April 28, 2022, Free US Immigration Community Conference Call with Rajiv (Every Other Thursday)
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Nonimmigrant Visas
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Discussion Topics, Thursday, April 28, 2022:
Discussion Topics, Thursday, April 28, 2022:
I am on an F-1 visa and when I was working in a gas station I was caught for illegal distribution of cigarettes to underage. They issued a notice to attend the court. And my charge is 2927.02(B)(1) M4 under Ohio state law. I went to court, in front of a judge I plead guilty to the issue. I paid the fine on that day only. Later on, the case was shown on my SSN. Here are my questions,
1. Will it affect my OPT EAD card? Because I am going to apply in May.
2. Can I go and return from my home country?
3. In the future, do I need to face any issues regarding immigration?
4. Do I need to contact an attorney regarding this case? About any documentation.
Talk to an immigration lawyer who does deportation work. I do not think there will be an issue, but get it confirmed. The second thing is to talk to your DSO. Disclose what happened and make sure that the continuity of two full semesters is maintained. Personally, I think you have a problem because of violation of status.
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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.
I was born in the United Arab Emirates, but have Indian citizenship. I did my bachelors in the U.S and am currently pursuing my Masters here as well. I was wondering with the ongoing corona crisis, would it be realistic to apply for GC within 6 months of the job starting and hope I get it before my three years of OPT ends?
Potentially it is possible for you to go directly to Green Card from F-1 if you are not chargeable to India.
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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.
Question: I have a visitor visa for the USA for multiple visits up to June-2023. Can I apply for an extension of the visa before the expiry date? Also, advise procedure for extensions and where I can get the application form, so I can keep all details ready.
Answer: I am not aware if there is a procedure to apply for a visitor visa extension before expiration. You can send an email to the consulate to confirm. There is, however, a restriction under the consular standard operating procedures on holding concurrently valid visas of the same type.
Discussion Topics, Thursday, April 14, 2022:
FAQ: GC-EAD applicant holding multiple jobs and starting own business
What happens when a student works without authorization because they have no choice as they need the money to support their school or because they did it unintentionally?
If you work without authorization on purpose, it is important to understand the implications. One is your violation of status which is much easier to fix and the other one is if you lie about it in any immigration proceeding. The first one, lets say you are close to getting an H-1B and you have three months or six months or even a year of working without authorization. In a worst case scenario you will have to go outside for H-1 visa stamping. You will not get your change of status. Make sure there is no history of misrepresenting your work status to the government. The moment you prevaricate or you lie about your situation to gain an immigration benefit you have committed a felony which is punishable by five years and also it is a permanent bar from entering the US. Make sure you understand that lying about work authorization or working without authorization is much worse than actually doing it.
But what happens when you do it inadvertently?
For ten days you work without authorization not realizing you don't have the authorization, then it is a very small violation. The government might ignore it and let it go. It is called de minimis. It simply means it is a minimal problem. Hence the point is if you have violated the law inadvertently and unknowingly by mistake you have several options. First of all disclose it when you file the H-1B and if you have fallen out of status talk with your DSO and act upon their advice. They might tell you to apply for reinstatement which should be readily given.
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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.
Discussion Topics, Thursday, March 31, 2022:
FAQ: Impact of criminal misdemeanor case on an F-1 or any status || Protecting immigration status: Traveling with advance parole, divorce proceedings and an entrepreneur on H-1B visa
FAQs: - From F-1 OPT directly applying for a green card - STEM OPT employment parameters, volunteering, part ownership, etc. - Can two employers file H-1B for the same employee using an existing I-140?
I am a student on F-1 and will be graduating by December 2022. Company A is willing to apply for an H-1B for me this year. I am interviewing with other companies, and I am planning to drop company A as soon as I graduate
1. If I am selected in the lottery and haven't done a change of status, can I continue on F-1 OPT with the other company (not Company A), after graduation?
2. Can Company A retract my H-1B if I leave them?
3. Being on F-1 can Company A start my green card if I win the H-1B lottery?
1. If you file it as a consular processing you can continue working on F-1OPT for that company or another company.
2. Absolutely.
3. That depends upon which country you were born in. If you were born in India that's not such a great deal.
Note: Where transcribed from audio/video, this is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.
In October'20 I filed for the EB3 downgrade based on the Date of Filing, my wife and son were included in the petition. In December'20 my son filed for the F1 - I539 adjustment of status petition. In April'21 my wife, son, and I received the GC EAD Cards. In Aug '21 the EB3 Final Action Date became current for me, and my son became 21 and should be covered under CSPA. In Feb'22 USCIS approved his I-539 F1 COS petition. My son is a Senior in college doing his major in Industrial Engineering in the final semester. He is on the lookout for possible internship/employment opportunities. Does the F1 approval mean he is no longer under GC EAD? What's your recommendation on whether he should choose to be on F1 or seek employment on GC EAD?
My recommendation would be to just use the green card EAD. You cannot do interfiling because then your son would lose his CSPA protection.
Note: Where transcribed from audio/video, this is a verbatim transcript of the referenced audio/video media delivered as oral communication, and, therefore, may not conform to written grammatical or syntactical form.