F-1 Visa

My case in brief:

I am currently of F1 OPT (STEM), valid until 15th June 2023.

My company will be filing for H1B this March.

However, I am wondering if I should be filing for an H4 visa simultaneously.

Could you tell me how long it takes for an H4 visa and an h4 EAD to process?

If I file for an H4 visa in February, would I lose my f1 visa as soon as the h4 visa is approved?

Is there any new policy where I can get h4EAD sooner? And moved my F1 EAD to h4 EAD without any employment gap?

Should I wait for the h1b result before applying for an h4 visa?

What is the best scenario to switch from F1 OPT EAD to h4 EAD, without/minimum employment gap?

My daughter was born in Canada and is on my H-1 visa as an H-4 dependent. She is currently studying 2nd year of her Bachelor's degree and will turn 21 in July/2024. I have a couple of questions, and they are
1. By what date/age she needs to change her status from H-4 to F-1?
2. Once on F-1 status, are there a minimum number of months/semesters/years she has to complete before being eligible for a CPT or OPT?
 

I am an international student currently of F-1 visa status and will be graduating in May-23. I have the below questions:

1. Can multiple companies / employers apply for H1-B on my behalf in this upcoming H1-B cap pool?

2. If yes, is there a possibility that the employers might get to know about this?

3. Should my name in the passport and birth certificate match exactly? My birth certificate has an abbreviation my last name but my passport has my complete last name.