Visas and Green Cards for Artists, Musicians and Performers
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I had a brief telephonic consultation and Resume review with Mr. Khanna. He seems like very through and knowledgable attorney. He provided me right information and suggestion as what should be the next step to follow and in which category my GC petition has more chances to get approved. This is all within 15 mins of consultation and that too with no charge/fee. I would strongly recommend him and his firm. - Pallav
Ours is a long story. My green card was filed under EB3 India with a PD of May 2006. My husband's green card was filed under EB3 India in 2005. When our dates became current sometime in 2007, my I-140 was already approved and his was pending. So, we decided to go ahead with my case and filed for I-485 for both of us. However, the dates then retrogressed and our lawyer informed us that my husband's case is no longer valid since his LC expired 3 months after it was approved. We didn't know that LC expires if not used within a specific time frame and the lawyer did not inform us either. Anyways, my husband's GC was again filed, this time through Rajiv's firm with proper guidance and through EB2. Rajiv also guided us to go through Consular Processing instead of I-485 since in our case, my husband could legally work using EAD via the I-485 applied through my case. In all these years, the company I work for has increased in size and wants to promote me. I consulted with Rajiv regarding this and inquired about possibility for porting from EB3 to EB2. Rajiv answered all our questions and guided us appropriately this time too. We are now waiting to hear about the Priority Dates for October 2012 bulletin and will make a decision about EB3 to EB2 porting. It feels so good to be able to talk to Rajiv regarding these questions related to immigration and his knowledge and experience in this field is very very valuable for people like us. Every time we have talked to him we have received excellent response and guidance. My husband and the company he works for had a very good experience with EB2 filing. Everything was very professional and was checked and rechecked before it was sent through. Thanks to Rajiv for all his help with our case so far!
EB3 to EB2 conversion
EB3 to EB2 porting
EB3 to EB2
Good afternoon, everyone. This is US Immigration Attorney, Rajiv S. Khanna for immigration.com, the Law Offices of Rajiv S. Khanna, P.C.
This is a community information call. It is not intended to create an attorney/client relationship. Whatever we say here remains merely an informational conversation.
This is a follow-up to the August 30 Community Conference Call.
We are talking about issues related to converting from EB3 to EB2.
What is this idea of EB-3 to EB-2 conversion?
Most of you know that EB-3 for countries like India and China are very backed up and EB-2’s are better. Actually, for the rest of the world also, EB-2 is much better. So sometimes even though you have obtained a Labor Certification (PERM certification) and then you obtained an I-140 approval or you are on the path to that, you feel, “Oh, maybe I should have filed an EB-2, or maybe circumstances have changed and now I can file under EB-2.” So, in those cases, when we get the priority date from an EB-3 case and put it on top of an EB-2 case, thereby essentially converting an EB-3 case to an EB-2 case, we refer to that loosely as a conversion. Really, it is not a conversion. It is a new case filed under EB-2, and essentially the priority date is being transferred.
One relevant question here. Can priority dates be transferred if an employer revokes my old I-140?
The answer is “Yes.” USCIS has said that they will allow transfers (carryovers) of priority dates even if the old I-140 is revoked, as long as the revocation is not for fraud.
So, when you do this analysis of EB-3 to EB-2 conversion, the first question you want to ask yourself is “Am I currently qualified for EB-2?”
Why is this question important? Remember a Green Card is for a job in the future, which means today I am working as a programmer; tomorrow’s job could be a project manager, and even though I continue to work as a programmer for the next three years or until I get my Green Card, it is not a problem. The future job of project manager can be given to me once the Green Card is approved. Or before. That is up to the employer, but it is not required. So the idea is a Green Card is for a future job. However, you must be qualified for it on the date you filed the PERM application.
So let’s say you have three years of experience after Bachelor’s Degree, and you know that the Green Card will take three or four more years, can you file under EB-2 today?
No, because you are not qualified. You may be qualified in two years or three years, but that does not mean you can file an EB-2 right now.
So are you currently qualified for EB-2?
One of the recommendations I have is for people who are not qualified and don’t have the five-year experience or have a three-year Bachelor’s Degree, you may consider doing a Master’s Degree online. I have a video on this. It’s on my blog. It tells you how to choose an appropriate on-line Master’s Degree program that is accredited and that will help you get into EB-2.
