The Office of Foreign Labor Certification has posted new and updated Labor Condition Application (LCA/ ETA Form 9035/9035E) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for the H-1B, H-1B1 and E-3 programs.
For the new FAQs click here.
Discussion Topics, Thursday, 11 February 2016:
FAQ: Traveling on EAD, Advance Parole, H-4; Does changing jobs require restarting green card; Returning to H-1 after I-485 EAD; Birth certificates and affidavits of birth, non-availability certificate, secondary evidence; E-3 visa change of employers and filing green card; Options after 6 years of H-1 are completed; Extending B-2 visa and status for dependent parent; Effect of change in project on EB-1C (International Managers/Executives) green card.
Other: H-4 for autistic son over 21; H-1 amendment location has changed; Using B-1 B-2 visa after Advance Parole expire, I-485 is abandoned; H-1 reuse and quota; I-140 priority date transfer and returning to old employer; H-1 quota if no visa was stamped; I-485 RFE; Correcting errors on Form I-130; Starting green card with new employer, porting (transfer of) priority date; AC21 changing jobs while RFE is pending; Denial of Form I-751, conditional permanent residence (green card); Resetting the clock on H-1B and L-1B; H-4 EAD issues; Applying for change of status from H-3 to F-1.
I am on my OPT period (June 1st, 2021 - May 31st, 2022) and am working for a company in the USA. I plan to travel to India for my sister's wedding from December 18th, 2021, to December 28th, 2021. The following are my questions for travel in these COVID situations:
1. I wanted to know the details for entering the USA. What documents should I have while entering the USA?
2. Does the USA allow OPT holders to enter?
A1: You will need to contact your DSO for endorsement on your I-20 to travel, evidence that you have been working (like pay stubs), and a letter from your employer confirming that you will be returning to your ongoing employment.
Note: Where transcribed from audio/video, 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.
This is the buzz going around in techie town. If you have already heard it then pl. ignore if not this is interesting.
A techie based of Jersey goes to India to visit his family recently. Techie is assumed have lived in the US for quite some time. He is currently working on his work permit as an alien worker. Techie also has a temporary un-approved/un-guaranteed green card called the EAD.
While re entering an immi-officer that if they can call his manager. Techie then hands all the contact information. Officer gives him a call and asks if they really need a H1B worker for his position. Officer also ensures if the H1B possesses exceptional skills. Manager replies back with a YES!
Officer then calls an office that could tell how many citizens posses the same skill and are unemployed. Officer is told numerous unemployed. Officer now decides to send the techie back. Techie then pleads that he has a house on mortage, a car out of a loan. He needs time to return. Officer then grants him a month on a visiting visa. Techie once again pleads and successfully bargains a 3 month on a visitor visa to return back.
If this is all what happened, then the govt. has acted illegally. There is no question in my mind about it.
An H-3 classification applies to an alien who is coming temporarily to the United States:
(1) As a trainee, other than to receive graduate medical education or training, or training provided primarily at or by an academic or vocational institution, or
(2) As a participant in a special education exchange visitor program which provides for practical training and experience in the education of children with physical, mental, or emotional disabilities.
On Sept. 1, we will change the direct filing addresses for certain petitioners filing Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker. The changes apply to the following cap-exempt H-1B petitions:
1. | Legal fees(for our Office): $2,200 |
1. My son is currently a student studying engineering at a 4 year public college in Illinois. I am working in the US on H1B, and my son is on H4. The issue is that he turns 21 next year before he would finish his final year in college, and since would age out of the H4 So what are the options he has left to continue his study Can he change to F1?<br>
2. What are the caveats to this? Can he do the adjustment of status in the US, or does he need to travel out of the country? I've heard that F1 visa processing takes a long time to process, and there is no determinate time - he has about 14 months for him to become 21 years as of now. When inquired the college said they are not processing the I-20s for Fall 2021 now, only for Spring 2021, and have asked him to wait, what are the consequences of this ?
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 can only recommend working with Rajiv's law offices. Rajiv himself and his teammates (Kalpana in our case) have been professional, efficient, smart and reliable.
