individuals that they must obtain Advance Parole – permission to reenter the United States after traveling abroad – from USCIS before traveling abroad if they have been granted Temporary Protected Status (TPS); a pending application for adjustment of status to lawful permanent reside
On July 22, USCIS adjusted the addresses for certain applicants filing Form I-131, Application for Travel Document. USCIS has not changed any filing locations but have refined attention lines and ZIP codes to improve internal processes at the lockboxes. This address update affects:
Topics:
I had an accident and am on disability while my green card adjustment of status application ( form I-485 ) has been pending for over 4 years. My I-140 had been approved about 5 years back but my case has been caught up in the visa backlogs at USCIS and Department of State. I wanted to know if there was any provision for help in the immigration laws, in case I am sent for long term disability or my employment is terminated before I receive my green card. I learnt that employment and disability are subjects to be discussed with a benefits or employment attorney. The only immigration benefits are via AC 21 or via a private bill. Also, that one should not loose the advance parole anytime while the AOS is pending. I want to thank Mr. Rajiv Khanna for his generosity with time and expert guidance. Over the phone I found him to have a very pleasant personality. he had me feel comfortable and didnt seem money minded at all.
I just sent my I-131 application (for reentry permit) via overnight delivery, but turns out that I need to briefly go abroad starting this Friday for a work emergency. The official Notice of Action (I-797c) would probably arrive at my house while I am still overseas. My question is, will the application be denied if I leave the country before receiving the Notice of Action? (I'm afraid that USCIS would assume that I've abandoned the application by leaving the country.) I should be back in the USA for the biometric appointment.
As I recall, as long as the application has been physically received by USCIS, your departure does not cause abandonment. So, you should not have to worry. But you will need to be back for biometrics associated with the I-131.
We just did recently receive our US Green Card (EB2) for both my wife and me. Keeping all those melodrama apart, in short, is extremely pleased and has no words to express ourselves. We want to thank everyone working with Law Offices of Rajiv (Immigration.com) and especially Mathew, Suman-Ji, Bharathi, Anna, Rita and last but not the least Rajiv himself. On a true note, they are extremely professional and super prompt in answering any of your stupidest questions on Immigration. Rajiv is extremely desperate in taking cases through to positive destiny using and interpreting every piece of immigration law that according to me, a lot of his competitors would try and avoid.
In last 6-years they have done our multiple successful H1B/H4 renewals, this Green Card case, and hopefully would be the one helping us on our US Citizenship process, about 5-years from now.
All of you guys out there, if you have any immigration issues, and want a little piece of mind, please do not wait. schedule an immediate appointment with them and be happy from thereon.
Just for information, our US born baby girl is about 2.5 months old now. Once she grows up a bit, would surely want to pay them a visit. We wish them all the very best as of now and in future.
Rajiv S khanna is the best. Aruna, Bharathi they are all the best people to deal with. Very very excellent service provided. waiting for my I-485 so lets see. Thanks to all for all the service provided.
Hello, My interactions with the Law offices of Rajiv S Khanna started in Aug 2004 when I first applied for my H1 visa. Ever since, I have reached out to Mr. Khanna, Mr. Chacko and other support personnel (Ms. Mehta, Ms.Bhasin, Ms.Baker) for all my immigration related needs. This group of professionals is the best you can ever hope to find to help you navigate the complex and painfully slow immigration process. Rajiv and his team form a tremendous body of knowledge and the beauty of this group is that they provide their expertise as a 'service'. It is true that the law firm charges fees for processing ones case, but the amounts charged are far less than what one would have to pay elsewhere for service that is typically not on par. Mr. Khanna himself has called me on numerous occasions to clarify a question or seek more specific detail....it amazes me that the seniormost attorney in the firm takes time to do this and that too without charging a single dime for a personal call. My wife and I used Rajiv's offices to handle our Green Card application. The process was lengthy and stretched over 6 years from start to finish. I'm glad to report that the GC was granted. Without Rajiv's group supporting this would have been a nightmare. The team that handled my case did their work in the most professional manner possible. I got prompt replies to my emails, voice messages and on occasion even emails and calls over the weekend. I have probably inundated mailboxes with questions and counter arguments...never once have I been discouraged from asking questions nor have I not gotten a clear and definitive answer for my queries. Over the green card process, Rajiv's group renewed my Advance Paroloe and Employment applications (for my wife and I) three times. They have never sent me a bill for this, stating clearly that this falls within the overall green card application process. In my comments above, I emphasize on many occasion the financial matters related with this firm. It is also important to highlight the humane treatment you are accorded by everyone I worked with. The support staff and attorneys clearly understand the emotional stress involved in the immigration process and they treat you with respect and dignity. I have referred many friends of mine to Rajiv's office and they all state similar commendable experience. In short, I am glad I found this group of brilliant immigration attorneys and support personnel. I'm glad they were on my side and helped me win permanent residency. I can state without any hesitation that you will not be disappointed if you choose Rajiv's group to represent you. The level of service and support you will receive from the Law offices of Rajiv S Khanna will be far more than what you ever dream about. Many thanks to everyone at Rajiv's office for all the hard work. If there is anything I can every do in return please let me know....