Here is a link to the video and a transcript:
Accreditation of distance education for EB-2
The next question you want to ask yourself is Do I want to process my EB-2 case with the same employer who petitioned the EB-3 or some other employer?
It is a little bit easier to do it with another employer, but given the choice between going with a totally new employer and going with an employer who is totally, solidly behind me, who is going to pay the attorney’s fees. This is a considerable expense. If they’re on my side and they want to cooperate fully with the law, then of course I would stay with the same employer.
The next question you have to ask yourself is Do you need a promotion--present or future?
What does that mean? What if you have three years of experience before you joined this employer, you want to process your Green Card through this employer, and you’ve got two years with this employer now? Now you’ve got five years but two years are with the same employer through whom you are going to file your EB-2 who also did your EB-3 earlier. In order to use that experience, you must be offered a job which is more than fifty percent different than what you were doing before. Let’s say the old job was all coding and the new job is mostly providing project management, so that’s a promotion and then the experience that you have gained with this employer can be applied towards your EB-2.
I hope I’m making myself clear. Most of you already know the concepts, but still I want to put it out there so that you are sensitized to the issues. You can ask your lawyers the right kind of questions and make sure your case is being properly approached. These concepts are difficult. They can be complicated. Even we can make mistakes. Lawyers are not perfect, as all of you know. Be educated and take your lawyers’ help in making these decisions.
It is very important to have a bona fide job.
What does that mean? If you have a three-employee company and the employer says, “I will you a promotion.” That’s a little difficult to establish and believe. It can be true but, if you are a 300-employee company or a 3,000-employee company, probably a better case for a promotion, but of course it all depends upon the facts of the case. I’m just giving you an example. This does not mean smaller companies cannot process promotion cases.
How do I eliminate the risk of problems of EB-3?
What does that mean? I already have my EB-3 approval. I don’t want to do anything that’s going to mess that up.
What you can do is, you can make sure, taking the example of the programmer under EB-3 who wants to go for project manager under EB-2. If your EB-3 was for a programmer, make sure you continue working as a programmer until the I-140 for the new case is approved. So don’t change jobs, because, if you take a promotion to project manager, then the Government could question, "This guy has already taken a promotion, then why would he come back to the lower job which is the Green Card job?” Do not take a promotion until the I-140 for the new case is approved. That would be important.
What if I used AC-21?
This is a very tricky situation. You are one of the lucky ones who’s got your I- 485 pending and I-140 is approved under EB-3. You changed from IBM to Sun Microsystems. You changed employers. Your job was programmer. Now, for AC-21, the job that Sun gives you has to be the same or similar to the job IBM gave you. So it’s got to be a programmer or thereabouts. Now the problem here is this. In order for Sun Microsystems to process your case under EB-2, they have to assess whether they have to promote you so that an EB-2-level job can be given to you or can they use the same job. This can be tricky.
So for AC-21, the key question is can the same job which was the subject of AC-21 be used to file an EB-2 case?
Tricky question. Depends upon the facts of the case.
Now, to the posted set of Questions from the Community Conference call of August 30th.
First Set of Questions
Question: I have an I-485 pending on EB-3. I have been with my company for 12 years. They are planning to apply for EB-2. Same company. I have a Bachelor’s four-year engineering degree from India. Can I qualify for EB-2?
Answer: Yes if the job that is being offered to you is sufficiently dissimilar from the EB-3 job.
Question: Is there any audit risk?
Answer: No. Filing for a conversion (again, I am using the term “conversion” loosely) does not create any additional audit risks.
Question: If we apply in EB-2, will my EB-3 application processing stop?
Answer: No, it does not stop.
Question: What happens to the EB-3?
Answer: It goes on. Don’t take up a promotion. I just mentioned that.
Question: My wife is working on EAD. Will her EAD be affected?
Answer: No, not at all. No problem at all.
Question: If I get EB-2 I- 140 approved, can I use EB-3 priority date?
Answer: Yes.
Question: At that time, will I get another EAD from EB-2 processing?
Answer: No. What you do is, you take the EB-2 I-140 approval and put it on top of the existing I-485. So your old I-140 gets knocked out and the new one now sits on top of your I-485. So I-485 does not need to be re-filed.
