Watch the Video on this FAQ: Travel outside the USA when a case is pending
Video Transcript
1. Yes, you can travel.
2. I don't know the exact local rules, but you have to go for visa stamping.
3. You should not go until the amendment is actually approved. More...
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Watch the Video on this FAQ: What are different wage levels for H-1B and green card jobs?
Video Transcript
The only difference between wage levels for H-1B and green cards in terms of logistics is, when we file for an H-1 we are using our best judgment to decide which level wage will be given. When we file a green card it is the government who decides what the wage should be. The wages are received in most cases from Foreign Labor Certification Data Center and there each occupation is based upon the county and the state in which the occupation is located and is covered under four different levels. What distinguishes the levels is the complexity of the job, the requirement that the employer has and how many years of experience, etc... Level 1 is usually for entry-level people right out of school doing formative chance, so they are still learning. Level 2 is people who are doing professional level jobs, but they are moderately complex at level 3 you become technically advanced. At level 4 you become more advanced but perhaps in terms of leadership. More...
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Watch the Video on this FAQ: Specific issues in the Trump NTA policy for denials
Video Transcript
If the RFE looks like it is really difficult to win, maybe leave USA while it is pending and wait outside if the case gets approved, get a visa and come back, but there you could have a problem. The visa stamping can take a long time, but of course if you have an existing visa you can return on that but if you don't have an existing visa for eg: H-1B visa and you have to apply for a new one, then be prepared for delays and I would always prepare clients or employers to send the work to your home country wherever you are because it is perfectly legal to be working outside USA while you wait for the visa stamping.
On the other hand the NTA does not say you cannot file appeal. Hence it is a really bad policy created by Trump. More...
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Watch the Video on this FAQ: Section 245(K) protection during AOS/I-485
Video Transcript
This is a very important protection given to employment based applicants and their dependents when they apply for adjustment of status. What it says is that under Section 245(k) USCIS will forgive your being out of status or having worked without authorization for upto 180 days from the date of your last entry into the US immediately before you filed the I-485. More...
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Watch the Video on this FAQ: Applying for H-4 status while on parole
Video Transcript
You cannot really get a change of status because parole is not really status. It is just authorized stay which is legal, but not full status. So basically if you want to convert back to H-4 , it does not require any prior approval from the USCIS. You can just take the spouses H-1 approval and go outside USA get your visa stamped and come back. When you enter using your H-4 visa you are back on being on H-4 instead of being on parole and if the I-140 or I-485 etc., is still pending you can of course keep extending your advance parole. You can apply six months ahead of time before the expiration of the parole. More...
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Watch the Video on this FAQ: H-1B petition revocation during visa process/reaffirmation
In a case where you got your H-1B approval but you have travelled outside the USA and you need a visa, you go to the US consulate for visa stamping. They put you in administrative processing and discover something which often is unjustified frankly and sometimes can be justified, gives them some reason to send the case back to the USCIS saying that the case needs to be revoked and that can take a few months (5-6 months). Then USCIS will issue a notice of intent to revoke which would be sent to your lawyers as well as to your employer that says we found out this information through the consulate and it looks like this case needs to be revoked. You have 33 days to respond to USCIS and justify why they shouldn't revoke it. Once the employer responds to it and if USCIS finds out that the case is really approvable and the consulate is mistaken, they reaffirm the case and send it back to the consulate. This whole thing can take months and even a year.
The option would be to file another H-1 through another employer or with the same company that is if this was not a quota H-1 and there is no fraud, etc., involved. More...
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Video Transcript
If we are speaking of a green card filed through PERM it is complicated because any substantial change in the job requires you to refile the green card unless you have the intention to go back to the old job when you get the green card.
One point at which you can change jobs, whether job descriptions or job titles or even employers is when your I-140 is approved and your I-485 has been pending 180 days, that's the AC21 portability. More...
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Watch the Video on this FAQ: Applying for H-1B transfer while an extension request is under RFE
Video Transcript
Yes, but you probably will have to go outside USA unless the case is already decided in your favor when the transfer application is decided. Unless you have a genuine case you should not apply for political asylum and I am not sure that any kind of relief from deportation would apply to you just because you lived here for 11 plus years. I am not quite sure how in your case that the law would help you out. More...
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Video Transcript
The new regulations that became effective on Jan 17, 2017 now clearly says that if you were working for Employer A and Employer B filed your H-1B transfer and you joined Employer B using the receipt they got an RFE further along the line, the H-1B transfer got denied, government says you can go back and join Employer A as long as you never work without authorization and as long as the employer A has not revoked your H-1B and lastly the job that they had gotten approved for you is still in existence. More...
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Watch the Video on this FAQ: Changing jobs while H-1B RFE is pending
Video Transcript
A possible situation is that your original approved H-1B still has time left on it. So let's say you got the H-1B approval till December of this year and you have an RFE pending so technically you still have the old petition alive and well almost. If you file for a transfer, chances are as long as your pending filing was not inappropriate government will accommodate and will allow you to go on to employer B, C, D or E as you please even with the pending case. More...
