12 Mar 2018

My wife is a green card holder, but needs to travel to India for more than a year. She is applying for a reentry permit and is now waiting for her biometrics appointment. If she leaves before biometrics, what will happen to the reentry permit application?

Answer One's reentry permit is not withdrawn by travel. But, the application will be denied if the biometrics are not done as scheduled. (It generally is not a problem to reschedule them one time, though.) (12.Mar.2018)In frequent sessions of our Chat, Sheela Murthy and other senior...

07 Mar 2018

USCIS Site Visits: What to Expect

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) continues efforts to ensure employers of H1B and/or L-1 workers are compliant by visiting the worksites of selected foreign national workers. These site visits, which typically are carried out by Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) officers, generally...

06 Mar 2018

Literature Tackling Immigration in the Trump Era

In the nascent days of 2018, the Trump Administration geared up its continued assault on immigration, which has become a shameful trademark of this presidency. Targeting both undocumented foreign nationals and those lawfully in the United States, the Administration's push for supposed "America first" policies...

05 Mar 2018

I am about to max out of my 6 years of H1B time, so I am applying for a change to H-4. If, after I transfer to H-4 status, I get an approved I-140, can I use that to move back to H1B status?

Answer If you previously held H1B status and you have an I-140 approved, you generally can use this as a basis to return to H1B status. (i.e. The approved I-140 can be used to request H1B status beyond the standard 6-year max.) (05.Mar.2018)In frequent sessions of...

05 Mar 2018

I am waiting for my oath ceremony in order to naturalize. Also, my green card is about to expire. I have a family emergency and need to travel to India immediately. What options do I have to return with no issues? Will this impact my naturalization case?

Answer If you have an emergency need to travel, you can try to obtain a temporary I-551 stamp in your passport at the local USCIS office. It typically is okay to travel while waiting for one's naturalization oath ceremony, but you need to inform the USCIS...