Second set of questions
Question: He is preparing for his I-140 for EB-2. Can this be done premium processing?
Answer: Sure.
Question: Do we have to specify the pending EB-3 case information?
Answer: You will have to, because if there is an I-140 approved or pending under the old case, you have to mention that. There is a question I think on the form.
Question: Should we do it during the I-140 filing?
Answer: Yes. On the form itself, there is a question. If there is only a Labor Certification pending, there is nothing to say. If the I-140 is either pending or approved from the old case, you have to say it in the new I-140.
Question: When I started filing for my EB-2 case, my attorney mentioned not to file AC-21.
Answer: I think that’s a personal choice. I like to file AC-21’s and then I like to assess whether I would need a promotion case or I can go ahead with the same AC-21 job for EB-2. I would like your lawyer to decide that as I do not know the case.
I'm very much impressed with the service and professionalism. All the cases were given good attention and Mr Rajiv's knowledge is really great. We have filed several Green Cards and never had any concern.
Dear Rajiv, Thank you and your team for an EXCELLENT service and help through my green card, as well as the citizenship process. I really appreciated that you made yourself available whenever I needed to talk to you and want to thank you for your honest advice through this long and arduous process. I also want to thank your team for their punctuality and responsiveness in handling my case. Despite your busy practice, you and your team really made me feel special. Much appreciated!! Best regards, Amit
Does the USCIS make a distinction as to whether a specialist physician works in a Medically Underserved Area vs Health Professional Shortage Area versus Physician Scarcity Area? My job falls in MUA, HPSA but not PSA , is this a problem for a specialist?
NIW requires "You must serve either in a Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), Mental Health Professional Area (MHPSA – for psychiatrists only), a Medically Underserved Area (MUA), or a Veterans Affairs facility, or for specialists in a Physician Scarcity Area (PSA)."
Is there a direct way for me to get a green card or apply for EB-3 without my employer's support? My employer is unwilling to support me for any working visa and I am already out of the status due to this.
Three options: Extraordinary Ability Aliens, National Interest Waiver and Investment (EB-5).
I have a three year Bachelors from India and 16 years of experience in US. Currently I have a pending EB-3 with a PD of 10/2006. I am wondering, if I do MS here (Online or Executive course), will I then qualify for EB-2 or do I need to show progressive experience from the time I get my MS?
If the Master's degree is accredited, you do not need post-Master's experience for EB-2. There can be some issue about the 3+2 pattern of education, but an accredited Master's should fix it.
I have two Bachelor's degrees from US universities. A 3-year Bachelor degree in Science and a 2-year Bachelor's degree in engineering. Will I be considered for a EB-2 visa with this?
In case I don't qualify for EB-2, my dilemma is that, I have worked approx 4 years at my current job. Should I wait another year to file EB-2 or should I just file EB-3 now? Also, do internships qualify when counting the number of years of work after school?
Internships do qualify as experience. You need to get your degrees evaluated under AACAO EDGE standards first .
I got my Ph.D. (biochemistry and molecular biology) and I have 3+ years of post-doctoral experience. I have 4 publications (3 lead author) in human pathogenic research. Could you please comment on my eligibility for EB-1 or NIW.
My best GUESS is probably not. While NIW/EB-1 should not be a numbers game: how many publications, how many citations..., but it often ends up like that. Given that if you had one publication in a premier journal like Science, that would could count a lot more than 5 or 10 publications in a lower impact factor journal.
My current employer is failing the GC. Below is the job requirement. My total experience is with the current employer only (2.5 years in INDIA+4.5 years in USA)<br>
Job requirement:<br>
Education: Master’s degree, or equiv., in computer information systems or related field
Experience: At least 1 year in position offered or in design defect fixes/enhancements
I have US equivalent Master degree. My attorney said for the experience, we can show your current employer INDIA experience(2.5 years for which i worked in India for the same employer and came USA for the same employer).
Can we show current employer India experience while filing PERM?
Generally speaking, you can use the experience gained with an employer who has a tax ID number other than your petitioning employer.