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced revised filing instructions and addresses for applicants filing an Application for Travel Document (Form I-131). The change of filing location is part of an overall effort to transition the intake of some USCIS forms from USCIS local offices and Service Centers to USCIS Lockbox facilities. By Centralizing form and fee intake to a Lockbox environment, the agency can provide customers with more efficient and effective initial processing of applications and fees.
I was very pleased with answers I received from Mr. Rajiv S. Khanna to my questions on my immigration concern.Thank you very much for sparing time to talk with me over phone. Also thanks for your staff's prompt reply for scheduling phone interview. Thanks a lot, Rajiv!
Excellent and Timely job by Aruna, Prerna & Bhrathi And Timely & Accurate advice by "The Big" Mathew. We got our anxiety put to rest in respect of our daughter's college admission with pending GC. last night we got our "card production ordered" email from CRIS. Today we are truly global residents with Indian background, New Zealand citizenship and now PR of United States. Thanks to R Khanna and his incredible staff and ofcourse my employer Multivision Inc. who have supported throughout the GC process going beyond the business.
Shiva B &
Family
As of June 11, 2018, petitioners who file Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence, or Form I-829, Petition by Entrepreneur to Remove Conditions on Permanent Resident Status, will receive a Form I-797 receipt notice that can be presented with their Form I-551, Permanent Resident Card, as evidence of continued status for 18 months past the expiration date on their Permanent Resident Card.
Discussion Topics, Thursday,30 August 2018:
FAQ: H4 EAD based upon a prior employers I 140 approval; effect on I 140 of changing multiple employers; effect on prior I 140 if a subsequent I 140 is approved || Can I join my old employer if the H-1B transfer is denied? Filing green card through future employer || Green card based upon investment – – EB-5 || Effect on green card and naturalization of using public or government benefits || Porting priority date from EB 2 to EB 1
Other: Job titles to be used for naturalization application || How to have a spouse stay in the USA while the green card application is going on || Entering USA on H-1B approval for one employer and H-1B visa of another employer || H-1B transfer back to an approved location || Nunc Pro Tunk approval of H-1B and 212 (d) (3) waivers || EAD delays || Confusion about permanent address used || Green card holder studying abroad || Changing tourist visato a long-term visa || Correcting name errors || Repeat RFE's
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.
USCIS offers a Questions and Answers to clarify issues on filing adjustment applications, work authorization documents, and refugee travel documents for refugees and asylees.
I am currently on H1-B and my I-140 has been approved. Because of the delay in I-485 Processing, I was thinking of doing my green card through the EB-5 Category with a $500,000.00 Investment through a Regional Center or a New Commercial Enterprise.
I had a few questions regarding the following:
For EB-5 through Regional Center
1. What is the time frame for Investing the money? Does it vary per Project?
2. What is the general Return of Investment on these Projects? Does it vary per Project?
3. Can we withdraw the Investment earlier if the Project is a failure?
4. How much involvement is necessary/allowed in the management of the Project?
5. When can I start withdrawing the money after I get my Green Card?
6. Is there any agency/firm that evaluates the Regional Centers?
For EB-5 Immigrant Investor through New Commercial Enterprise
7. Do the 10 people have to employed immediately or over a period of 2 years?
8. If I employ 10 people and put in 500,000.00 in a start up business in a rural area or highly unemployed area towards the income for the employees, is the money counted towards investment?
Hello, everyone. This is Rajiv S. Khanna for immigration.com, the Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khanna, P.C.
I wanted to talk with you folks about requirements for naturalization for people who get their Green Card based upon employment and then have to stay outside USA for a certain period time. Many of the criteria here are common to people who have obtained their Green Card through any other method such as through marriage or through political asylum. Pretty much, it is the same law. But I want to focus primarily on people who have gotten an employment-based Green Card, because those are the inquires I receive the most and I don’t want to miss anything, because N-470 typically does not apply to people in non-employment situations, except for missionaries. I’ll get to that in a second.
So, first of all, let’s look at the requirements for somebody to get naturalized in USA. What are the normal requirements?