We started to work with Rajiv to apply for a cap H1B in March 2016. Our file was excellent and we have been selected. Our petition, to our and Rajiv's immense surprise, has been denied without any relevant arguments from the immigration agent. Rajiv gave us precious advices, he was confident that we would win with an appeal. Rajiv built our appeal file, and later our RFE answer. We contacted Rajiv and Kalpana many times in the process; they always came back to us promptly and proposed call appointments in the next 2-4 business days. They were very well organized and precise in their answers. Our appeal has been sustained.
I was finally able to get the H1B visa. I know Rajiv and Kalpana are a big part of our success. I am very grateful for their work.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will transition from a paper-based model to a secure, electronic environment. This new user-friendly system is called the USCIS Electronic Immigration System (USCIS ELIS).
USCIS ELIS is an easy-to-use system designed to modernize the application process for immigration benefits. It will also provide more accurate, convenient, and secure customer service and allow USCIS to process cases with greater efficiency and consistency.
The guidance for issuing B-1 visas in lieu of H is currently under review bur remains in effect until further notice. In order to avoid delays at the port of entry, consular officers are to annotate the B-1 visa with “B in lieu of H, 9 FAM 41.31 N11.”
I am very greatfull to Rajiv Ji and his team for immediately responding to my request for help when I needed it in my immigration problems and queries, on calling Rajiv Ji's office the staff was very co-operative and scheduled a phone appointment with Rajiv Ji at the earliest since the time I had called and Rajiv Ji spoke to me the next day and answered all my queries without charging for it. which is the biggest help I could get. Words are not enough to Thank him for all the help he gives to people in need in his busy schedule at his position. Only Rajiv Ji can handle to help people and carry on his office with his profession in such a efficient way. He is the most kind and helping Immigration Attorney I know of in the USA. My prayers and best wishes go with him for God to shower his choicest blessings on him and his profession to flourish. THANK YOU RAJIV JI............:) YOU are like the light in the tunnel for Immigrants like me here in this foreign land.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) is issuing policy guidance on the trainees (H-3) nonimmigrant visa category.
1.I am in India and my I-20 has been terminated. What should I do to reenter in the United States?
2.Can I reenter the United States with an I-20 issued by a private university for a full time course and not by public university?
1. You will have to look for another school/visa.
2. As long as the school is authorized to issue I-20, you can apply for an F-1 visa. But make sure the school is not running into problems like Tri-Valley University did.
What is the SEVIS Form I-20?
Foreign exchange students will receive a Form I-20 from the DSO of the educational institution that accepted the student to study in the United States. That student must have a Form I-20 to apply for a visa, to enter the United States, and to apply for benefits.
Is a Form I-20 valid without a stamp?
Yes. A stamp is not required on the Form I-20. Some state and federal agencies require foreign students to present a Form I-20 to identify the end date for the student’s program. However, a stamp is not required for this purpose.
How will an unstamped Form I-20 affect applying for state or federal benefits?
An unstamped Form I-20 should have no negative impact on applications for state or federal benefits, including driver’s licenses and state-issued identification cards. USCIS is actively communicating with Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs) to ensure their understanding that a Form I-20 does not require a stamp to be valid.
What is an endorsed Form I-20?
The Form I-20 is endorsed when it is signed by a DSO, which allows the student to travel internationally or apply for employment authorization.
How does USCIS ELIS handle the Forms I-20 and DS-2019?
USCIS will accept a photocopy or scanned electronic version of a valid Form I-20 or DS-2019. If USCIS needs to review the original document, USCIS will ask you to provide the original document. USCIS will adjudicate the request electronically. Although the student will receive the approval notice (Form I-797) through the mail, the scanned copy of the Form I-20 will not be stamped and returned. As of Aug. 10, 2012, U.S.
The H visa category for temporary non-immigrant visas includes several categories:
Release Date
USCIS has issued policy guidance in the USCIS Policy Manual clarifying when H-3 nonimmigrants may participate in training provided on the property of an academic or vocational institution.
I really appreciate Mr. Rajiv, Kalpana, and their team for their work. They handled my case with utmost care and very professionally and did regular follow up with USCIS for the case status. They were always there to answer my questions and clarified them with almost details. I would highly recommend them if you have any immigration issues.