I have worked with Mr. Khanna's law firm over the past 4 years for my Green Card process and the experience has been extremely satisfying ! Everyone that has to go through immigration process knows how stressful the whole situation can be and you need to have a lawyer by your side who puts you at complete ease. Mr. Khanna and his team is very friendly, professional, knowledgeable and outstanding in their service. I appreciate their invaluable advice/legal counsel and their promptness in every matter. The whole team is meticulous, very responsive and it's comforting to know that you have such a great lawyer by your side. I'm glad that I made the right decision in switching to Mr. Khanna's law firm and I strongly recommend them to anyone that needs immigration counsel !
I am very thankful to Rajiv Ji for his supporting to approve my GC.
I am working with Rajiv ji last 9 years from filing my labor to I-485 approval.
Rajiv suggestions approaching in these 9 years is very valuable and way approaching filing and there is no chance any mistakes from there end.
My GC approved August 2014. I am very thankful to Rajiv, Matthew and their team for their excellent work. Prerna was very helpful and took utmost care in handling my case.
I have worked with Mr. Khanna's law firm over the past 9 years for my Green Card process from the beginning of labor file to I-485 approved and the experience has been extremely satisfying ! Everyone that has to go through immigration process knows how stressful the whole situation can be and you need to have a lawyer by your side who puts you at complete ease. Mr. Khanna and his team is very friendly, professional, knowledgeable and outstanding in their service. I appreciate their invaluable advice/legal counsel and their promptness in every matter. The whole team is meticulous, very responsive and it's comforting to know that you have such a great lawyer by your side. I'm glad that I made the right decision i went with Mr. Khanna's law firm and I strongly recommend them to anyone that needs.
Had a very good experience while processing my GC with you.
Hello Rajiv Ji,
Thanks for your time and responses (over the email). I have below questions.
1) I am an EB-2, with Priority date Jun-2008. Applied i-485 in Jan-2012. Cut-off date became current in July-2014. Through congressperson / infopass found that my application is in background checks.
1.a) I have given fingerprints 2.5 years ago and background checks are not cleared yet. so what are my options in expediting it?
1.b) My worry is the checks may not be cleared before next time dates become current, and I may be in the same situation again.
1.b) Can I use Writ of Mandamus? Does my case (485 pending for 2.5 years, current for 2.5 months, but background checks are not completed yet) have enough reasons to claim "unreasonable delay"?
2) I am using my EAD. My labor says "Senior Analyst" as my job title.
2.a) Can I accept a promotion with a director/managerial job title ?
2.b) or does it cause a problem / RFE in future? Duties are more or less similar and work on same software technology, but will have few direct reports and need to manage projects.
3) Can I switch to H1-B as a safe measure?
3.a) Does switching mean I am abandoning my GC?
3.b) Do I need to go out of the country for stamping or can I continue to work without going out?
3.b) what are the risks involved?
See the marked clip below from Rajiv's video recording for the answer to this question.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=UUm4s1qwOS…
Rajiv and his team were very helpful during the entire GC process. I come from a non IT background but his team respresented my case with the appropirate attention. I would not hesitate to recommend Rajiv and his team to any friends or family.
Thanks again.
State Department has indicated that as of 11 April 2012 there are no more immigrant visas (green cards) available for China and India-born EB2 applicants. The numbers will be reset on 1 October 2012, the start of the new fiscal year. In the meantime, USCIS will continue to accept I-485 filings until the end of June based upon the Visa Bulletin that will be published in May. No action will be taken on these applications until October, but its is expected that EAD/AP's will be issued.
There was an interesting question in today's community conference call we host every other Thursday. The link to the question is here: http://forums.immigration.com/showth...onference-Call
PERM filing issue
Many web sites are erroneously reporting that India EB-2 is current for February 2011. Please note, that is FALSE. India EB-2 is backed up to May 2006.
It was a delightful experience working with Rajiv Khanna Law offices. They are very accurate and prompt responding.
Thank you very very much Rajivji and Vijaybhai for all the help with my PERM process and finally it was certified on Nov 13th(PD 06/25/2014).
Rajiv and his whole team were a very great support. They know their job and handeld my wife's H1 & my H4 applications very professionally. My wife and her employer are also engaging his services for her green card. I would recommend his services to anyone who has any immigration matters to be handled.