B Visa

Marriage and relocation to the U.S.: Quickest path for the prospective fiancé of a U.S Citizen living in India

Question details

My sister is in India and the prospective groom is a US citizen. They have concerns about how to proceed with marriage and relocation of the girl to US in a timely manner (prefer not to wait more than a year for marriage/ living together post-marriage for personal reasons) Current fiancé visa processing time seems to be 15 months. It was not this long pre-covid, realistically can this processing time reduce this year? If they do marriage in India first, what’s the quickest way for her to come to US and how long would it take She has a valid B1. Can she travel on that to US post-marriage for 5-6 months only without any risk to her green card application? She is trying to get an L1-B visa through her current company. Will that visa approval be affected if they get married in the meanwhile? In short, what is the quickest path for her marriage & relocation to the US right now?

 

Video URL
FAQ Transcript

She can travel with a B-1 visa as long as she tells the truth. L-1 and H-1B visas are the quickest paths.

 

Multiple visas on passport: B-1/B-2 and H-1B Validity

Question details

Namaste! Rajiv ji, I have been listening to your podcasts discussing various situations and scenarios with valuable information about real life examples you share during your weekly podcasts and want to thank you for your time helping people like me through your forums. I have a question if you could share your thoughts on it I will greatly appreciate your response. If someone has a B-1 B-2 Visa valid for 10 years. Then they get H-1B Visa for 3 years and enters US using it. What happens to the B-1 B-2 Visa? Is it cancelled after H-1B is issued? If not, what if H-1B Visa expires or if it is revoked prematurely, does B-1 B-2 Visa still remain valid and can be used for travel in and out of US? Thank You!

The SOP should be that all existing visas are revoked when you apply for an H-1B. But, normally, consulates do not revoke existing visas like B-1/B-2. In such cases, those visas are still valid.

Layoff while on an H-1B visa - what if I cannot find a job in 60 days?

Question details
  1. I am on H1B VISA and was notified that my employment will end on January 20th. I am actively seeking new job opportunities. Can you please let me know what happens if I am still interviewing after 60 days and become out of status? 
  2. Do I have any other options to change my VISA status before/after my employment is terminated and I fail to secure a job before the 60-day period is over? 
  3. Does my VISA become invalid after the 60 days or can I still find a job and reactivate it if I get an offer after the 60-days?
Video URL
FAQ Transcript
  1. You file for B-1 B-2 and you can do it online. You do not go out of status. Do it within 60 days.
  2. No, it does not.
  3. Talk to your lawyers. I think applying for tourist status is probably a good strategy.

Entering the U.S. on a visitor visa while green card is pending || qualifying for Visa Waiver Program (VWP) || Spouse visa through H-1, L-1, or O-1 || Any special visas for UK, EU, Singapore, Dubai or Australia

Question details

Have any rules changed regarding getting a spouse visa through H1, L1, or O1? Also is traveling on a tourist visa to the US after marriage not ok, with a pending GC application? Finally, does the US have any special agreements with the UK, EU, Singapore, Dubai or Australia for visas that may qualify in this scenario?

Video URL
FAQ Transcript

Regarding the rules for getting a spouse visa through H-1 L-1 or O-1 nothing has changed.

It is certainly fine traveling with a tourist visa to the US after marriage, if you can convince the government that you are not going to break the laws which means staying in violation of your visa.

Regarding the US having any special agreements, there are only two kinds of visitor visas: regular ones and visa waiver or ESTA visa. There are special visas for example in Australia there is something called an E-3 visa which is very much like an H-1B and more or less a dual intent visa.

What happens if you overstay your I-94

Question details

Parents came to the USA on a B-2 Visa in March 2021. I have requested an I-539 extension in August 2021 due to COVID and they stayed till Jan 2022. Eventually the extension got denied. Is this a problem?
 

Video URL
FAQ Transcript

The government will say as one has overstayed their I-94, they will now be subject to section  222(g). If you overstay your I-94 the visa stamp on  your passport is automatically canceled, so you have to apply for a new visa. For more details on this issue, visit my author page on The Economic Times.

 

Recording for January 19, 2023 Conference Call with Rajiv S. Khanna

Immigration.com

FAQ: Entering the U.S. on a visitor visa while green card is pending |Qualifying for Visa Waiver Program (VWP) | Spouse visa through H-1, L-1, or O-1 | Any special visas for UK, EU, Singapore, Dubai or Australia || Qualifying for EB-1C green card by working abroad for a year | Expected processing times for EB-1C for an L-1A visa holder from India || Consequences of employer withdrawing I-485 Supplement J || Layoff while on an H-1B visa - what if I cannot find a job in 60 days?

Left while Extension pending. B-1/B-2 visa inspection at the airport by the CBP and repercussions

Question details

We live in Delaware. We had extended my parent's B2 Visa twice in the past. Once in 2016 and it was approved. Second time in 2018, but they went back to India before the decision on extension. For the second extension, we got a letter from USCIS stating, "Since they left the country, USCIS is not approving the extension, However they can travel again"

Again in 2019, they came and left the US in 6 months.

This year, they came last week on Jan 31 2022, but CBP in Philadelphia airport took them for inspection at the port of entry. After a long wait time, CBP came back and told them that they had overstayed and they had canceled their B2 Visa. CBP gave a letter that they can stay for three months and leave the country before April 30.

Though we followed the process defined, we are really not sure why they canceled the visa.

With this situation, Can you please advise what is our option,

1. Can we appeal for visa reinstatement?

2. Can we go back to the country and apply for a B2 Visa again in May ? Or should we wait for some time before applying again?

 

Video URL
FAQ Transcript

I think you should bring this up to your congressman's office. Maybe you can even tell them what you heard from me that this is an inappropriate application of 222(g), within the Department of State standard operating procedures that's called FAM (Foreign Affairs Manual) it clearly says if you leave while the application is pending you are not subject to 222(g).

 

 

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.

Feb 17, 2022, Free US Immigration Community Conference Call with Rajiv (Every Other Thursday)

Immigration.com

Discussion Topics, February 17,  2022

FAQ's: Left while Extension pending. B-1/B-2 visa inspection at the airport by the CBP and repercussions || Interfiling || Interfiling and AC21 Portability || Interfiling, Returning to Old Employer