Form I-485

Frequently asked questions answered in The Economic Times NRI Helpdesk by Rajiv : What are the risks involved in renewing F1 visa in another country?

2 years ago By Chief Editor

Published by: The Economic Times: August 01, 2022

Question: I have been in the U.S since 2017, and my F1 visa expires this month due to the 5 year validity period.

Answer: First of all, unless you are traveling, you do not have to renew your visa. If the visa expires while you're still completing your course, it's absolutely no problem.

Read more by clicking the link below or the pdf attachment.

https://bit.ly/3Q8z7Hx

USCIS Form Update - Form I-485 Supplement A, Supplement A to Form I-485, Adjustment of Status Under Section 245(i)

2 years ago By Chief Editor

USCIS recently updated the following USCIS form:

Recording of July 21, 2022 Conference Call with Rajiv S. Khanna

2 years ago By Chief Editor

Citizenship and Naturalization

Nonimmigrant Visas

Green Card

Discussion Topics, Thursday, July 21, 2022:

Experience & education requirements for a PERM/labor certification-based green card

2 years ago By Chief Editor

Question details

1. How often does it happen that an employment-based green card gets rejected or delayed just because the minimum job requirements were low?

2. What could be decent experience & education requirements for a job to successfully get an employment-based green card.

3. My current employer is filing my green card with minimum requirements of a bachelor's and 1~2 years of experience, but my current qualifications are a master's and 2~3 years of experience. So, is it worth finding a new job and employer where my green card can be filed based on my current higher qualifications?

FAQ Transcript

1. It will get rejected not because the requirements were low, but because the requirements were so basic that there were many applications for it.

2. It depends upon the job. Difficult to answer this.

3. Here again the question is not so much what your qualifications are but what the job requires.

---------------------------------------
Note: Unless the context shows otherwise, all answers here were provided by Rajiv and were compiled and reported by our editorial team from comments, blog and community calls on immigration.com. Where transcribed from audio/video, a verbatim transcript is provided. Therefore, it may not conform to the written grammatical or syntactical form.

Recording of July 07, 2022, Free US Immigration Community Conference Call with Rajiv (Every Other Thursday)

2 years ago By Chief Editor

Nonimmigrant Visas

Immigration Law

FOIA and Privacy Act

Green Card

Discussion Topics:

FAQs: Experience & education requirements for a PERM/labor certification-based green card || Continuing work or reverting to STEM OPT during H-1B Change of Status || For PERM, can I use my master's degree completed after I joined?

STEM OPT students filing OPT and green cards with multiple employers (renowned companies); impact of the size of the company on a green card petition; the impact of working remotely on OPT, H-1B, and green card

2 years ago By Chief Editor

Question details

1. Can I have multiple employers i.e. jobs in the first year of OPT and also after getting STEM OPT extension?

2. Can all my employers start my green process simultaneously?

3. If H-1B COS is approved through one employer i.e. switched from OPT to H-1B, can I still continue other jobs and GC process with them? If not, is there a way to continue all jobs?

4. Does it make a green card case stronger if the sponsoring employer is a big renowned company like Microsoft or Amazon? Also, what about if the company is small?

5. Does OPT, STEM, and H-1B allow you to do a job that allows remote work from within the U.S. regardless of the pandemic? Is such a job eligible for H-1B and green card sponsorship?

FAQ Transcript

1. Yes. STEM OPT people can also have more than one concurrent job, but they have to work with their DSO's to make sure the paperwork is filed properly.
2. Yes, as long as there is a good faith intention to join any one of these employers who can get your green card.
3. Yes, you can. You can have multiple H-1B approvals living together in the same space.
4. It does not impact the speed of the green card. What is most important is the company's financial solvency.
5. Remote work is possible for both OPT STEM, H-1B and Green Card jobs.

Denial of downgrade I-140 on the basis of the employer's ability to pay; impact on approved EB-2 and pending I-485?

2 years ago By Chief Editor

Question details

My EB-2 I-140 was approved in 2014. Like many others, in 2020, I filed for a downgrade from EB-2 to EB-3 with the same employer. The EB-3 I-140 was denied on Ability to Pay grounds. Now, my EB-2 date is current and I have refiled an I-485. Will there be any impact of the denial on my approved EB-2 I-140 and I-485?

FAQ Transcript

I would suggest you sit with your lawyers and figure out if there is a possibility of starting another green card with this employer, while this case is still going on. Because, if you are able to preserve your priority date and get another green card approval through PERM and the employer has the ability to pay wages, then it makes more sense to file another green card through this employer or through any other employer.
---------------------------------------
Note: Unless the context shows otherwise, all answers here were provided by Rajiv and were compiled and reported by our editorial team from comments, blog and community calls on immigration.com. Where transcribed from audio/video, a verbatim transcript is provided. Therefore, it may not conform to the written grammatical or syntactical form.

Employment-based Adjustment of Status Applicants: Send in Your Medical Forms ASAP for More Efficient Processing

2 years ago By Chief Editor

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) plays a significant role in the processing of employment-based visas, and USCIS wants to ensure the center uses as many available visas as possible in fiscal year (FY) 2022, which ends on Sept. 30, 2022.

Recording of June 23, 2022, Free US Immigration Community Conference Call with Rajiv (Every Other Thursday)

2 years ago By Chief Editor

Nonimmigrant Visas

Green Card

Discussion Topics:

"Same or similar job" criteria for green card AC21 portability

2 years ago By Chief Editor

Question details

1) I-485 Filed under EB 3 Downgrade - More than one year back and pending
2)Independent I140 Approved both in EB2 and EB3 (Not as Amendment)
3) Currently working on H1B Work Authorization
4) I-485 EAD and AP Available but never used (EB3 Category)

Questions: -
1) If you change your job but by transferring your H1B (Change of Employer) and NOT use EAD, would the AC21 still apply (Same or Similar Job constraint) if you want to keep the I-485 alive?2) You said the last call that for Same of Similar Determination - USCIS Looks at all aspects:
a) Do the Job Duties and Actual Job Title need to be a dollar-to-dollar match?
b) Job Location Changes (One City/State to Another) and Job Mode Changes (From Onsite to Hybrid or Fully Remote) - Allowed?
c) Compensation Differentials - Positive or Negative - Any specific considerations/grey areas

FAQ Transcript

1. Absolutely fine. There is no law that states that in order to enjoy job portability you must necessarily use your EAD. In fact, in ninety nine percent of the cases I would advise you to transfer on H-1B simply because if there is a problem with your I-485 we are on solid footing to fight it out, otherwise you would be out of status and unlawfully present if your I-485 is denied. Hence definitely keep your H-1B active.

2. That depends. It doesn't have to be a one-on-one match job location. You can move from one state to another as this is a part of AC21 compensation. The only time you will have a problem is if the compensation is unexplained and it's a huge jump. Always ask an attorney who understands your situation to review your file.

Subscribe to Form I-485