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Video Transcript
The first thing you should do is contact the customer service. Let them know you got this issue and make a note of the date and time you called and to whom you spoke so that you have a record that you tried to correct the situation as soon you discovered the omission. The second thing you do is put it in writing, send it to the government, whichever address you filed the N-400 or whichever address you received the last response from the government and inform them what the issue is and the third thing you do is when you go for the interview bring it up yourself, let the officer know that there is some information missing and you would like that to be corrected. If you do all of these things I think you should be fine. More...
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Watch the Video on this FAQ: Can an employee withdraw an H-1B petition?
Video Transcript
You should send a letter to the government in writing, certainly, even get it maybe notarized to assure the government that these are your signatures and say that you no longer wish to apply for a change of status and you are not going to take up that job. So you hereby withdraw from the change of status request under the H-1B. After you send a notarized letter give them a call as well and just tell them you have written and this is what you want to be noted and that you are not going to go through the change of status. There is no actual procedure for it, but this can be as secure as you can be to ensure that the government will not give you a change of status even though you don't want one. More...
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Video Transcript
Yes. A green card can be filed while you are on any status. But while filing a green card for visas like F-1, F-2, J-1, J-2 can be complicated in some ways. Consult your lawyers. Make sure you got every part covered. If you are born in countries like India or China or any other countries that are very backed up you will have to be very careful and make proper plans before you file for a green card directly from any of the other statuses but there is no law that says you cannot do that. More...
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Watch the Video on this FAQ: Changing jobs after I-140 approval
Video Transcript
When your I-140 is approved your priority date is yours to keep even if you leave that employer the very next day and go and join a totally different job. It does not matter if the job gives you a higher salary or a lower salary or has a completely different job profile because all you are carrying forward is your priority date. So when you want to carry forward your priority date what you do is you take your I-140 with you. In addition to that once the I-140 is approved and stays approved for 180 days not only you carry on your priority date, you also carry the right to extend your H-1 through any employer and there is no limitation on that. More...
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Watch the Video for this FAQ: Can EB-2 approved file for EB-3?
Video Transcript:
The way I think it will work is if you have both EB-3 and EB-2 approvals already good for you. You can use either one. If you have an EB-2 approval and you want to take advantage of the EB-3 upsurge in the Priority Dates, file for an EB-3 I-140 with a copy of the same PERM application. If the I-140 is approved quickly great, if not and the dates become current while the I-140 is still pending, with the receipt you can file an I-485. So you will have an EB-3 pending with a I-485 coming along. Now if tomorrow the dates become better, moving for EB-2 because you have both I-140s in the works, one approved and one pending or maybe both approved by that time, government will automatically give you the benefit of which ever category is moving the fastest. More...
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FAQ: How does one change status while within the United States?
Video Transcript
There are three types of situations I can think of. One is when you are changing status to one to another (H-1 to F-1 or H-1 to tourist visa) can be filed just by using form I-539. Then there are some where the change of status requires refiling of the entire paperwork for the petition. H-1 and L-1 are examples of that category and the third situation to change of status is when certain categories of people are not allowed to change status. An example would be if you are here on a visa waiver also calling ESTA program you cannot change status. More...
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Watch the Video for this FAQ: Status of off-site placed STEM OPT extension students
Video Transcript
First of all to say that USCIS has changed its regulations and they do not allow off-site placements of STEM OPT extensions students is incorrect, because USCIS has said this from a very long time that they are not going to allow these placements. If you are in a situation, what can happen is you could be considered to be out of status for no fault of your own. So if you file an H-1B and if the government says well we think you're out of status hopefully that's all they can do, they can make you go outside the USA for a visa stamping. More...
Video Transcript
The answer is No. You can stay on a tourist visa. There are no special visas or green card for such situations. More...
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FAQ: Effect of I-140 revocation on priority date, H-1B extensions through any employer, etc.
Video Transcript:
Beginning January 17, 2017 the law is that if your I-140 has been approved and stays approved for 180 days and atleast one or two days past Janaury 17, 2017, because if it was revoked after 180 days but before Janaury 17, 2017 when the new regulations came in you would have to look at other things but not those regulations. These new regulations say first of all the moment your I-140 is approved your priority date is yours to keep. You can take it to any employer, you have to start the green card all over again, but you carry the priority date forward.
The second thing that it says is that if in addition your I-140 stays approved for 180 days you will retain the ability to extend your H-1B on three years any number of times as long as the priority dates are not current with any employer for any job. So once I-140 is approved and stays approved 180 days your rights to extend H-1 beyond six years with any employer are quite secure. More...
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Video Transcript
Normally the children of people undergoing the green card process, convert to student visa if they are in school. If he gets covered by the CSPA (Child Status Protection Act) even though he has a student visa it doesn't change his green card status through you and again if he goes to India for a degree for four to five years his green card processing will still stay valid. There might be some technical details you have to attend to but that is certainly possible as long as he's not got a problem with aging out as he is covered by CSPA. More...
Related Video on CSPA:
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