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Answer One's reentry permit is not withdrawn by travel.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...

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...

26 Feb 2018

My H-4 extension is currently pending, and my spouse’s I-140 was just approved. Can I apply for an H-4 EAD now, or do I need to wait for the H-4 extension to be approved?

Answer An H-4 spouse typically can apply for the H-4 EAD at any time, based on the H1B holder's I-140 approval. If the H-4 extension is currently pending, you can provide evidence of the pending case and request that the USCIS approve the H-4 EAD based...

14 Feb 2018

USCIS Now Accepting Payments Via Credit Card for Most Fee-Based Forms

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that, effective immediately, the agency now accepts credit card payments for 41 fee-based forms. Some of the more prominent forms include immigrant petition for alien worker (form I-140), application to register permanent residence or adjust status...