Right here. You must have received your Green Card approval five years ago. Actually, it is a little bit more complicated than that. You can apply 90 days before your 5th year anniversary of Green Card. In case you got your Green Card through marriage, then it is three years, when you are married to a US citizen. After that, you must have stayed in USA for at least 30 months physically. 2 ½ years. Half the time. You should not have visited outside USA for a year or more. If you go outside USA for a year, your Green Card is gone. It’s difficult to get it back. Not impossible, but what you will have to do if you end up staying for a year or more outside USA is, you will have to go to the consulate and convince them that you have not abandoned your US permanent residence, your Green Card, and you can do that by a process called SB-1 (Returning Resident Permit). I’m not going to go into that in too much detail, but just to give you an idea. If you are outside USA for one year or more, for naturalization purposes, you have to start your five years all over again, except in the following two circumstances, I-131 and N-470, which are these. I’ll get to that in a second as well.
So, physical presence of 2 ½ years, no visit outside USA for a year or more, any visit outside USA for six months or more but less than one year, you have to explain. Why were you gone that long? So this is for people who have not filed these special forms called I-131 and N-470. I also want to make a quick note about I-131 and N-470.
What is I-131?
It’s the same form you used for filing for Advanced Parole when you are in need of Advanced Parole during your Adjustment of Status. It’s also the same form used for protecting your Green Card through a process called Reentry Permit. So you use your 1-131 to apply for a Reentry Permit, which is typically given for two years at one go, and you can get that extended, depending on the circumstances. Basically, the I-131 tells the government, “Look. I am not abandoning my permanent residence. I am just going outside temporarily.” Once you file the I-131, things change for naturalization purposes.
Did you stay outside USA for one year continuously?
If you did, ordinarily, if you had not filed I-131, you would have to start five years all over again, if you have not lost your Green Card. You could have even lost your Green Card. But, if you had filed your I-131, you don’t lose your Green Card, and you also get a respite of one year. When you come back, you have to establish your US residence for four years and one day instead of five years and apply after you have accumulated physical presence in USA for 2 ½ years. It gives you one year off from those five years. That’s an added advantage of I-131. It protects your Green Card as much as humanly possible. There’s more to it. I would always advise you to talk with a lawyer before you take any steps of going outside USA for an extended period of time. It also shortens the time of five years that you would have to otherwise accumulate for naturalization.
Did you stay outside USA for one year continuously after I-131?
If the answer is no, then these same requirements that apply to normal people will apply to you. Physical presence of 30 months, no visit outside USA for a year or more, six months or more will have to be explained.
Then comes N-470.
N-470 is one of those tricky strange forms. It’s applicable to a certain group of people. I would strongly encourage you to read up on the instructions on N-470. They’re pretty informative.
The way this works is, if you’re going to work for a US company abroad and, again, I am talking about employment context. There are other reasons N-470 can be filed. Read the instructions. What N-470 does is it allows you to stay outside USA for a year or more and not have a break that will restart your five years all over again. Let me explain. Let’s say I file I-131 and N-470. I do it together. Usually, in most cases, we do both forms together. When you file I-131 and N-470 together, let’s say you stayed outside USA for 1 ½ years. Normally, when you come back, you have to start that five-year period all over again, because you were outside USA for one year or, in case of I-131, you have to start the four year, one day period all over again. But N-470 says, “We forgive your stay outside USA for one year or more for naturalization purposes. We don’t forgive your requirement of 30 months of physical presence.” But it stops the discontinuity that would normally restart the five-year clock or the four year, one day clock after having stayed outside USA for one year. It is a clock-stopping device. It is a very good device. One problem though. N-470 has one strange requirement. You must have at least one year anywhere during your stay in USA as a Green Card holder where you did not travel outside USA for even for one day. Makes no sense to me. I don’t know why it is there, but it’s there. Go figure, but keep that in mind.
I hope this has been informative. I had told one of our posters. Somebody had posted a comment on immigration.com wanting to know more about this. And I told him that I’ll record something, but I’ve had some technical issues. They’re working on our website developing some new material that will make it easier for us to post our videos. I hope to be doing this a lot more, and I’ll continue to do so.
Thank you for being here. I hope to speak with you very soon.
Its been a long journey that started with completion of masters (F1) visa and today receiving green card (GC). I have been with Rajiv ji and his team since the beginning of my immigration journey (F1(OPT) -> H1 -> H1 Ext.-> Perm -> I140 -> I765 -> I485).
As said by everyone else here in the guestbook i also concur with all the things.
Firstly, they know what they are doing and are best at it. They have a solid knowledge about all the immigration rules, jargon, what can cause potential problem in future and how to handle the complexities a case has.
Secondly, very professional, prompt replies and free consultations. One thing that i liked is that they all are very easy to reach including Rajiv ji itself and that helps a lot in calming down the immigration anxieties of clients.
Best wishes to you and your team.