Published by: The Times Of India - April 04, 2025
Quotes and Excerpts from Rajiv in the article:
Rajiv S Khanna, an Arlington based immigration attorney told TOI, “F-1 and H-1B visa holders turned to the CIS Ombudsman when they hit bureaucratic roadblocks within US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) that threatened their legal status and livelihoods.”
According to him, the most common issue which the CIS Ombudsman dealt with involved unreasonable processing delays, particularly for H-1B extensions where people were stuck in limbo for months despite following all rules. Khanna went on to illustrate: “In one instance, an engineer from Bangalore had his H-1B extension pending for 11 months despite multiple service requests. His employer was considering termination, and he faced losing his home. After the Ombudsman's intervention, approval came within two weeks.”
“Students frequently sought help when their optional practical training (OPT) applications were mishandled, threatening job offers they had already accepted. Perhaps, most telling was a case involving an F-1 student whose OPT application was erroneously rejected because USCIS misinterpreted her evidence. She had already missed her start date with a major tech company when we approached the CIS Ombudsman. They quickly identified the error and facilitated reopening of the case, saving both her job and legal status,” said Khanna.
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