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Recording for March 28, 2024 Conference Call with Rajiv S. Khanna
Immigration.com
Nonimmigrant Visas
Discussion Topics:
FAQs: Staying outside the US on Re-Entry Permit Validity, Usage, and Multiple Entries for Green Card Holders || Unemployment Benefits for H-4 + EAD Holders with Previous H-1B employment
Recording for October 10, 2024 Conference Call with Rajiv S. Khanna
Nonimmigrant Visas
Topics Discussed:
Recording for February 20, 2025, Conference Call with Rajiv S. Khanna
Immigration.com
Nonimmigrant Visas
Green Card
FAQs:
1. Can I volunteer with a Non-Profit while on any temporary visa (for example, F-1 OPT)?
2. Options after layoff on approved EB-1 - Compelling circumstances EAD and GC EAD conversion
3. NIW I-485 rejected: Refiling options and priority date usage?
H-1B cap exempt visa pros and cons
I am on OPT, which started on 19th February 2024. I joined my first job on OPT on 8th July 2024 and lost one attempt at the H1B lottery. I work for a research foundation, and they can sponsor me for an H1B-exempt visa. I have a degree in computer science, and I ultimately want to work in corporate America, which means I need to get an H1B cap-subject visa.
My question is whether I should get this H1B exempt visa through my current organization or if I should try to switch to a different company and use my remaining two attempts at the lottery. I ask this because once I get the H1B exempt visa and change my status from F1 to H1B, I won’t be able to switch to a for-profit organization and would be stuck in H1B exempt visa category. H1B-exempt visa jobs are less and pay less. And though the option of an H1B concurrent visa is there but I feel in reality, it will be challenging to get a company to allow me to work for another company due to NDA requirements and also allow part-time work. (But I would appreciate your advice on this since you must have had client experience.)
Can you advise me on how to get the H1B exempt visa now? Does it have any advantage, given I want to transition to a corporate company? What options will I have if I switch to a for-profit organization? Also, I am currently funded through a grant, and it has runway till July 2026.
I have seen people saying not to get an H1B exempt visa as you will be stuck in that category, but I also feel that any H1B visa will be better than F1.
If you have the opportunity to get an H-1B cap-exempt visa through a research foundation, you should take it. Having cap-exempt H-1B status does not prevent you from continuing to apply for the regular H-1B lottery.
Additionally, you can hold both a cap-exempt and a cap-subject H-1B concurrently as long as you maintain your cap-exempt job. If you win the H-1B lottery through a for-profit employer, you can easily switch to a regular H-1B.
Taking the cap-exempt route ensures immediate work authorization and does not limit future opportunities. The idea that you’ll be "stuck" in cap-exempt status is incorrect.
Entrepreneur. Can I start a company on STEM OPT? O-1A visa and maintaining legal status
I have a specific question about building a startup in the US. I am currently on a STEM OPT (expires Sep, 2026), and am currently unemployed. My unemployment days (90 + 60) run out around April 30. I want to build a startup as a solo founder in the tech space, and go the O1A route.
My question is, can I start a company as a solo founder? What if I create a board to show employer-employee relationships? I am planning on raising money and also applying for grants as I build out the product and acquire users.
Alternatively, I am part of another company with two American cofounders (I have <40% equity), but we have no revenue as of yet. Can I leverage my involvement with that company to maintain legal status?
Answer: You can start a company as a solo founder and pursue an O-1A visa, but there's no guarantee of approval. While structuring your company with a board to show an employer-employee relationship might work for O-1A, it won't work for STEM OPT unless someone senior is supervising you. Involvement in another company with American co-founders and less than 40% equity doesn't directly help maintain legal status, except possibly for the O-1A visa or considering CPT.
You can start a company as a solo founder and pursue an O-1A visa, but there's no guarantee of approval. While structuring your company with a board to show an employer-employee relationship might work for O-1A, it won't work for STEM OPT unless someone senior is supervising you. Involvement in another company with American co-founders and less than 40% equity doesn't directly help maintain legal status, except possibly for the O-1A visa or considering CPT.
Guestbook Entry for MVB, United States
USCIS Reaches Fiscal Year 2026 H-1B Cap
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has received enough petitions to reach the congressionally mandated 65,000 H-1B visa regular cap and the 20,000 H-1B visa U.S. advanced degree exemption, known as the master’s cap, for fiscal year 2026.
USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions that are otherwise exempt from the cap. Petitions filed for current H-1B workers who have been counted previously against the cap, and who still retain their cap number, are exempt from the FY 2026 H-1B cap. USCIS will continue to accept and process petitions filed to:
USCIS Updating Policy to Protect Women’s Sports
Release Date
08/04/2025
Policy enhancements aim to prevent aliens who are males from being authorized to participate in women’s sports in the United States
Guestbook Entry for Sanjay Chaudhary , United States
M.B.B.S., O1
We won an O1 Visa for the applicant who is known world wide for his expertise is in the area of solid organ transplant pathology. He was working as a surgeon at a prestigious institute. We offered evidence to show that he is part of the small percentage in his field that have achieved the highest level of success and thus is known throughout the world as one of the best surgeons in his specialty. We submitted opinion letters from various world-renowned experts describing the innovative and pioneering results of this applicant's work.
Nonimmigrant Visas
National Hockey League (NHL) and Vermont Service Center Meeting
The National Hockey League (NHL) requested USCIS to hold a teleconference during its annual conference. During that teleconference, NHL counsel posed several questions to USCIS. The question and answers are provided below (see attachment) for the benefit of interested stakeholders.In order to avoid repetition in the answers, USCIS notes that it stated several times that each petition mustestablish visa eligibility on its own merits. The Vermont Service Center (VSC) does not maintain acentral document depository for O and P nonimmigrant visa petitions.
O1 followed by EB1 - Outstanding Researcher
We first obtained an O1 for this applicant by identifying his talents and expertise to be a cut-above his colleagues with similar educational and work experience. This applicant received a prestigious international award which set him apart from other research scientists in his field. He was noted for ground-breaking work in drug addiction research. We obtained recommendation letters from world experts and they noted that this applicant was one of the few researchers in the field who had achieved the highest level of success and had become
Nonimmigrant Visas
Profession/Occupation
H-1 Lottery Over
We have just received our first H-1 quota receipt notice. That indicates the H-1 lottery is concluded.
The New H-1B Weighted Lottery: What Employers and Employees Must Know
December 23, 2025
Executive Summary
The Department of Homeland Security has finalized regulations that fundamentally change how H-1B cap registrations will be selected, effective for the FY 2027 lottery (registration opening around March 2026). Under the new weighted selection process, registrations for higher-paid workers will have significantly better chances of selection than those for lower-paid workers.
DHS Changes Process for Awarding H-1B Work Visas to Better Protect American Workers
Release Date
12/23/2025
WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security is amending regulations governing the H-1B work visa selection process to prioritize the allocation of visas to higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens to better protect the wages, working conditions, and job opportunities for American workers. The new rule replaces the random lottery for selecting visa recipients with a process that gives greater weight to those with higher skills.
Rajiv's Comments in Financial Express - My H-1B approved but stuck in a 34-month queue’, Attorney shares legal fixes for missing form I-824
Published by: Financial Express - January 8, 2026
https://www.financialexpress.com/business/investing-abroad-my-h-1b-approved-but-stuck-in-a-34-month-queue-attorney-shares-legal-fixes-for-missing-form-i-824-4100306/
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
H-1B Quota 2026
Although precise dates and processes for this year are not yet clear, we recommend planning and initiating the H-1B lottery registration now to ensure it is ready to submit when registrations open in March 2026.
H-1B Quota 2026
Although precise dates and processes for this year are not yet clear, we recommend planning and initiating the H-1B lottery registration now to ensure it is ready to submit when registrations open in March 2026.
O Visa Services and Fees
Fee schedule for O classification (USCIS requires all filing fees to be paid EITHER via ACH Transaction or Credit card)
Note: USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees as of March 1, 2026, https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-to-increase-premium-processing-fees
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Nonimmigrant Visas
H Visa Services and Fees
Fee schedule for H-1 classification (USCIS requires all filing fees to be paid EITHER via ACH Transaction or Credit card)
Note: For governmental Requests For Evidence (RFEs), we charge extra based upon the complexity of the issue(s)
Note: USCIS to Increase Premium Processing Fees as of March 1, 2026, https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/alerts/uscis-to-increase-premium-process…
Nonimmigrant Visas
Rajiv's Comments in The Times of India - The 2027 H-1B season: Revised strategies for sponsoring employers and implications for aspirants
Published by: The Times of India - February 12, 2026
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/the-2027-h-1b-season-revised-strategies-for-sponsoring-employers-and-implications-for-aspirants/articleshow/128256141.cms
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article: