Education

How to Get a Funded Scholarship to the USA As An International Student

Education, How to Apply for Scholarships, Scholars Hub

Learn how to get a scholarship to study in the USA for FREE as an international student on an F1/J1 visa. Many international students have a hard time finding scholarships. But there are plenty of them out there if you know where to look. How to get scholarship in USA for international students.

How to get scholarship in USA for international students: In this guide, you will learn how international students like you can find scholarships in the USA that will allow you to study without paying any tuition or taking out student loans. Scholarships are actually a great way to fund your higher education.

How to get scholarship in USA for international students

Source of Scholarship

For international students, your main source of scholarship could come from either your home country, whether that’s your home country’s government or private organization in your home country. But there are also opportunities for you to get scholarships on the U.S side.

On the U.S side, you would find that as an international student, the majority of scholarships tend to come from the U.S University that offered you an admission.

But after you’ve come to the U.S and you’ve enrolled in a University, there are also other sources of scholarships that you can get outside of your University, which we are going to cite some examples later.

Demographics

Talking about the demographics of international students who get scholarships, it is very important for you to know that when it comes to the demographics, there tends to be a fair balance of international graduate students and international undergraduate students who get scholarships.

Coverage

What exactly do these scholarship offers from U.S universities cover? In many cases, the scholarships could cover your tuition, and it could be a case where your tuition is covered in full, which is called a full ride scholarship.

Or it could be a case where your tuition is covered in part, which is called a partially funded scholarship.

So typically, scholarship from U.S universities tend to only cover your tuition and your fees. It’s quite rare to get scholarships that actually pay you a stipend, which tends to be the case for fellowships, as will be discussed later.

Duration of Scholarships

If you happen to receive a scholarship, the duration of your scholarship will be specified in an offer letter. And in this duration offer letter, the duration could take different forms.

It could be a one-time offer, which means that you would receive a one-time cash payout towards your tuition and fees. Or it could be a multiple year offer, which means that you might get a scholarship for more than one semester.

The duration of the scholarship is irrespective of the coverage you get in the scholarship.

How difficult it is to get a scholarship to the US as an international student.

Competition

So what you would find across many U.S universities is that the availability of scholarships are quite limited. This means that the competition to get a scholarship is quite high. And as an international student, you are expected to fund your education coming to the U.S.

As an example, if you want to be considered for a merit based scholarship at the time you are applying to the U.S University, then you would have to put together a very strong application package. You might ask, what does a strong application package look like?

Well, that’s going to have a very strong GPA coming out of high school or a strong GPA coming out of College. It’s going to have strong letters of recommendations. It’s going to have a high test score. It’s also going to have a strong statement of purpose or strong admission essay.

You should also note that just because you have a high GPA or a high test call, it’s still not a guarantee that the U.S University is going to give you a scholarship offer. So keep that in mind.

Timing of offers

Looking at the timing of your scholarship offer as an international student, you might get a scholarship at the time you’re applying to a U.S University. But if you don’t get a scholarship, then all hope isn’t lost, because even after you’ve enrolled in a U.S University, there are still many opportunities for you to get a scholarship.

Out of several examples, below are some examples that you can get a scholarship after you’ve enrolled at a U.S University.

Dean’s list

Let’s say after your first year of studies you make a very high GPA and this puts you on the Dean’s list in your program. And your program might have a funding policy where a student who made the Dean’s list could receive a partially funded scholarship or fully funded scholarship.

They could maintain the scholarship for as long as they remain on the Dean’s list.

Winning a student competition

Another common example where you might get a scholarship offer after you enrolled at a U.S University could be by you winning a student competition on your University’s campus.

Some of these competitions could be based on extracurricular activities or some of these competitions could be based on research.

So these are just a few examples of opportunities that exist for you to get a scholarship after you’ve enrolled at a U.S University.

Benefits and Caveat

Let’s consider the benefits and any caveats of scholarships, especially when compared to the other ways you can fund your U.S education. The benefits are clear as this; scholarships is free money that you never have to pay back if it’s a one-time scholarship. As long as you accept the scholarship, you get the payout.

When it comes to multiple term scholarships, they tend to have an academic requirement where you the international student will have to maintain a certain GPA in order to keep your scholarships.

For the case of undergraduate students, this minimum GPA is about a 2.0 or C average. And for graduate students, this minimum GPA is about a 3.0 or a B average. So as long as your minimum GPA stays above this number, you would have no trouble keeping your multiple term scholarship.

USCIS Biometrics Appointment Tips | What happens after Biometrics Appointment

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In this informative guide, you’re going to learn step by step everything you need to know to have a successful USCIS biometrics appointment in 2022. You will also get some really helpful tips for your biometrics appointment that no one talks about. Getting to the USCIS biometrics appointment is an important stage in your immigration journey.

If you’ve applied for an immigration benefit to USCIS, such as an application for a green card or an application for a change of status, you might be required to provide your biometric information as part of your application process.

This educative guide will teach you everything that you can expect at your USCS biometrics appointment, and also some tips that can help you have a good experience at the USCIS Application Support Center, where your biometrics are going to be collected.

What is USCIS biometrics appointment?

Some people worry about what is involved, especially when they hear the word “Biometrics”. You should not scared about the word “Biometrics”.

All this means is that during your appointment, you will be asked to provide information that would be used to verify your identity. This identifiable information to be collected during your appointment will be your fingerprints and your photograph.

By submitting your biometric information, you will be giving USCIS permission to perform a criminal background search on you. And the outcome of this background search will be used to either approve or deny your application.

What you should know about this appointment is that it’s not going to be an interview experience, not even close to that.

All the USCIS biometrics appointment is an opportunity for USCIS to see you in person and to collect some identifiable metrics, such as your fingerprints and a photograph of yourself.

How long does it take for USCIS to send biometrics appointment?

If your USCIS application requires your biometrics information, USCIS will send you a biometrics appointment notice. Usually, you can expect to receive this biometrics notice from USCIS within 12 weeks after you file your immigration application. Although, your wait time will depend on the USCIS service center processing your case.

During this appointment, you don’t have to pay a fee for the collection of your biometrics as you would have already paid this fee at the time you filed your application to USCIS.

Your appointments notice will also come with a worksheet that has to be completed before you attend your biometrics appointment. When you receive the biometrics notice, it’s going to have the location of the USCIS Application Support Center where your biometrics information is going to be collected. It’s also going to have the scheduled date and time of your appointment.

Something else to pay attention to on this form is a code number that appears on the top right corner. This code number could take the number 1, number 2, or number 3. And these numbers will decide what type of biometric information that you’re going to be required to provide on the day of your appointment.

You will learn more about the differences between these code numbers, 1, 2, 3, as you read on, but for now, let’s talk about what you should bring during your appointment.

Document Required for the USCIS Biometric Appointment

On the day of your appointment, you’re going to need to have a valid photo identification. This could be a valid driver’s license, it could be your passport, and for certain applicants, a green card could be a required form of identification during your appointment.

You’re also going to need the original copy of your Biometrics Appointment Notice that USCIS sent to you

Due to health and safety precaution, the application support center may not accept walk in appointments. As they need to limit the capacity of visitors within the building at all times.

This was compiled while the Covid-19 Pandemic is still ongoing. So in certain locations, you might be required to bring with you a face covering. Otherwise, you may not be granted access into the building.

So make sure go there with your face mask for your appointment and be prepared to keep this on at all times.

On the day of your appointment, you should plan to get there on time and preferably you should get there about 15 minutes before your scheduled appointment time shown on your appointment notice (or Form I-797C).

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET TO THE APPLICATION SUPPORT CENTER (ASC)?

When you show up at the Application Support Center, you’re going to notice signs on the door that tell you that the use of electronic devices are prohibited. So the first thing you should do is to turn off your phone, if you’re going to be taking that into the building.

Once you walk into the building, you’re going to meet a receptionist who’s going to review your photo identification and will also review your biometrics appointments notice.

Once this receptionist confirms your identity and reviews your biometrics appointments notice, you are going to be handed a processing form and the ticket number.

This processing form that will be handed to you is just for the use of the Biometrics Officers and after that you will be asked to take a seat and wait for a Biometrics Officer to call your ticket number.

Once a Biometrics Officer calls you by your ticket number, you will walk up to the Biometrics Officer and hand in all your documents, including the processing form.

The Biometrics Officer will review all your documents and will then enter your information into a computer.

Codes 2 and 3

Depending on the code number that appears on your biometrics appointment notice (Form I-797C), what you’re going to be asked to do at this point is going to vary. You will be asked to scan some or all of your fingers, provide an electronic signature, or have your photo taken.

If your code number states code 2 or 3, a Biometrics Officer will ask you to take a seat where your digital photograph will be taken. And on the other hand, if your code number States code 1, your digital photograph will not be taken.

Scanning of Fingerprints

When it comes to the scanning of your fingerprints, if you have code 1, then you can expect to get all your fingerprints scanned. If you have code 2, you’re only going to have your left and right index fingers scanned. And if you have code number 3, again, just like code 1, you can expect to have all your fingerprints captured.

Don’t worry about making any mistakes with the scanning of your fingerprints as the Biometrics Officer is going to be there to make sure that your fingerprints are properly scanned into the system.

What happens after Biometrics Appointment

After your fingerprints have been scanned, you will be asked to provide your electronic signature. Once this process has been completed, the Biometrics Officer will stamp your form I-797C, marking that your biometrics information has been collected.

After that, your job is done and you may leave the Application Support Center. The total time spent during your appointment shouldn’t exceed 20 minutes. But in some cases where you have a lot of people waiting before you, or if you have few Biometrics officers, your appointment time could exceed 20 minutes.

Depending on what your USCIS application, for example, if it’s an adjustment of status application, after the uscis biometrics appointment, you’ll have the green card interview next.

Most of these biometrics offices are very professional and very polite. So you should expect your experience to be quite pleasant. You should understand that by providing your biometrics information to USCIS, you are granting USCIS permission to conduct a criminal background search on you.

If you have a criminal history and you’re worried about the outcome of this background search and how that could affect your immigration application, then it is highly recommend you seek the counseling of an experienced immigration attorney.

Thanks for reading this guide and I hope you found it helpful.

How to apply for a Social Security Number (SSN) as an F1 visa or J1 visa international student

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Social Security Number for international students: In this guide, we will learn how to apply for a social security number (SSN) as an F1 visa or J1 visa international student. We will also learn how to obtain an SSN Letter of Ineligibility for someone unable to obtain an SSN as an F1 or J1 visa non-immigrant.

Social Security Numbers (SSN) are 9 digit numbers primarily used to report an individual’s wages to the U.S government through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to determine if a person is eligible to obtain a Social Security benefit.

Why You Need an Social Security Numbers (SSN)

As an international student on an F1 or J1 visa, you will need a Social Security Number or an SSN to do the following;

Receiving income and paying taxes on a job
Receiving government benefits, if you are considered a resident alien for tax purposes
Applying for a driver’s license or a state ID
Opening financial accounts, such as credit card accounts, and online banking accounts
Applying for loans, such as student loans, or car loans

Requirement for Social Security Numbers (SSN) on F1/J1 Visa

There are two prerequisites, either of which must be met in order to obtain a Social Security Card as an international student;

You must be authorized for employment by your school’s designated school official for F1 student, and if you’re a J1 student, you must be authorized for employment by your sponsor.

This authorization usually occurs when F1 Student or J1 Student apply for on campus employment or off campus employment in the form of CPT or academic training.

When you obtain a work authorization from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which is the case for F1 international students who apply and are approved for the Optional Practical Training OPT

How to get Social Security Number for International Students

Applying for your Social Security Number (SSN) is absolutely free, and if you’ve met any of the prerequisites listed above, you may contact your local Social Security Administration office and schedule an appointment as a first time Social Security number applicant.

You would first need to complete an application for a Social Security card, as well as presenting original documents that can be used to prove your identity, your age, your work eligibility, and your U.S immigration status.

Documents required for SSN for F1 students

As an international student applying for your first time Social Security Number, it’s best to go along with you the following documents. These document include;

An unexpired and most recent admissions stamp foreign passport, which could be used to prove your identity and your age.
Foreign birth certificate (optional): If you have one, you can go with your foreign birth certificate that could be used to prove your age.
I-94 arrival/departure record
Form I-20 (F1 students)
DS-2019 (J1 students)

These documents will be needed to prove your immigration status.

Supplementary Documents

Letters of work authorization from your DSO or Sponsor (F1 students who plan to work on campus)
Evidence of employment from your employer (This evidence of employment could be in the form of an awful letter or page stub)
J1 students must also provide a letter from their sponsor authorizing them for employment.
A valid EAD card (F1 students who plan to work in OPT)
An F1 student who plans to work in CPT must present an I-20 endorsed for CPT by their designated school official

Note: Your on campus or CPT work must begin within 30 days from the date you apply for your SSN, in order for your SSN application to be processed.

Another way an international student can apply for the Social Security Number for the first time, is when an F1 student is applying for the Optional Practical Training (OPT) on the I-765 application form used to apply for the OPT EAD.

You can choose the option to apply for your Social Security Number. If you choose the option of applying for your Social Security Number when you complete your OPT application, then when USCIS approves your OPT application, you will also receive a Social Security card from the Social Security Administration Office.

Approved SSN Card

Once your application has been approved, your card containing the 9-digit SSN would be mailed to the address you listed on your application.

If you look at your SSN card, you would see an annotation on this card stating “Valid for Work Only with DHS Authorization”.

This ensures that your future employer verifies that you have received the legal authorization to work in the US before employing you.

Social Security Number (SSN) Denial Letter

F1 and J1 international students who do not have the work authorization or do not intend to work in the U.S can request a denial letter by visiting the Social Security Administration Office.

This letter is also called a Social Security Number Letter of Ineligibility (Form SSA-L676) and as the name implies, it States that the individual is not eligible to obtain a Social Security Number.

Requesting this letter does not affect your ability to obtain a Social Security Number in the future. In some. This letter may then be used to apply for a driver’s license or a state ID in some U.S States that accept this letter in place of a social security card.

In Summary

I believe by now, you have learned why you need a Social Security Number (SSN) and how you can obtain one as an F1 or J1 visa International Student. Also, I believe you have learned what you can do if you are ineligible to obtain a Social Security Number (SSN).

Thanks for reading this detailed guide on social security number for international students.

Canadian Resume Format and Sample: How to Write a Resume for Jobs in Canada

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Geographic proximity, cultural similarities, and generous mandated leave and benefits can make Canada a very attractive place to work. But how do you get started? How do you write a Canadian resume and is different from other countries resume format?

This guide will help you learn everything you need to know about Canadian resume format. By the time you’re done going through this post, you will be very well conversant with Canadian Resume Format and How to Write a Resume for Jobs in Canada.

Is Canadian Resume Format Different from American Resume Format?

Canada and America have their similarities, but there are plenty of differences too. But do those differences extend to the Canadian resume? The answer is no. A resume in Canada is exactly the same as an American resume. No need to worry about all the differences as you would when applying for jobs outside North America.

Let now take a look at some Canada resume tips to make sure your Canadian job search gets off on the right foot.

Best Format for a Canadian Resume

The best resume format for Canadian jobs is the same tried and true classic as in the U.S. It’s known as the chronological or reverse-chronological resume.

The chronological resume, which is also known as the “reverse chronological resume” is the most popular resume format out there. Particularly advisable for those with rich work history, the chronological resume prioritizes and lists your work experience and achievements from most to least recent. It puts your work experience up front and it’s the format recruiters are most familiar with on both sides of the border.

Here are the sections a typical chronological Canadian resume consists of:

Resume header with candidate’s name, job title and contact information
Resume summary or objective
Work experience
Education
Skills
Additional sections

Note: Standard Canada resume format also follows the same layout rules as you’d use in the U.S. A good layout ensures that you’ll have a document that looks professional and is easy to read.

Here are some basic resume layout guidelines:

Set your resume margins to one inch on all sides and double space between sections to create plenty of reader-friendly white space.
Use line spacing set to 1.15.
Stick to 1–2 pages for your resume length.
Choose an easy-to-read resume font.
Use a larger font size to emphasize your resume section headers and make important information standout with bolding and italics.

How to Write a Canadian Resume

The same rules for resume writing in Canada is also applicable in the U.S. You’ll find detailed advice in our comprehensive how to write a resume guide. Below is a brief section-by-section breakdown:

Add a Header with Contact Information

Include your full name, job title and contact details. These should consist of your phone number, email address and LinkedIn profile[If any]. There’s no need to include your address on your resume. It’s not needed and it wastes space.

Write a Resume Profile

Your resume profile acts as the introduction to the content that follows. The general rule is to use a resume objective if you’re just starting your career and a resume summary if you’re more experienced. A summary of qualifications is another good option if you’ve got plenty of experience and achievements to highlight.

List Your Work Experience

This is the most important part of your Canadian resume. 90% of employers prefer their candidates to have work experience, so you need to get your work experience section right to capitalize on that demand. Here’s how to do it.

Use reverse chronological order, starting with your current or most recent position.
Start with the basics, your job title, the employer’s name and location and dates of employment.
Add up to six bullet points describing the role and start them off with resume action words for added impact.
Use accomplishment statements to showcase your professional attainments. And don’t just say what you did, prove how well you did it with quantified achievements.
Include resume keywords to help you pass the applicant tracking systems (ATS) that scan your job application.

Mention Your Education

Often overlooked, but still necessary. List your degree, your school and its location, and your graduation date (use an expected graduation date if you’re still studying). Only include your GPA on your resume if you’ve just graduated and it’s 3.5 or above.

Another thing you can include in your education section if you’ve just graduated is relevant coursework and extracurricular activities.

Include a List of Skills

The skills employers look for in a Canadian resume are the same as for the U.S. Be sure to include a mix of hard skills and soft skills, and target your resume to the job by keeping your skills section relevant and focused.

Make Use of Additional Sections

Adding them gives you the chance to add extra skills and achievements and stand out from other applicants.

Here are some of the best options:

Hobbies and personal interests
Foreign languages
Certifications and licenses
Projects
Volunteer work
Publications
Achievements and awards

Note: There’s no need to add references to your resume or even to write “references available upon request.” If an employer needs your references they’ll ask for them later on in the recruitment process.

Canadian Resume/CV Sample

Canadian Resume/CV Format and Sample — **Canadian Resume/CV Sample**

Download Canadian RESUME/CV Sample Here

What Not to Include in a Canadian Resume

The same rules apply as for an American resume. Here are the things you shouldn’t include on your resume.

A resume photo
Private information such as marital status, age and race.
Salary requirements
Lies

In Summary

Canadian resume format is exactly the same as American resume format. Follow the same guidelines and focus on writing a resume that’s tailored to the job you’re applying for and best shows off your strengths as a candidate. It’s that simple. Wish you All the best for your Canadian job search!

That’s it, you’re all set to craft the perfect Canadian style resume.

Note: A great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. Learn how to write a perfect cover letter from our previous here.

Marriage-Based Green Card Interview Questions

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Marriage-Based Green Card Interview Questions: Your interview process will begin the moment you walk into the USCIS office. When walking into the building, officers will look at the demeanor of both parties as individuals and as a couple from the moment they enter the building until the time they leave.

You will be placed together in an interview room and an officer will begin directing questions for you both to answer as individuals or as a couple. The interview usually lasts an average of 15-20 minutes and the questions are relatively simple.

Marriage-Based Green Card Interview Questions

Below are a few sample categories and marriage-based green card interview questions that each partner in a relationship should know about one another. Please note that these sample questions are not definite and an immigration officer can ask questions that are not listed below.

How You Meet – Questions about how your relationship started and progressed prior to being married. It’s important to display that you and your spouse established a relationship and actually fell in love prior to being engaged then married.

Where did you meet?
What did the two of you have in common?
Where was your first date?
When did your relationship turn romantic?
How long was it before you decided to get married?
Who proposed to whom?
Why did you decide to have a long or short engagement?
When did you meet each other’s parents?

Wedding – Questions about the day you tied the knot are common. Your wedding day is a special day that most couples cherish. You should be able to account for many details of that day.

How many people attended your wedding?
Did each of your parents attend?
Where was the wedding held?
Who were the bridesmaids/groomsmen?
Where did you go for the honeymoon?

Relationship– these questions usually deal with the intimate details of your marriage. Most married couples discuss these topics at least at some point in the first year.

Who takes care of the finances?
When is your spouse’s birthday?
Have you ever been on vacation together?
Do you attend church?
When is your anniversary?
Do you plan on having children?
Do you have any children from previous marriages?
Do you live together or plan on living together?
Do you spend a lot of time together?

Friends and Family

Have you met each other’s families?
How often do you see each other’s families?
When was the last time you saw them?
How do you typically celebrate holidays? For example, do you spend Thanksgiving with one family and Christmas with another?
How many brothers and sisters does your spouse have? What are their names?
Does your spouse have any nieces or nephews?
Do you have mutual friends?
What’s your spouse’s best friend’s name?

Education

Where did your spouse go to school?
Did they go to college?
What did your spouse major in?
What did your spouse get a degree in?

Employment

Who is your spouse’s employer?
How long has your spouse been working there?
What is your spouse’s position?
Where did your spouse work prior?

It’s understandable and normal that the marriage-based green card interview will make you nervous or stressed out. Before and while answering marriage-based green card interview questions, it is best that you utilize the tips for marriage-based green card interview questions listed above to be a few steps ahead.

How Can You Obtain a Marriage-Based Green Card?

Here is a comprehensive list of the items required to apply for a green card:

Petition for Alien Relative (USCIS Form I-130)
Application to Register Permanent Residence (USCIS Form I-485)
Biographic Information (USCIS Form G-325A)
Affidavit of Support (USCIS Form I-864)
Permission for Work Authorization (Optional) (USCIS Form I-765)
Medical Examination Results (USCIS Form I-693)
Request for Travel Documents (Optional) (USCIS Form I-131)
The appropriate supporting documents

If you are a U.S. citizen within the country through lawful admission/parole, you will need the following:

File Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative
Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust status

If you are a citizen outside the U.S.:

File Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative

Are You Prepared for Your Interview?

Marriage-based green card interviews are held at a USCIS office and will be conducted by a trained immigration official. The interview usually takes place between 3-4 months after your petition is filed with USCIS. During this time, you may want to gather any additional documents that show proof of the relationship for your interview.

Remember that the main purpose of this interview is to confirm the validity of your relationship. Take the time to review your relationship in entirety with your spouse. It’s normal for you to forget things about your marriage but you can work together to jog each other’s memory prior to the interview.

They are also looking to see if the U.S. citizen in the relationship can support the immigrant spouse. Your spouse will need to submit an affidavit of support to show that they have adequate means of financial support and are not likely to rely on the U.S. government financially.

Going through a process as tedious as a green card interview is not something you should do alone. If you have any questions or concerns before the interview, consult your immigration attorney.

Tips for a Marriage Based Green Card Interview

We know how stressful the interview process can be, so take a look at these top tips to make the best of your situation.

Be punctual for your scheduled interview by arriving at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled time.
Wear professional and/or conservative clothing because first impressions are important and you want to give the impression that you are taking this interview seriously.
Be prepared to answer all types of questions. Immigration officials are likely to ask simple marriage-based green card interview questions as well as ones that you may have to think a little harder about to answer.
Come with a calm and organized demeanor because immigration officials look for red flags that indicate fraud. Looking flustered and nervous looks will raise their suspicion. Remain calm and be confident in the knowledge of your marriage.
No need to memorize facts. It can potentially make the couple sound rehearsed, which is a red flag. Immigration officials understand that you won’t remember every small detail about your marriage. If you’re not sure or don’t know, then simply say it. It is always better to say you don’t know than it is to lie. Not knowing might lead to having your green card denied, but lying or other fraudulent behavior might lead to barred access to the U.S. altogether. However, you should be able to answer simple questions about your marriage.
Act normally; not overly affectionate or uncomfortable. USCIS immigration officials are trained to recognize signs that individuals are not behaving normally. This type of in-authenticity is a red flag, so it’s best you both be yourselves and act normal.
Don’t panic if you are separated. If you and your spouse are moved to separate rooms, remain calm and answer the immigration official’s additional marriage-based green card interview questions honestly.
Remember to bring the necessary paperwork which can be any necessary forms and any proof of your relationship. This can be wedding or vacation photos or bank statements.
Confide in your attorney if you’re unsure about anything pertaining to your green card case. Your attorney will know your case inside and out and will make you feel more prepared by addressing any and all concerns you or your spouse may have.
Review additional resources to feel even more confident about the marriage-based green card interview. Marriage related green card resources are available at the bottom of this page.

Ultimately, having a legitimate case and an experienced attorney should be your most valuable assets during this interview. These questions are designed to determine if your marriage is fraudulent. If that is not the case, then simply follow the above tips and be confident.

After the Marriage Green Card Interview

Once you’ve completed your marriage-based green card interview, you’ll have to wait for the USCIS to approve your petition. There isn’t a defined period of time for marriage green card approvals which can make the waiting process even more stressful.

A few weeks from the interview date, you may receive the news that your green card has been either granted or denied. It can take longer if your file is undergoing an additional security review. If your petition is approved, then your passport will be returned to you with the conditional green card printed inside, allowing you and your spouse to enter the U.S. as legal permanent residents.

You and your spouse are able to check the status of your green card case by entering your case number into the USCIS Case Status Search.

Disclaimer: This site is not owned by any U.S Government Agency or an Immigration attorney. The contents in the site/post is for informational purpose only collected from various public domains (YouTube, search engines), you may need to contact an expert immigration attorney for your specific immigration needs.

USA Work Visa Types Application Procedures (Explained)

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Work in the U.S on a working visa: In this guide, we will learn about the different types of U.S work visas that allows you to live and work in the United States on a temporary basis. Some of these work visas include the E1, E2, H1, L1, and TN work visas.

We will also understand the different types of U.S work visas for high skilled working professionals and you can determine which of these visas is best suited for you. U.S work visa types.

U.S Work Visas

There are two broad categories of U.S work visas.

Nonimmigrant or temporary work visa
Immigrant or permanent work visa.

Both types of visas are given to individuals with a primary purpose of living and working in the U.S. The main difference between these categories is in the period of authorized stay in the U.S:

For Nonimmigrant or temporary work visa: Individuals entering the U.S on a temporary work visa are allowed to stay in the U.S for a fixed period of time beyond which they need to apply for what’s called an extension of state.
For Immigrant or permanent work visa: Individuals who enter the U.S on a permanent work visa are allowed to remain in the U.S indefinitely.

This article will only be focused on the temporary work visa, while the subject of the permanent work visa will be discussed in the preceding articles.

U.S Work Visa Types

Let’s take a look at the most common types of U.S temporary work visas in alphabetical order.

E1 and E2 Treaty Visa

This visa is granted to citizens of countries that have a Treaty of Commerce or an international agreement with the United States and who wish to enter the U.S to engage in international trade on their own behalf. This is the case with the E1 visa, whereas with the case of the E2 visa, this is for individuals who plan to invest a substantial amount in the U.S based business.

Of all the nonimmigrant work visas, the E1 and E2 visas are the most suitable visas for entrepreneurs who wish to enter the U.S to start their own businesses. Currently, there are 81 countries with at least one of these treaties with the U.S. You can find a full list of the treaty countries with the U.S here.

E3 Visa

This visa is only given to citizens of Australia who wish to come to the U.S to work in specialty occupations and have obtained an offer of employment from a U.S employer. Specialty occupations require specialized knowledge, and you must have obtained a minimum of bachelor’s degree in your field to enter the U.S on this visa.

Individuals entering the U.S on an E1, E2 and E3 visa are typically allowed to remain in the U.S for a period of two years, beyond which they must apply to extend their period of stay for another two years if they wish to remain in the U.S. There is no cap to the number of extensions that may be granted to an E1, E2 or E3 nonimmigrant.

H1B visa class

This is the most popular nonimmigrant work visa for high skilled professionals who come to the U.S. Similar to the E3 visa, you must obtain an offer of employment from a U.S employer for work in a specialty occupation, and you must have a minimum a Bachelor’s degree or higher that’s equivalent to a U.S Bachelor’s degree or higher degree.

Foreign nationals admitted to the U.S on an H1B visa are typically admitted for a period of three years, and they can apply to extend the period of stay for an additional three years, for a total of six years in the U.S.

H3 Visa

Foreign nationals coming to the U.S to receive job related training for work that will automatically be performed outside of the U.S can obtain what’s called an H3 Trainee visa.

Typically, individuals entering the U.S on an H3 visa are usually allowed to remain in the U.S for a period of two years. You need to have an H-3 visa in order to participate in any training program that is neither academic or medical in nature.

I visa

If you are a candidate who is interested in working in the field of media or information, you are required to hold an I visa.

L-1B visa

The L1B intra Company transferring visa allows a U.S employer to transfer a professional worker who’s knowledgeable about the employer’s business from a foreign location to a U.S based location.

To be eligible for these visa, you must have worked for the prospective employer for one continuous year within three years prior to when you seek to enter the U.S.

Most individuals entering the U.S on the L1 Visa are usually admitted to the U.S for an initial period of three years, and they may extend their stay in the U.S until a maximum limit of five years is attained.

O1 Visa

This type of visa is granted to individuals who possess extraordinary ability in the Sciences, arts, education, business and in sport, and they must be coming to the U.S to work temporarily in their field of extraordinary ability.

Put simply, extraordinary ability in one field means that you must have attained a level of expertise that puts you at the very top of your field. This is usually demonstrated by the receipt of international or national awards in your field of expertise.

P-1 visa

You will require a P-1 visa if you are a member of an entertainment group or a team athlete and you wish to travel to the United States for the purpose of performing or competing.

P-2 visa

You will require a P-2 visa in order to participate in an exchange program that is run between your nation and the United States of America.

P-3 visa

You will require a P-3 visa if you want to teach, perform, or coach as part of a program that is new in the field of folk, cultural, traditional ethnic, musical, dramatic, or artistic performance.

R-1 visa

You will require an R-1 visa in order to work for a religious organization if you are a minister, a preacher, or if you have religious commitments. If you wish to work for a religious organization.

TN visa

The TN nonimmigrant class is based on the North America Free Trade Agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico. This allows a Canadian or Mexican citizen to enter the United States temporarily to work in a qualifying professional level business activity.

Some of these professions include lawyers, teachers, engineers, and scientists. Canadian or Mexican citizens must have the qualifications for these qualifying professions and must receive an offer of employment from a U.S based employer for these professions.

While citizens of Mexico need to obtain a TN visa to enter the United States, citizens of Canada do not. Citizens of Canada and Mexico who enter the U.S on a TN nonimmigrant class are allowed to remain in the U.S for a period of three years and if they wish to remain in the U.S beyond three years they must apply for an extension of stay in the U.S but there is no limit to the number of times a TN status can be extended.

Application Procedure for U.S work visa

Before submitting your application for a work visa in the United States, you are going to need to have the following three things with you. These things are as follows:

Job Offer: You need to have a job offer from the United States in order to be eligible to apply for a work visa from that country.

USCIS: Your employer will have to file a petition for a non-immigrant worker with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in order for you to be eligible for the work visa. You will be eligible to submit an application for a work visa in the United States once your permit has been approved.

Labor Certification approval by the Department of Labor (DOL): A certificate from the Department of Labor is necessary for obtaining certain visas, including all forms of H visas. Your employer will approach these people on your behalf and make this request.

LATEST UPDATE: How to check Your Diversity Visa Lottery Result

I hope you found this guide very informative.

DISCLAIMER: This article/post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this article/post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

U.S New Immigration Visa : America Competes Act, 2022

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Joe Biden supports new legislation to propose startup visas to attract talent to U.S. The ambitious America Competes Act of 2022 which was introduced in the U.S House of Representatives, proposes to open up new vistas for talented individuals from across the world with a new startup visa. In this article, we are going to talk about latest immigration updates.

President Joe Biden, who supports the legislation, said the America Competes Act, 2022 is an important step forward in advancing legislation that will make the supply chain stronger and reinvigorate the innovation engine of the country’s economy to outcompete China and the rest of the world for decades to come.

The act, among other things, amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new classification of “W” nonimmigrants for entrepreneurs with an ownership interest in a startup entity, essential employees of a startup entity, and also their spouses and children.

According to the provisions of the bill released by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the bill, when signed into law, directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish procedures for foreign nationals with an ownership interest in a startup entity to soft petition for lawful permanent resident status.

As an immigrant entrepreneur if the entity demonstrates a proven track record of success through job creation and significant revenue generation or receipt of investment capital.

It also directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to establish procedures for foreign nationals with an ownership interest in a startup entity to self-petition for classification as a W-1 nonimmigrant, and to receive extensions of such classification for up to eight years if the entity meets certain growth benchmarks.

It also provides for a limited number of W-2 visas for personnel who are essential to the growth and success of the startup entity, if the startup serves as the basis for the W-1 status of a founder. The bill exempts from the numerical limits on immigrant visas, certain foreign nationals and the spouses and children of such aliens.

Who have earned a doctoral degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) from a qualified U.S research institution or a foreign institution if the degree is the equivalent to a doctoral degree issued by a qualified U.S research institution.

The bill provides the Secretary of Homeland Security discretion to classify an individual as a W-1 nonimmigrant for a three year period initially if the individual possesses an ownership interest of not less than 10% in a startup entity.

The foreign individual will play a central and active role in the management or operations of the startup entity, or the applicant possesses the knowledge, skills, or experience to substantially assist the startup with the growth and success of the business.

During the 18-months period preceding the filing of the petition, the startup entity needs to have received at least $250,000 in qualifying investments from one or more qualified investors, or at least $100,000 in qualifying government awards or grants, the bill notes.

In a statement, Biden said the proposals laid out by the House and Senate represent the sort of transformational investments in American industrial base and research and development that helped power the United States to lead the global economy in the 20th century and expand opportunities for middle class families.

“They will help bring manufacturing jobs back to the United States and they are squarely focused on easing the sort of supply chain bottlenecks like semiconductors that have led to higher prices for the middle class,” he said.

“Building on the historic investments in the bipartisan infrastructure law that I signed last year and on signs of progress like last week’s Intel announcement and today’s GM announcement, comprehensive competitiveness legislation will power our economy to create good-paying jobs for all Americans, no matter where you live or whether you have a college degree, and will help tackle the climate crisis,” Biden said.

“Today, the House takes action to transport our nation into the future with the America Competes Act: bold, results-oriented legislation that will strengthen America’s National and economic security and the financial security of families and advance our leadership in the world,” Pelosi said.

“America Competes makes historic investments to strengthen America’s economy, security and global leadership. To compete effectively with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the legislation leverages our core strengths and values and presents a positive hold of government agenda that rises to the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century,” said Congressman Gregory Meeks, chairman of the House Foreign Relations Committee.

To bolster economic competitiveness, America Competes has provisions to secure critical supply chains, shape the rules and standards that govern global commerce and development, empower American workers and businesses and invest in science and innovation, he said.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said the introduction of the vital America Competes Act of 2022 in the House is an important step forward to setting up a conference with the Senate-passed U.S Innovation and Competition Act, so that they can quickly negotiate a final bill for the President to sign into law.

“We have no time to waste in improving American competitiveness, strengthening our lead in global innovation and addressing supply chain challenges, including in the semiconductor industry,” he said.

I hope the details and information provided in this article is helpful.

Disclaimer: This site is not owned by any U.S Government Agency or an Immigration attorney. The contents in the site/post is for informational purpose only collected from various public domains(YouTube, search engines), you may need to contact an expert immigration attorney for your specific immigration needs.

CR1- IR1 Visa Approved!! 10 Top Questions Asked at U.S Embassy Visa Interview

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U.S spouse visa interview questions and answers: In this article/guide, you will learn top 10 questions that you should expect at your Spousal visa interview and perfect tips to answer them.

10 Top Spousal Visa Interview Questions and perfect tips to answer them.

Question #1: When did you meet your spouse in person?

Tip: Describe the circumstances and include the approximate date, where were you, time, where were you going.

Question #2: How long have you known your spouse?

Tip: The longer that you date each other, the better. In the beginning we are in love and we want to rush and get married, but I will say wait, date, do some travelling together, and get to know that person before you get married. In that way you will have lots of evidence and you would not get a two-year condition green card.

Instead, you will get ten years. So the longer you date each other, the better. Date each other for about one to two years before getting married.

Question #3: How much time have you and your spouse spend together?

Tip: It is very important to spend quality time with your spouse. If you are the petitioner, try to at least go to your spouse and try to stay about one to two months, at least twice a year, spend time with each other, go out, do lots of adventures and take lots of pictures.

If you are the dependent, try to at least get a visa so you could travel to the U.S to see your spouse, and do not overstay your visa. Go back in a good time frame.

Question #4: What do you like about your spouse?

Tip: Is your spouse loving or caring? If you want to say that your spouse is loving or caring, please give details of what does he or she do that is loving or caring. View lots of details but keep it short and sweet.

Question #5: What are your spouse’s hobbies and interest? What are your hobbies and interest?

Tip: Get to know what he or she likes and asks lots of questions. For example, you could say, “My spouse loves to stay feet and play the guitar.” And for yourself, you can say, “I love to Cook and dance”, or you can say, “Myself and my spouse, we are very outgoing and we love taking road trips together.”

So this is a great way to answer that question.

Question #6: Have you met your spouse’s family?

Tip: If yes, describe the circumstances and who you met. Also, does your spouse have any siblings? If yes, state their name and age.

Question #7: What did your parents and your spouse’s parents think about your marriage? Did they approve it? What type of wedding did you have?

Tip: The more traditional the wedding, the better. If you’re having a smaller wedding, you want to include close family members such as parents, siblings, and extended families.

Do not have a small wedding with a whole bunch of friends. It’s not going to look good to the consular officer. So the more traditional wedding you have, the better, and if you want to go smaller, make sure to include close family members.

Question #8: Have you ever been to the U.S?

Tip: If yes, what type of visa did you use to travel to the U.S? How long did you stay and when did you return from the U.S? If it has been many years since you have gotten a visa, make sure that you go ahead and do some research. Find out what visa you had. Look at your old travel documents.

If your visa was denied, make sure that you state why it was denied. State why did the consular officer denied your visa. So this is a very important question.

Question #9: At what address do you plan to reside in the U.S?

Tip: Although this question is very simple, you need to know your spouse’s address, memorize it, ask him or her what is the address and memorize it. If your spouse is currently in the military, make sure that you have arrangements of where you will be staying once you come to the U.S.

If you have any in-laws or if you have any family members in the U.S, know the address. Please do not say that you find in a state by a friend and this is a friend address. No, do not include any friends. This is not going to fly with the consular officer. It’s going to look like a red flag and it’s going to show that you are not committed to your relationship.

Question #10: Criminal history.

Tip: This question is very important. Have your spouse told you about their prior criminal convictions? What did him or she was convicted of and what were the circumstances? You need to be very honest when you answer this question.

If you are convicted of a crime and your police report is cleared. You still need to let the consular officer know of your convictions. If the U.S embassy wants to do an investigation, let them do that. If everything comes up clean that’s great. If you don’t have anything to hide, you should be fine. Tell the truth and be honest.

In summary

If you have any new evidence, make sure that you go over it with your spouse and include that in your interview. Those evidence could include travel documents, pictures, financial and gift receipts, emails, call logs and so on. So make sure that you practice every day so to be more prepared.

I hope you found this guide (U.S spouse visa interview questions and answers) informative, and I hope it will be beneficial for your upcoming spousal immigrant visa interview.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice nor the formation of a lawyer/client relationship. The information presented in this guide does not create an attorney-client relationship nor is it a solicitation to offer legal advice.

If you need legal advice, you may contact an attorney. You should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

As such, I disclaim all liability with respect to actions taken based on any information presented. Nothing herein is intended to nor constitutes a guarantee, warranty, or prediction regarding the outcome of your legal matter.

Every case is different and outcomes will vary depending on the unique facts and legal issues of your case. Thank you.

What is CR-1 visa?

CR1 visa which is also called IR-1 spousal visa, is an immigrant visa issued to an alien who is married to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and wishes to live in the U.S. with their spouse.

The CR in CR1 stands for “conditional resident.” That is because this visa is only provided to couples who are married for less than 2 years. Similarly, the IR in IR-1 stands for “immediate relative” and this visa is granted to couples who are married for precisely more than 2 years.

The IR-1/CR-1 Visa is a Family Based Green Card in the immediate relative category. Known as the Marriage-Based or Spouse Green Card, the IR-1/CR-1 Visa enables the spouse of a U.S. citizen to join their partner in the United States as a permanent resident.

Who is eligible for CR-1 visa?

CR1 spousal visa is issued only to those married couples, same or different sex, whose marriage lasts less than two years. This visa is also called the “conditional resident.” On the contrary, the IR-1 visa is issued for couples who are married longer than two years.

Documents Required for a CR1 Visa

As with any visa, your success rate depends on the availability of the correct documents. To help you put the right foot forward, here is a list of major documents needed:

Form I-130 — which is used to petition for your spouse.
Form G-1145 — which is an e-notification of application.
DS-260 — which is an electronic application for an immigrant visa.
Cover letter.
Proof of marriage (essentially a marriage certificate).
Additional proofs of marriage (like a joint bank account).
Passport photos.
Proof of permanent residency.
Evidence of the end of any previous marriages.
Medical examination forms.
Affidavit of support (like form I-864).

How long does it take to get CR-1 visa?

It can take between 7 and 10 months to get the CR-1 Visa, including the visa interview. What usually takes longer is the visa interview appointment, as it depends mostly on the workload at the nearest U.S. Embassy.

What is Form I-797 and What is next after receiving the immigration form?

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This educative article will explain some important things we need to know about the Form I-797, Notice of Action and the next thing after receiving an I-797 immigration form.

What is Form I-797?

Form I-797 Notice of Action is a form sent to someone who has submitted an application or petition to the USCIS. Basically, this is sent to you once the people at USCIS have received your application, which usually happens after two to three weeks.

The most important thing to know about Form I-797 is that it serves multiple purposes. For examples, it may be sent to inform you about the approval of your application, or it may ask for extra evidence for your application to be approved. In some other cases, it can also tell you when your scheduled appointment should take place.

What is the next step after receiving I-797 immigration form?

If a person changes or extends his/her status while legally in the United States, a Form I-797, Approval Notice will have a new Form I-94 located at the bottom of the notice. The Form I-94 number should match the Form I-94 issued to the person upon his/her last entry into the United States.

It’s also important to know how Form I-797 looks.

Basically, this form has its top left-hand corner imprinted with a number that has three letters at the beginning. After the three numbers, there are ten digits on the lower end of the form. There is a replacement I-94 card on the form.

You will also find a

description of the action you requested,
as well as your name,
visa classification,
approved and validity dates.

Types of Form I-797

Form I-797 Standard Notice: Issued when an application or petition is approved.

In case you receive this particular Form I 797, then it means USCIS is notifying you about the approval of your application or petition.

This isn’t the actual document that you need, it is nothing but a receipt. It cannot be used for jobs, travel, or anything of the source. In addition, as USCIS specifies Form I-797 is not a form you can fill out despite not being able to be used for any of these purposes. You still need to keep a copy of this receipt. So you have evidence in case something happens.

This form gives you the information about your application and it also allows you to track your case on the official USCIS website.

Form I-797A, Notice of Action: Issued to an applicant as a replacement Form I-94

This form is not that different from the regular I-797 form. The difference is that this one is used as a replacement for an I-94 form with the bottom serving as the official document.

Basically, this form has meant for foreign people who want to come to the US and is also known as the Arrival departure record of the document. You will find the date to which you are allowed to stay, the admission class, and the date of the admission.

Form I-797 B, for I-140 B, Notice of Action: Issued for approval of an alien worker petition.

If you are an immigrant who wants to work in the US, the chances are that you submitted Form I-140. If that is the case, then you will receive form I-797 B. This will give you details about your application, like information for admission to the US and many other things.

Form I-797C, Notice of Action: Issued to communicate receipt of payments, rejection of applications, transfer of files, fingerprint biometric, interview and re-scheduled appointments, and re-open cases.

Form I-197C, is usually sent to give you some important information. To be more specific, it will inform you in case of a scheduled or rescheduled appointment transfer, reopening or rejection.

It is probably the most common type of Form I-797 sent to applicants. You should read this paper very carefully because it will tell you what you should do next with your application. Make sure you don’t end up ignoring or misunderstanding certain aspects of this form. This may lead to delays and you don’t want that.

Form I-797D: Accompanies benefit cards.

With Form I-797D, you will receive a benefit card in general. You don’t really need to do anything with this form, but you should still make sure to keep it for potential evidence. Keep in mind that this form includes a green card or another official document usually.

Form I-797E, Notice of Action: Issued to request evidence.

You may have applied to the USCIS, but even if you submitted some evidence, it may not be enough to give you approval. That being said, USCIS will ask you for additional information, which is usually asked for through Form I-797E, called the Request for Evidence.

If you read this form, you will notice that it says there may be a potential problem with the evidence you sent or that there wasn’t any evidence provided. Read it carefully and follow the instructions on it. You should meet the time limit too, or else your application may be rejected.

Form I-797F, Transportation Letter: Issued overseas to allow applicants to travel.

Form I 797 F is the most unique one of the bunch. Unlike the other forms, this one can be used for travel as it is a travel permit. Make sure to follow the instructions the document gives you, and you will be able to travel.

Hints:

Whenever a person files a petition or application with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), a Form I-797, Receipt Notice is issued. The document serves as proof the USCIS has received a person’s petition or application.

Usually, this form is just a receipt that shows you’ve submitted an application for a particular benefit. Once USCIS establishes that you are eligible to receive the benefit for which you submitted the application, they will send you an I-797. This will tell you more about the immigration benefit. If any benefit has been given to you, then you need to carefully read the notice sent to you.

Question: Can I use Form I-797 in place of a visa?

Answer: No, Form I-797 is a totally different document and it cannot be used in place of a visa, even USCIS clearly specifies this. If you happen to leave the US and want to enter the country, you will need an actual visa.

However, if you are an immigrant and need an extension of status, you can apply for it to the USCIS. If the application is approved, you’ll receive Form I-797A, which is proof that USCIS has received your application and accepted it.

This means that you can remain in the US under the new status or the current one, depending on whether you’ve applied for a change or an extension of status. Your stay is determined by the date written in the form.

But if you leave the US and want to return, you cannot use Form I-797A for that, you need to apply for a visa. It’s important to understand what Form I-797 is. You want to know why you’ve received it, but no matter the reason, two things are clear. You need to read the document carefully and you need to keep a copy of it.

I hope this article has been helpful to you.

DISCLAIMER: I am not an immigration attorney, therefore I cannot consult you on your personal case and review your forms. My knowledge is based on the information publicly available on USCIS website and other resources (such as immigration channels on YouTube, articles online, Reddit, etc). YOU MAY NOT cite these article in the “Preparer” section on your immigration applications.

How To Apply For OPT EAD for F1 Visa Students

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Applying for your OPT could be a long and confusing process, but it doesn’t have to be after you finished reading this guide because you are going to learn how to apply for your OPT EAD in 5 simple steps, ensuring that your OPT application is completed and sent to USCIS as quickly as possible with all the required documents.

Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Steps to apply for OPT EAD

The Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a work authorization given to foreign students before or after the completion of their studies. If it’s given before the completion of their studies, it’s called the pre-completion OPT and if it’s given after the completion of your studies, it’s called the post-completion OPT.

This guide will focus more on the post completion OPT, which is the OPT that foreign students apply for, shortly before graduation.

So if you’re going to be applying for your OPT in the coming months, make sure to read this guide through to the end because it’s going to share with you some really helpful tips to guide you along the way.

5 Steps to apply for OPT EAD

These are the 5 simple steps to follow in order to apply for OPT EAD successfully:

Step #1: Gathering your supporting documents for the OPT EAD application.

These documents include: two passport colored photographs, a copy of your biographical page of your international passport, a copy of your most recent F1 visa, a copy of your most recent electronic I-94, and any previously issued employment authorization documents (EADs) that you’ve received.

Most importantly, there are specific requirements for your passport photographs. It needs to be taken within the last six months at the time of submitting your application. It also needs to be printed out on a two inch by two inch photo paper.

As for international passport, it’s best to have a passport with an expiration date of atleast six months at the time of submitting your application. This would significantly eliminate any chances of your application getting rejected because of an expired passport.

To get your electronic I-94, go to the US Customs and Border Protections website i.e www.cbp.gov

On the website you will scroll down and click on get your I-94 admission number and that’s going to bring you to the I-94 website. On this website, you’re going to click on Get most recent I-94, accept consent, and on this webpage, you’re going to enter your first name, date of birth, your passport number, and your passport country of Issuance when you click on next, that’s going to bring you to an electronic I-94, which you’re going to print out and add to your application packet.

Finally, if you’ve been issued an employment authorization document in the past, you want to make sure to make a copy of the front and back of your EAD card.

Step #2: Selecting/Choosing an Employment Start Date.

This tends to cause a lot of confusion to many applicants, especially when you do not already have a job offer at the time of applying for your OPT. Whether you have a job offer or not, your employment start date must fall within 60 days off your date of graduation.

If you do not already have a job offer at the time of applying for your OPT, select your start date within 30 days to 45 days after your date of graduation.

Step #3: Completing the Form I-765 and G-1145 applications.

This form could be downloaded from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services website at www.uscis.gov. On this page, scroll down and download your Form I-765. You’re also going to download your Form G-1145.

These applications should either be typed out or filled out by hand in black ink.

How to fill form I-765

When completing your form, I-765, it’s critically important to pay attention to the expiration date of the form. This expiration date could be found on the top right hand corner of page number one. You always want to ensure that at the time of submitting your application, your expiration date of the form is not current.

On page number one, the instructions recommend that the form be Typed out on your computer or print it out and fill it out in black ink. Finally, once you’re done filling out your form I-765, print it out and sign the form on page number five of section seven. Ensure that your signature is completely enclosed within the box.

How to fill form G-1145

To fill out the form G-1145, you’re going to enter your name, an email address, and a phone number to allow the USCIS to notify you upon receiving your application.

Step #4: Obtaining approval from your university’s international student office or designated school official (DSO)

Some of the requirements in this step might vary from school to school, but generally the procedure remains the same and that involves having your designated school official (DSO) review all the documents that you’re going to be submitting towards your I-765 application.

In Step number four, your designated school official will review all your supporting documents from Step number One. You’re completed and signed Form I-765 from Step number three and might also require you to provide an official transcript from your register showing that you are on track and also in good standing to graduate.

You might also be required to provide a graduation letter from your Department confirming that you are also on track to graduate. You might also be required to complete an OPT Request form with your International office.

On this form, you’re going to enter your employment start dates as discussed in Step number Two.

Upon the successful review of your application, your DSO will provide you with an updated form I-20 endorsed on page number Two for your OPT, this OPT endorsement will have the employment start date of your choice.

You should review your OPT I-20 carefully for any discrepancies before signing on page number One.

Step #5: Mailing your OPT EAD application to USCIS

You should note that USCIS must receive your application packet within 30 days from the date your OPT Form I-20 was issued. In Step number five, you’re going to assemble the following documents,

All your supporting documents from Step number One,
Completed and signed Form I-765 from Step number three
A copy of your sign opt Form I-20 from Step number four,
A payment for the I-765 filing fee in the form of a check or money order,
A completed Form G-1145 that’s going to be clipped to the first page of your application package.

Find more about the current filing fee for USCIS application from the USCIS website.

Finally, you will mail your application to a USCIS lockbox facility based on your state of residence. Make sure to retain a tracking number from your mailing service provider.

You would need to keep a confirmation of the delivery provided by your mailing service provider for your records. In the event that your OPT application is misplaced by USCIS, this delivery confirmation of your OPT application to USCIS would come in handy.

BONUS STEPS:

Once your OPT application is received by USCIS, a receipt notice – called the I-797C – would be mailed to your address listed on the OPT application. This receipt notice would contain a Receipt number (also called a tracking number) that can be used to track the status of your case.

Under some unfortunate circumstances, USCIS might take a very long time (much longer than the typical processing time for OPT EADs) to adjudicate your OPT EAD application.

Questions you may ask and some useful answers to its.

Question: When applying for OPT with a dependent? Do I have to include the same documentation for the F2 dependent?

Useful Answer: Not with USCIS as the OPT is filed by the F1 primary applicant. F2 dependents don’t get any work privileges. When requesting OPT from your school, you would need to contact your DSO to update the I-20 for your dependents as well. This way their completion date would end when your OPT ends.

Question: What’s the best way to get a green card from a F-1 Student visa?

Useful Answer:

Do a study in a marketable skills, start working in OPT, get h1b work visa sponsored, then get GC sponsored.
Meet a US citizen spouse during your study. Get married and apply for GC.

Question: Do you think is necessary to add the I-20 from the dependent to the OPT documentation that is going to be sent to USCIS?

Useful Answer: Your dependent can’t work on OPT. You should submit the OPT is the primary applicant on an F1 visa.

Question: I graduate this December and I have a full-time offer. I would like to start as late as possible. Can I still apply 90 days before graduation and select my start date around February, within the 60 days framework?

Useful Answer: Yes, if you want to start late, you can choose the 60th date after graduation as your start date. But I will highly recommend you apply once your 90 day window opens, since you’re in a great spot having a full-time offer already.

Question: Could you please tell me the difference between program end date written on I-20 and graduation date? Is program end date would be considered as my graduation date?

Useful Answer: Yes in most cases the program end date on the I-20 will be the same as the graduation date. The one exception is for PhD students where their program end date on the Form I-20 would be the day they defend their PhD dissertation, which may not be the same as the date of the University’s graduation date.

Question: Could a graduate studies student apply for OPT? or is it strictly for undergrad students?

Useful Answer: Any F-1 student (undergraduate or graduate) can apply for OPT after completing 1 year of studies in their program.

Question: What will happen if my OPT card doesn’t arrive my OPT start date? How should I plan for that scenario?

Useful Answer: In the case that you have received a job offer and you were expecting to begin work on your OPT start date, the only thing you’ll have to worry about is informing your employer that you would not be able to start on the date you expected.

Apart from that, you need not worry about accruing unemployment days. You only start accruing OPT unemployment days after:

(1) You have physically received the OPT EAD card, AND

(2) The OPT start date listed on the EAD card has been reached.

Question: Can I file form I-765 (Post-Completion OPT) online instead of mailing it to the USCIS service center? Also, I have electronic I-94 record which shows my last entry and travel history but there is no admission stamp on my passport. Do I need electronic I-94 only or photocopy of my passport’s page having entry stamp on it is also necessary?

Useful Answer: You can file the OPT online, but only after you have obtained your Form I-20 approved for OPT from your DSO. The electronic I-94 printed from the CBP website is what you need to present.

Question: What happens when my passport is expired before then?

Useful Answer: You would need a valid passport when applying for OPT. You could get a new passport from your home country’s embassy or consulate in the US.

Question: If I enroll in a second degree and haven’t used up my OPT, can I carry it over and use it after completing my second degree?

Useful Answer: OPT has a Use it or Lose it policy. So unfortunately, it can’t be carried over. However, after completing your 2nd degree, you would have another OPT opportunity as well.

I hope you found this information very helpful.

Source: Sojourning Scholar

What To Expect After Filing F-1 OPT EAD Application with USCIS

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Filing F-1 OPT EAD Application with USCIS: Every day there are thousands of applicants who are filing some type of immigration form to USCIS for the sake of claiming some type of US immigration benefit.

The challenge some of these applicants might have, especially when you’re a first time applicant is not known and what type of response that you’re going to get from USCIS, after submitting your immigration case.

In this article we will learn the different types of responses that you can expect from USCIS when tracking the status of your immigration case.

Filing F-1 OPT EAD Application with USCIS

Your immigration journey with USCIS begins at the moment you mail your application to USCIS. It’s usually recommend that when you mail your application to USCIS, you should request tracking information.

The reason you want to do this might be quite obvious because you want to monitor the status of the application. But it’s also very important to do this because in certain circumstances you might want your application to get to USCIS before a particular deadline.

A common scenario here tends to be the case of F1 students in the U.S who are applying for optional practical training with USCIS. Now, once you confirm the delivery of your immigration application to USCIS, it’s best that you save this confirmation of delivery in your records.

The reason why this is important is that just in case USCIS says that they did not receive the application, you can have an evidence to show that your application was submitted to USCIS.

In most cases, when you receive a confirmation of delivery from your mailing service provider, saying that your meal was received by USCIS, it’s more than likely that USCIS would have actually received the application.

It is quite rare to have circumstances where USCIS could lose your application after your mailing service provider has provided a confirmation of delivery of your application.

So it is safe to say that once you’ve received the confirmation of delivery from your million service provider, your waiting game with USCIS officially begins.

Form I-797 receipt notice

The very first response you’re likely to get from USA is a confirmation letter stating that your application for a particular immigration benefit was received. Now, this confirmation letter from USCIS is formally called a Form I-797 receipt notice, and it’s usually delivered by USPS regular mail.

When you get this receipt notice, the most important section of this notice is a receipt number that you can find on the top left corner of the form.

You are going to be using this receipt number moving forward to track the status of your immigration application with USCIS on the USCIS case status online, too.

On this receipt notice, you’re also going to find two important dates:

The first date is the notice date, which is essentially the day USCIS generated this letter to be mailed to you, and the second date is the received date, which is the day USCIS confirmed the receipt of your application.

Under normal circumstances, where USCIS might have a fairly typical processing time, it might take about four weeks for you to receive this receipt notice.

However, when USCIS has a severe backlog, it might take anywhere between six to twelve weeks to receive your receipt notice.

As a first time filer, your mileage might vary. For example, you might have someone who submitted the exact same immigration petition to USCIS that you’re submitting, and it takes them about four weeks to get a receipt notice while you have to wait longer than eight weeks to get your receipt notice.

Once you’ve got your receipt notice and you’ve found your receipt number, you can now start tracking the status of your immigration case using the USCIS website.

If you want to learn how to do that, checkout the post below that walks you through four best ways of tracking the status of your immigration case with USCIS.

Different types of USCIS immigration case updates you can expect after filing your F-1 OPT EAD application

Let’s go over the different types of case updates you might get when tracking the status of your immigration case with USCIS.

Once you’ve got your receipt number, if you enter this number into the USCIS case status quo, you’re going to see a case update that says “case was received.”

This is usually the first case updates on your immigration case. Now, one of the hang ups of the USCIS case status, too, that frustrates a lot of applicants is that the tool does not give you specific details on your immigration case, so it’s quite common to have a case update that says “your case was received” for several weeks until your immigration case is either approved or your immigration case is rejected or denied.

So if you keep checking the status of your immigration case on this tool, don’t be surprised to keep on seeing the update, “Case was received” for several weeks up until your application is approved or rejected.

Another case update you might get in this time period is the case update that says that your “case was transferred and the new office has jurisdiction.”

If you happen to get this case update, it simply means that USCIS has moved the application to another USCIS office simply because of a processing time issue. If this is the case, USCIS is also going to send you a letter in the mail explaining what new location your immigration application has been sent to and what you can expect to do if you have any further questions.

So from this point on, you’re only going to get the case update on the USCIS website if your application is either approved, rejected, denied, or if you receive a notice explaining that you need to provide further documents for your immigration application to be processed.

Using the example of someone who’s filed a Form I-765 for the Employment Authorization documents with USCIS. So if you file your form I-765 and you’ve checked your case status and it says that your case was received, the next steps you might get will be either if your case is rejected, denied, or approved.

Approved I-765

Let’s take the straightforward path that your application for your I-765 was approved. Well, what you can expect when you check your case status is that it’s obviously going to display that your case was approved, and within a few days you’re going to see another case update saying that a new card is being produced.

Once your case has been approved, you’re going to expect to receive another form I-797. Well, this time it’s going to be an approval notice explaining that your application for your employment authorization document (EAD) card was approved.

Unless it’s otherwise stated, this approval notice does not confer any immigration benefit to you.

So you would have to wait until you’ve received your employment authorization document card before you could begin working.

Card was delivered to me by the post office

Within a few days of USCIS producing your EAD card, you’re going to see a case update on the USCIS website saying that the card was mailed to you. And once this EAD card has been delivered to you, the case update is going to change to “the card was delivered to me by the post office.”

USCIS usually sends out EAD cards by USPS regular mail, so you should check your mailbox for your EAD card and also make sure to inspect this card closely, making sure that your biographical information, such as the spelling of your name and your date of birth, is correct on the card.

In the unfortunate circumstance that your application doesn’t go as smoothly from case was received to case was approved.

Some other types of case updates you might expect on the USCIS website or case updates like a request for additional evidence was mailed. Now, this is usually called an RFE

Once you respond to the request for evidence and USCIS receives a response, your case updates is going to change to response to USCIS request for evidence was received, and this is quite similar to the initial case updates that your case was received in the sense that you might have to wait for several weeks to receive another response from USCIS, which could be that your case was approved, rejected, or further evidence is needed.

Another case update you might get is an update that says that a notice explaining USCIS actions was mailed. Just like the case of the RFE, if you receive a case update like this, USCIS is going to send you a letter in the mail explaining the problems with your application, and will tell you what documents you need to provide so that your application will be processed.

A possible case update you could see on the USCIS website is the case update saying that your application was rejected.

This could be caused for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes it could be that you provided an application on a form that already expired, or sometimes it could be that you did not pay the right application fee.

For whatever the reason is in your rejection, USCIS is going to be providing a letter explaining the reasons why your application was rejected.

How to Get DS-2019 For J1 Exchange Visitors to U.S.A

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In this article, we’re going to learn how to get the form DS-2019 which is given to prospective J1 Nonimmigrants.

What is DS-2019?

The form DS-2019 is a two page document required to support the application for an exchange visitor visa to the U.S. This document is produced by a U.S Department of State designated sponsor.

How Can I Get the DS-2019?

To receive the DS-2019 as a prospective nonimmigrant to the US, you must first find a designated sponsor and then apply and be accepted for sponsorship into an appropriate J1 program category.

Some of the J1 program categories are; professors/research scholars, short-term scholars, trainees, and college/University students.

Similar to the Form I-20 given to F1 and M1 nonimmigrant, the form DS-2019 primary purpose is to apply for a J1 visa and then seek entry into the U.S on this J1 visa.

Can I bring my family to the U.S on a J1 Visa?

J1 non-immigrants who intend to bring a spouse, child or children must obtain a separate DS-2019 form for each dependent, and must meet the requirements set by their designated sponsors to do so.

What Else is the DS-2019 Used For?

Apart from applying for the J1 Visa to enter the U.S, the DS-2019 could be used for the following;

Applying for a U.S social security number
Applying for a U.S state driver’s license or a state ID card
Serving as a proof of work authorization

DS-2019 Sample

From the above DS-2029 sample, describing each block in the two page documents,

starting with Page One at the top right corner is the Civic ID Number. This number always starts with the letter N.
Block one of the documents identifies you as the participant in the J1 program.
Block Two includes the name of your program sponsor and describes the nature of your J1 program to be completed.
Block Three, which is very important is the start and end date of your program.

J1 visa holders may not arrive to the U.S more than 30 days before the start date. As a non-immigrant under J1 status, you are given a Grace period of 30 days after the program end dates to depart the US.

Note that your program end date and not the expiration of your J1 visa determines how long you’re allowed to stay in the U.S. You can learn more about this difference between your J1 visa and your J1 status [HERE]

Block Four States your exchange visitor category.

This could be any one of several J1 program categories, such as trainees, College and University students, short term scholars, etc.

Block Five is a breakdown of the estimated financial support for your J1 program.
Block Seven also very important is the name and contact information of your program sponsor’s responsible Officer. You may need this information when trying to enter the U.S at the U.S Port of Entry.
Block Eight is completed by a J1 Responsible officer, whenever a transfer of your J1 program occurs.
Over on this section to the left describes if you are subject to the two year home residency requirement and would contain the name, signature and date of a U.S Consul officer or immigration officer.
The travel validation section on the right is also very important. A valid travel signature from your responsible officer will be required to reenter the U.S after a brief departure from the U.S.
The very last section on page one is the certification section where you would sign and date the form DS-2019.
You should read and understand the instructions section on page two before signing this form.

The form DS-2019 is a very important immigration document, and you must do your part to keep this safe at all times.

Some questions you may ask

Question: What if I was given an emergency visa appointment by the U.S Consulate later than my program start date? My start date is august 1st and the embassy schedule is august 11? Will this affect my visa approval?

Answer: U.S consular officers understand this situation, and would not penalize you for that, especially in these current times.

Question: What are the requirements in order to acquire one (i.e form DS-2019)??

Answer: You’ll need to find a program that can sponsor you for the J1 visa.

Question: Can I reprint a copy of my DS-2019 if I already filled it?

Answer: You may, the only thing you’re to fill on the DS-2019 is your signature and date.

Question: If you already got your J1 approved, is it possible to change the date on the DS afterwards?

Answer: Yes but only your responsible officer can do so by re-issuing a new Form DS-2019.

Question: If I got an internship in USA, so now who is going the issue this form? The U.S-based company or me in my home country?

Answer: Your program sponsor.

I hope you found this article is quite informative.

DISCLAIMER: This article/post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. I am not a licensed attorney and so the information presented in this post should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

Canada Student Visa Interview Questions and Answers

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Canada Student Visa Interview: Individuals who want to visit Canada to pursue their higher studies are required to obtain the Canada Student Visa. The application requires the applicants to submit the completed application form along with the required documents. Depending on your individual situation, you might also be called for an interview.

Once the application is submitted, the applicant will need to make the payment of the applicable visa fee.

After the visa fee is paid, the application requires the applicants to schedule an interview with the Canadian Embassy/Consulate. The visa interview is the final stage of the application process which determines whether the visa is getting approved/rejected.

During the visa interview, the consulate officers will ask questions and verify the details/documents provided by the applicants. Most of these questions are specific to the visa category and the type of visa programme the applicants have applied for.

What is general category in Canada student visa?

The Non-SDS is a general category to apply for a visa application to study in Canada. Under this approach, candidates who are incapable of meeting the SDS requirements get a chance to apply. The requirements will also be different as more documents may be required.

Non-SDS is a general visa application process for temporary residence for work, study, and immigration in Canada.

Canada Student Visa Interview Questions and Answers

The following are few of the common questions asked during the student visa interview at the Canadian Embassy/Consulate:

How are you doing today?

Answer briefly about how you feel. You don’t need to get nervous here since these are few of the common daily-life questions. Say – good, thank you, how about you?

Have you been to Canada before?

Say yes/no. If your answer is a yes, mention your previous travel and include details such as the purpose of the travel, the duration of stay, etc., if required.

Why did you choose Canada?

You can mention about your past studies and future study plans in Canada with regard to the purpose of your travel. You may also need to explain why you are unable to find something similar in your own country. You can always highlight the access to world-class teaching facility in Canada as one of the reasons for choosing Canada for higher studies.

Why did you choose that particular college/university?

Based on your research, you should be able to highlight the advantages of joining that particular college/institute/university. Additionally, you can always highlight the unique advantages of that college.

Have you applied for any other college/university?

Be truthful and mention briefly about your applications. The Consular Officer may ask further questions to see how determined you are to pursue your higher studies.

Which program will you be joining and why?

Make sure you are aware of the course/program start and end date. Do your research to understand the importance of the course/programme and highlight the benefits of it. Based on your past studies and experience, and your interest in that particular course/program, you can prepare a statement that describes how this particular program/course will help you build your career.

Who is going to cover your expenses in Canada? Or Who is going to sponsor you for your education? And What is their income, and how do they plan to fund your education?

Depending on whether it is covered by your parents or a bank through a student loan, mention the details of it. This question will also verify the details provided by you the visa application form.

Where did you study in your country?

You need to mention the college/institution and city from where you completed your undergraduate course.

What does your father/mother do?

Mention the occupation of your father/mother. The Officer may ask further questions to check the income status of your parents.

Are you traveling with someone or alone?

Depending on your situation, answer this question with confidence and if possible, add the reason to it.

Do you have any relatives/friends in Canada?

Answer in a yes/no. If you have relatives, mention your relationship with them. If your answer is no, make sure you answer without any hesitation and show your eagerness to meet new people and make them your friends and family in Canada.

Where do you stay in your country?

Mention the name of the place and also express how much you would like to come back once the course/program is completed.

Where will you be staying in Canada?

You can provide the address of your stay and mention whether it is a temporary arrangement or if you plan on living there until the end of your course/program.

Do you plan to work in Canada?

If your visa allows you to work while studying, express your desire to work there to boost your career or to support yourself, however, if your visa doesn’t allow you to work in Canada, inform the Officer that you have no intentions of working in Canada and would like to return once the course/program is completed.

Have you received any scholarship?

Candidates must mention the scholarship in Canada they’ve applied for and the progress of the scholarship status if any.

How fluent are you in English?

Candidates should answer this carefully by mentioning their previous academic qualifications and scores of the exams they have appeared for. If there’s any additional point that could prove their fluency in the language, they can talk about it too.

Other Canada Student Visa Interview Questions

What other universities that you applied?
What’s are the entrance examinations that you have appeared for? Like the IELTS, the SAT, GRE, or GMAT.
What are your plans once you complete your education from Canada?
Have you applied to any other countries for a student visa? And have you been rejected?

The Consular Officer may ask further questions based on the applicant’s profile. Questions pertaining to the duration of the stay, college/university are specific to the course/program. Just make sure that you are confident and truthful while answering the questions.

So, these are the most common Canada Student Interview Visa Questions.

Disclaimer: This site is not owned by any Canadian Government Agency or an Immigration attorney. The contents in the site is for informational purpose only, collected from various public domains. You may need to contact an Immigration Attorney for your specific immigration needs.

I hope this article has been helpful to you, let us know in the comments down below.

Form I-20 Travel Signature Explained (F1/J1 Visa International Students Travel Tips)

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In this article, you will learn about the travel signature on the form I-20 and DS-2019 given to F1 visa and J1 visa international students, respectively and what you can do if you travel outside the US with an expired travel signature.

It’s very important to pay attention to your travel signature when making plans to depart the United States. Make sure you read this article to the end as you are going to learn what you can do if you realize too late that your travel signature has expired.

Form I-20 Travel Signature

The travel signature is an endorsement provided by your Designated School Official (DSO) or Responsible Officer (RO) or your school’s International Student office to international students and given to continuing international students on an F1 or J-1 visa status respectively.

This endorsement can be found on page two or three on the Form I-20 for F1 Visa student and on page one of the DS-2019 for J-1 Visa students.

New international students on an F1 or J1 visa entering the US for the first time do not get a travel signature on their initial Form I-20 or from DS-2019.

But after entering the US and enrolling in a program of study as an active F1 or J1 student, a new I-20 or DS-2019 for continued attendance will be given. This new I-20 would contain a travel signature.

The purpose of this travel signature is to serve as a permission to seek entry back into the US when an international student travels outside the United States.

Nonetheless, the travel signature is not a required documents to depart the United States as an international student.

How Long is Travel Signature Valid?

Depending on your academic status, the validity of your travel signature could be for either 6 months or 12 months.

For example, F1 and J-1 students completing their program receive a travel signature that is valid for about 12 months or until the end of their program completion date whichever is sooner, while F1 and J1 students who have completed their programs and are engaged in F1 OPT, F1 STEM OPT, and J1 Academic Training receive travel signatures valid for 6 months or until the end of the respective training period whichever is sooner.

So making travel plans outside of the US, you should ALWAYS ensure that the travel signature on your I-20 or DS-2019 will be valid on the day you plan to return to the United States.

Otherwise, you should obtain a new travel signature from your Designated school official (F1 students) or your representative official (for J1 students) prior to your departure from the US.

What to do if you forgot to get I-20 travel signature and traveled outside the US?

A quite common scenario F1 and J-1 international students find themselves in is forgetting to obtain a travel signature before traveling outside of the US. So what can you do if you realize that you departed the US with an expired travel signature?

If you find yourself in this predicament, you’ve two options to consider:

Your first option will be to contact your school’s International Student office and request that a new I-20 or DS-2019 with an updated travel signature be mailed to your international address.

Now this would only make sense if you have enough time to receive your updated travel signature before embarking on your return trip to the US. If this is not the case, then you might want to consider delaying your return trip to the US until you’ve received your updated travel signature.

As at the time of posting this article, due to the ongoing pandemic F1 International students do not need to have an originally signed from I-20 in order to enter the US as they can do so with an electronically signed from I-20, but this is subject to change at any time now.

Option number two is quite risky, as you may be denied entry into the US, but you could proceed to travel to the US and seek entry with this expired travel signature.

In some instances, this may be your only option, as is the case with some international students who find out at the Port of entry that their travel signature was expired before their departure from the US.

Now with this option, if a US Customs officer admits you into the US, you’ll be given a form called the I515A. This form is a notice that requires you to correct the entry deficiencies determined upon your arrival to the US within 30 days of your entry.

For F1 and J1 international students entering the US with an expired travel signature, you will be required to obtain a valid travel signature on your I-20 or DS-2019 respectively and send that to the Student Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) as well as all other documents listed on your Form I515A.

If you have been given an I515A, it’s best to contact your international office as soon as possible to receive proper guidance.

Now, as you can see to avoid all these unnecessary headaches, it’s best to make it a habit to check your travel signature in advance of your travel outside of the US.

Some Questions and Answers

Question: I got visa interview before two years, but it got rejected. So now I am planning to reapply, this time I need the new signature on my F2 I-20?

Answer: No you don’t need travel signature to apply for your initial F1 or F2 visa. Travel signature is given by the DSO after you enroll in your academic program in the US.

Question: What if you’re still studying with a valid student visa, and u need to travel to Canada for 2 weeks and come back. What are the procedures?

Answer: The same as traveling to any other country. You will have to meet the travel requirements to enter Canada. Now, for a special case where your US student visa is expired, you can use what is called Automatic Visa Revalidation to reenter the US after visiting Canada for 2 weeks.

Question: If my English 6 month program finish and I want to go to another school, I have to go back in my country or with the same visa F1 I can enroll to any school program?

Answer: You can transfer to the new program without leaving the USA, as long as you get an I20 from the new school program. Your US visa is only important when you try to enter the US. After you enter the US, the conditions of your US status will determine how long you are allowed to remain in the US.

I hope you found this article as a helpful resource.

U.S Green Card by Employment | Step-by-Step Guide for EB1, EB2 & EB3 Green Cards

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U.S Green Card: In this guide, you will learn about the employment-based green card process with USCIS, highlighting the different steps working professionals in the EB1, EB2, and EB3 have to go through when trying to get a US green card.

This guide will only focused on the steps required to get an EB1, EB2, or EB3 green card. To find out the eligibility requirements of the EB1, EB2, and EB3 green card, you can read this article below.

Read: Types of US Employment Based Green Cards (EB1, EB2, EB3, EB4 and EB5)

How to Get a US Green Card by Employment (Step-by-Step Guide for EB1, EB2 & EB3 Green Cards)

Generally, there are three steps required to get an employment based green card status:

The first step is obtaining an approved labor certification from the US Department of labor.
The second step is filing an I-140 petition with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The third step is filing an I-485 petition with USCIS.

With the exception of the EB1 category and the EB2 national interest waiver, also known as EB2-NIW, all other employment based categories have to go through steps number One, two, and three.

Also, all other employment based categories requires a U.S employer to file a petition on behalf of the foreign national. The only exceptions of the EB1 through extraordinary ability and the EB2 national interest waiver.

Labor Certification Step

Obtaining an approved labor certification is a step that must be undertaken by a U.S employer. An approved labor certification provided by the U.S Department of labor certifies to USCIS that:

that there are no sufficient U.S workers able, willing, qualified, and available to take up the job opportunity at the intended area of employment;
that the employment of the foreign national won’t adversely affect the wages and the working conditions of other similar U.S workers.

For employment based categories, such as all EB3 and some EB2, the labor certification must be approved before moving on to the next step, which is filing an I-140 petition with USCIS.

An approved labor certification from the U.S Department of labor comes with a validity period of six months, which means that an employer must file your I-140 petition within six months from receiving an approval of the labor certification.

I-140 Petition Step

The I-140, also known as an immigrant petition for an alien worker, is typically filed by a U.S employer on behalf of a foreign national. Whoever files this petition with USCIS is called the petitioner, and whoever benefits off of this petition is called the beneficiary.

With the exception of the EB2-NIW and the EB1 through extraordinary ability, a foreign national cannot be both the petitioner and the beneficiary of an I-140 petition filed to USCIS.

I-485 Petition Step

The I-485, also called the application to register permanent residence or adjust status, is adjudicated by USCIS only after the approval of the I-140.

What is a priority date?

The priority date is the date the foreign national expresses an interest to become a permanent resident of the U.S through an appropriate petition.

For foreign nationals in some EB2 categories and all EB3 categories that have to go through the labor certification process, your priority date will be the date the U.S Department of labor receives an application for labor certification from your employer, while other employment based categories they don’t have to go through the labor certification, your priority date will be the date your I-140 petition is received by USCIS.

Concurrent Filling

There’s also a possibility of filing both an I-140 petition and an I-485 petition to USCIS. This is known as concurrent filing, and it’s possible for certain foreign nationals. To find out if you’re eligible for a concurrent filing, you would have to check out the U.S Visa bulletins.

Processing Timelines

Let’s talk about the general timeline for each of these steps.

Labor certification step

The U.S Department of labor requires a U.S employer to first test the labor market before they can submit an application for the labor certification.

During this test of the labor markets, the U.S employer must demonstrate to the U.S Department of labor that they were not able to find any U.S worker who was able, willing, qualified, and available to take up the job in question under the prevailing wage set by the U.S Department of labor.

The processing time for a labor certification could take as long as three months and the time required of a U.S employer to test the labor market could take as long as six months. So when combined, the timeline to obtain an approved labor certification from U.S Department of labor could take as long as twelve months.

I-140

USCIS has an option of expediting the processing time down to 15 calendar days for certain categories. Without the expedited processing, the timeline for USCIS to adjudicate an I-140 petition could take as long as six months.

I-485 petition

In the case of the I-485 petition, USCIS does not provide any expedited processing. In some cases, USCIS could take as long as three years to adjudicate your I-485 petition, depending on how backlog the USCIS service centers are.

Also keep in mind that foreign nationals whose priority dates are not current in the U.S bulletin charts, would have to wait until their dates are current to file the I-485 petition, and for certain foreign nationals waiting for priority dates to be current in the Visa bulletin charts could take upwards of ten years.

Foreign nationals with an approved I-485 petition who reside outside of the U.S could go to a U.S consulate or embassy to apply for an immigrant visa to the U.S. While foreign nationals who currently reside in the U.S can change their status from a nonimmigrant status to the green card status.

In summary

Depending on your country of birth and your employment based category, the timeline to get a green card could take upwards of three years.

Foreign nationals with a pending I-485 petition with USCIS may apply for a temporary work authorization, also called an employment authorization document. They may also apply for an advanced Bureau document that allows them to leave and enter the U.S while an I-485 petition is pending.

LATEST UPDATE: How to check Your Diversity Visa Lottery Result

I hope you found this guide/post very informative.

Types of U.S Employment-Based Green Cards (EB1, EB2, EB3, EB4 and EB5 Explained!)

Education, Nonimmigrant Visa, Scholars Hub

EB1, EB2 and EB3 (Types of U.S Employment-Based Green Cards), these terms are abbreviations of the different employment based green card categories for foreign nationals seeking to leave and work permanently in the United States.

Did you know that every year, a good number of U.S employment green cards are available to foreign skilled professionals who wish to immigrate permanently to the United States? In this article, we are going to delve into what each green card category is, so you can learn which is best for you.

What is EB-1 EB2 and EB3 category?

These cards are issued based on your skills, education and work experience. To be eligible for one of these green cards, you will need to fall under one of the five prescribed categories, EB1 to EB5, where the letters A and B stand for employment based and the numbers one to five indicate the preference first to fifth.

EB4 and the EB5 are for special immigrants and business investors, respectively, and that will be discuss in next article.

Types of U.S Employment-Based Green Cards

EB1 – FIRST PREFERENCE

This is for foreign nationals with extraordinary ability in their field (EB-1A), outstanding professors or researchers (EB-1B), or certain multinational executives or managers (EB-1C).

Extraordinary ability in one field means that you must have attained a level of expertise that puts you at the very top of your field. This is usually demonstrated by the receipt of international or national awards in one field of expertise.

Under the EB1 category, professors and researchers can demonstrate their outstanding achievements by way of an international recognition of their work and must be pursuing tenure or tenure track teaching or research positions in a University or with a private employer.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to be a Nobel Prize laureate or an Olympic medalist to be eligible for the EB1 – First Preference Green Card as there are several other ways of demonstrating your eligibility for the EB1.

EB2 – SECOND PREFERENCE

This is for foreign nationals who are members of professions with an advanced degree like a master’s or PhD or have at least five years of progressive work experience beyond the baccalaureate degree. The EB2 category is also applicable to foreign nationals with exceptional ability.

Under the EB2 second preference is the EB2-National Interest Waiver (EB2-NIW). This subcategory is for foreign nationals who do not want to go through what’s called a labor certification process that’s required of the EB2 Green Card category.

However, you would need to meet certain criteria or eligibility in order to apply for your green card under the EB2-NIW category.

To be eligible to apply for a Green Card under the EB2-NIW category you will need to demonstrate that your work will be beneficial to the United States and you must meet specific sets of criteria set forth by USCIS, that indeed justify why the labor certification process should be waived.

EB3 – THIRD PREFERENCE

The EB3 Green Card category is divided into three sub-categories according to the level of training or education required to perform said job. The categories are unskilled workers, skilled workers, and professionals.

Unskilled workers (also categorized as other workers) perform jobs that requires less than two years of training or experience.

On the other hand, skilled workers are for persons whose jobs require at least two years of training or experience, while professionals are for individuals whose jobs require at least a bachelor’s degree to perform.

EXCEPTIONS

With the exception of the EB1 through extraordinary ability and the EB2-NIW that allow you to self-petition, all other employment based green card categories requires a US employer to first file a petition with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services USCIS.

Furthermore, with the exception of the EB1 category and the EB2-NIW subcategory, all other EB categories require a US employer to first file a labor condition application with the US department of labor before filing a petition for an alien worker with USCIS.

Application Process for US Employment Based Green Cards (EB1, EB2, EB3, EB4 and EB5)

Regardless of which category you fall under, how you apply for Green Card as a foreign national will ultimately depend on whether you currently reside inside of the U.S or outside of the U.S.

Foreign nationals residing inside the U.S in a legal nonimmigrant status go through an application process called an adjustment of status, while foreign nationals residing outside the U.S need to go through a process called consular processing in order to obtain an immigrant visa to the U.S.

All applications for U.S visa are handled outside of the U.S by the U.S Department of State, while applications for an adjustment of status are handled inside the U.S by the U.S Department of Homeland Security.

I hope you found this article/post very informative.

7 BIGGEST Mistakes International Students in the U.S. Make and How to Avoid Them

Education, Form I-20, Nonimmigrant Visa, Scholars Hub, Student Visa

In this article, you will find out the 7 massive mistakes international students in the US make and what you can do to avoid them. So whether you are on an F1 visa or J1 visa, you should make it a point not to fall into any of these 7 traps.

7 Mistakes International Students in the U.S. Make and How to Avoid Them

Not seeking financial assistance from your University whenever you’re going through a financial hardship.

As an international student, if you ever experience any kind of economic hardship during your stay in the US, such as the loss of a family member who provides financial support for your US education, or you incur a very high medical bill.

Or let’s say, for example, there’s some economic downturns going on in your home country where the currency is severely devalued relative to the dollar, then you want to make sure to seek financial assistance from the University.

International students in the US who are experiencing any form of financial hardship that’s out of their control can reach out to the international office and apply for what’s called a severe economic hardship program.

The University’s International Office will actually grant you work authorization, which you can use to work off campus. And in some cases you can actually be given a tuition assistance in the form of a scholarship or grant.

Something else you can do is to reach out to your school’s financial aid office and request a deferment payment plan for your tuition.

This tuition deferment payment plan would at least allow you to pay your tuition install-mentally over the course of the semester, and in some cases, you might actually be allowed to register for courses before paying your tuition in full.

As an international student facing any kind of economic hardship, the last thing you want to do is to be ideal while you wait to rectify your situation. If you don’t do this, then you risk getting dropped from classes and as an international incident, you are required to enroll full-time during a long semester in order to maintain your status.

Forgetting to obtain a travel signature or endorsement from your school’s international office before you travel outside of the US.

This may not be a big deal if you realize early enough after leaving the States that you forgot to obtain a travel signature.

In this case, you can always reach out to your school’s international office and have them mail you form I-20 with a travel signature before you try to reenter the US. But what happens if you realize that you fail to obtain a travel signature at the point you’re trying to reenter the US? If this is the case, then you really increase the risk of getting denied entry into the US on your F1 visa.

So definitely make it part of your travel checklist every time you want to depart the US to obtain a travel signature from your school’s international office.

Using your international passport as your only form of identification in the States.

Always carrying your international passport in the back pocket, you may end up losing your international passport. What you should do within the first few weeks in the US is to obtain a state identification card and use this as your primary identification documents. This way, you can safely leave your international passport at home.

If you lose your international passport, not only would you have to deal with the burden of going to your country’s embassy in the US and obtaining a replacement, but you would also have to travel back to your home country to apply for a new US visa, as US visas are never granted within the US.

Failing to inform your school’s international office of a change in your residential address or a change in your employment, if you’re an OPT. This is strictly US regulation.

Anytime there’s a change in your address, you are required to report that change to your school’s international office within ten calendar days. The same is also true for international students who are participating in optional practical training (OPT).

If there is any change in your employment during your OPT, you are required to report that change to your school’s international office within ten calendar days.

Remaining idle, if you happen to be unemployed while on OPT.

In the unfortunate circumstance that you happen to be unemployed while on OPT, what you want to do is to seek employment in the form of an unpaid internship or a volunteer opportunity.

Not applying for your F1 post completion OPT on time.

Many F1 students make this a much bigger deal than it should be. Some F1 students think that it’s best to wait to get a job offer before they apply for their OPT, but this cannot be further from the truth.

Regardless of whether you have a job offer or not, it’s best to apply for your OPT as early as possible. This is because sometimes it can take as long as six months to obtain your OPT/EAD card from USCIS, and the last place you want to be as an international student in a competitive job market is to have a job offer but not be able to work simply because you haven’t received your EAD card yet.

Some employers may not be willing to wait for you to get your EAD card and might received a job offer.

The worst mistake you can ever make as an international student and that’s engaging in unauthorized work.

During the course of your studies as an F1 international student, you can only work off campus if you have received CPT authorization or pre-completion opt authorization. And in the case of a J1 international student, you can only work off campus if you’ve received pre-completion academic training.

Any other form of off campus work that doesn’t fall into any of these three categories is considered unauthorized work and is ground for you violating your F1 or J1 status, and if your school’s international office finds out that you’ve worked off campus without obtaining any form of authorization, they will immediately terminate your F1 or J1 status, and you will be required to leave the US to obtain a new I-20 or DS 2019 before you can reenter the US.

That concludes for the 7 (seven) biggest mistake international students on F1 or J1 visas make in the US and what you can do to avoid them.

DISCLAIMER: This article/blog post and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this article should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

How to Get A J1 Waiver (Step-by-Step Process)

Education, J1 waiver status, Nonimmigrant Visa, Scholars Hub, Student Visa

There are many J1 nonimmigrants in the US who might want to change their status to an H-1B status or into a green card status after completing their J1 program. But these nonimmigrants are unable to do so because they have to satisfy a two year home resident requirement after the completion of your J1 program. J1 visa waiver status.

In this article you’re going to learn how to go about obtaining a J1 Visa waiver that allows you to change your status into an H-1B status or into a green card status if you happen to be a J1 visa holder with a two year home residency requirement.

What is a J1 visa waiver?

The J1 Visa waiver is a document issued by the US Department of Homeland Security, specifically by USCIS and this waiver removed the requirements that certain J1 nonimmigrants have that requires them to return to their home country for a minimum of two years after the completion of the J1 program.

J1 visa waiver status

If you happen to be a J1 on immigrant who has this waiver when you came into the United States, you would have to receive this waiver if you want to change your nonimmigrant status into an H-1B or permanent residency status. Once you’ve completed your J-1 visa waiver status application, it’s easy to check on the official status.

So if you’re J1 on immigrants, you might be wondering, how do I know if I’m subject to the two year home residency requirement? Now, whether you’re subject to this two year home residency requirement will depend on the conditions for which a J1 Visa program was granted by a program sponsor.

The typical cases when you might be subject to this two year home residency requirement is when your J1 Visa program is government funded either by your home country or by the United States, or if you happen to be participating in a medical training based J1 visa program, or if your J1 Visa program involves some type of specialized knowledge that is needed for the development of your home country.

Now, this two year home residency requirement is accurately described on page two of your form DS 2019. And that’s why it’s very important that before you sign your DS 2019 to seek a J1 visa into the US, you should have read and understood the implications of the home residency requirement.

Eligibility criteria to apply for a J1 Waiver

So let’s say you are subject to this home residency requirement, and you want to learn what makes you eligible to get a J1 Visa waiver, checkout these five different ways you can be eligible to receive a J1 Visa waiver.

These are the 5 eligibility criteria for you to apply for a J1 Waiver:

The first criteria that could make you eligible to receive a J1 Visa waiver is if you can show that your departure from the US would cause an exceptional hardship to your US citizen spouse or your US legal permanent resident spouse and children. For you to meet this criteria, you would have to go beyond the simple fact that a physical separation between you and your family is a cause for exceptional hardship.
The second criteria you could meet to qualify for J1 Visa waiver is if you can show that by returning to your home country, you’re going to face severe persecution due to your religious and political beliefs.
The third criteria for J1 Visa waiver is when there’s a US federal agency that employs you that deems your work necessary and of national interest to the US.
The fourth criteria for J1 Visa waiver happens to be for medical professionals who work for US State health Agency in an area of the US that’s underserved.
The last but not the least criteria for J1 Visa waiver is when you can receive what’s called a no objection statements from your home country, simply saying that they have no objection against you remaining in the US after the completion of your J-1 program.

How to get/apply for J1 Visa Waiver

So now let’s discuss how to apply for J1 Visa Waiver. So once you determine that you qualify for any one of the five qualifying basis for a J1 Visa waiver, it could begin your J1 Visa Waiver application.

Now you have to understand that the application process for J1 Visa waiver could take several months and includes a lot of different agencies and third parties. And that’s why it’s highly recommend that when applying for J1 Visa waiver, you should seek the Council of a licensed and experienced immigration attorney.

Disclaimer: The content of this post/article should not be taken as personalized legal advice. I am not an immigration attorney. If you require personalized legal advice, I highly recommend that you seek the counseling of a licensed immigration attorney.

So with that out of the way, these are the general steps that you can take to apply for J1 Visa Waiver.

First step would be to complete the online J1 Visa Waiver recommendation application, also called the form DS 3035, you can find link for the form at the US Department of State website where you can complete this online J1 Visa Waiver application.

You must understand that a completed online from DS 3035 is the only acceptable format of this application by the US Department of State.

When completing the form DS 3035, you’re going to be providing information such as:

Your biographical information
The basis for which you are applying for J1 Waiver
A statement of reasons explaining why you want to remain in the US
A current address or contact information, and your most recent US address.
You’re also going to provide information about any attorneys or legal representatives who are assisting you with a J1 visa with the process.
If you happen to have any J2 dependent. You’re going to provide the biographical information of each of your J-2 dependents and also provide information about your J1 Visa Waiver and your J1 Exchange program.

While the form DS 3035 can be completed online, it cannot be submitted electronically and that’s why after completing your DS 3035, you would have to print out a completed form and mail this to the US Department of State.

Now, once you’ve completed the online form DS 3035, a seven digit case number and a barcoded PDF document will be generated containing your J1 Visa Waiver application. Now, this PDF will also include a checklist that explains how your application should be organized and what next steps you have to take in order to mail your application.

The exact locations we are going to be mailing your form DS 335 will depend on the basis for which you are applying for J1 Visa Waiver.

The next step would be to mill in your completed DS 3035 and include an application fee.

You can find more details about the cost of the form DS 3035 application fee at the US Department of State website that contains any updated application fees for your form DS 3035.

Some of the documents that you’re going to include in the mail with your form DS 3035 applications are:

Copies of all Forms DS-2019 that you’ve received
Copies of your Passport biographical page and those of your J2 Dependents (If any)
Two self-address and stamped envelopes and any additional pages
You might need to provide more information on your form DS-3035.

After mailing your application,

the third step in the application process is to provide the supporting documents that prove your eligibility for a J1 Visa Waiver to the US Department of State.

So, for example, if you’re applying for J1 Visa Waiver under the criteria of a no objection statement, then your home country would have to send directly the no objection statement to the US Department of State.

Now it is your responsibility to ensure that the supporting documents are received by the US Department of State from each of the respective agencies who are supporting your J1 Visa Waiver application.

Now, if you want to learn more about the different supporting documents to provide for a J1 Visa waiver, you can checkout this complete guide on how to apply for the J1 Visa Waiver.

The next step in the process would be to check the status of your J1 Visa Waiver application.

In order to check the status of your J1 Visa Waiver application, you would need your seven digit case number that was generated when you completed your phone DS 3035.

When checking the status of your J1 Visa Waiver application on the US Department of State website, this website will explain if there are any documents that have been requested and any documents that have been received from you.

Now it’s best to allow approximately one month after submitting your J1 Visa Waiver application before you go about checking the status of your J1 Visa Waiver application.

So common question you might have as a J1 Visa Waiver applicant is, how long does it take to get a response on your J1 Visa Waiver application?

This depends on the basis for which you’ve applied for a J1 Visa Waiver, and if you’ve applied under the condition of exceptional hardship to a US spouse or US Green Card spouse and children, this could take anywhere between 16 to 24 weeks. Now, you should note that under certain circumstances it is possible to request an expedited processing of your J1 Visa Waiver application.

This tends to be possible if there is a significant need of your services by a US government agency or if there happens to be an urgent humanitarian need that requires you to be in the US.

You should be understand that the condition for which your J1 visa waiver would be approved is based on the ultimate decision of the United States citizenship and immigration services, USCIS.

Although your J1 visa waiver application is initially reviewed by the U.S department of state. All the U.S department of state could do is to provide a recommendation to USCIS but USCIS has the final say on either rejecting or granting you a J1 visa waiver.

DISCLAIMER: This blog post is written for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information presented in this article and anywhere else on this site should not be construed to be formal legal advice. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

How to apply for CPT for International Students (Best Tips To Get Curricular Practical Training)

Education, how to apply for cpt, Nonimmigrant Visa, opt vs cpt, Scholars Hub, Student Visa

Learn how to apply and get CPT (Curricular Practical Training) as an F1 visa international student, as well as the best tips to get a CPT internship or a multi-semester co-op job opportunity.

What is CPT?

CPT (Curricular Practical Training) is considered as an employment that is INTEGRAL to an F1 student’s academic program of study. The CPT must provide training or work experience that is needed to complete your degree otherwise it must be a work experience that you could earn academic course credit for.

It is expected that the CPT should not prolong the time to completion of the F1 visa students degree program. Some examples of CPT are internships and multi-semester coops, both of which could be paid or unpaid and done off-campus at an employer’s location or while working remotely at another location.

Benefits of CPT

CPT is a great way to get work experience in your field of study prior to graduation and is also a great opportunity to build and grow your professional network outside of your university. Like you might have heard, sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know.

Eligibility for CPT

To be eligible for CPT you must have been enrolled full time for at least 2 long semesters in an active F1 status. The only exception here are students who have programs that require an immediate participation in CPT within the first year of study.

You must also have a job offer that is directly related to your major. If the CPT is not required to graduate, you must earn course credit during the semester that the internship is held with slight exceptions depending on your university. Let look at How to apply for CPT.

How to Apply for CPT

Generally applying for CPT is a 2 step process:

In the first step you will need to obtain the approval of your academic advisor. This requires you to provide an employment offer letter from a US employer describing the nature of your work. Your academic advisor will then determine if this work is related to your field of study and would provide a written notice of approval.
With this approval, you can then complete the second step, where your designated school official (DSO) would provide an I-20 endorsed for CPT. This endorsed I-20 is your legal employment authorization to work temporarily in the US with the specified CPT employer.

Limitations of CPT

There are two ways you can use CPT, these are part-time and full time. Part time CPT is defined as 20 hours or less per week while full-time CPT is defined as more than 20 hours per week.

Note that if you complete 12 months of full time CPT, you become ineligible for OPT. On the other hand, part-time CPT is not capped, so once you meet the eligibility requirements for CPT, you can work part time for several months.

Furthermore with CPT, any changes in your employment requires a new CPT authorization and must be reported to avoid violating your status. You are also required to pass the course for your CPT authorization, otherwise you will be violating your status.

Best Tips to Get CPT Jobs

Start researching your industry early on
Don’t rely solely on online job applications
Where possible, accept unpaid internship jobs if you can’t get a paid internship.

In Summary

Curricular Practical Training (CPT) status allows international students with a F-1 student visa to gain work experience through employment training and paid internship programs directly related to your major area of study.

Disclaimer: This site is not owned by any U.S Government Agency or an Immigration attorney. The contents in the site/post is for informational purpose only, collected from various public domains. You may need to contact an Immigration Attorney for your specific immigration needs.

I hope this article has been helpful to you.

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Education

How to get scholarship in USA for international students

How difficult it is to get a scholarship to the US as an international student.

What is USCIS biometrics appointment?

How long does it take for USCIS to send biometrics appointment?

Document Required for the USCIS Biometric Appointment

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU GET TO THE APPLICATION SUPPORT CENTER (ASC)?

What happens after Biometrics Appointment

Why You Need an Social Security Numbers (SSN)

Requirement for Social Security Numbers (SSN) on F1/J1 Visa

How to get Social Security Number for International Students

Documents required for SSN for F1 students

Approved SSN Card

Social Security Number (SSN) Denial Letter

Is Canadian Resume Format Different from American Resume Format?

Best Format for a Canadian Resume

How to Write a Canadian Resume

Canadian Resume/CV Sample

What Not to Include in a Canadian Resume

Marriage-Based Green Card Interview Questions

How Can You Obtain a Marriage-Based Green Card?

Are You Prepared for Your Interview?

Tips for a Marriage Based Green Card Interview

After the Marriage Green Card Interview

U.S Work Visas

U.S Work Visa Types

Application Procedure for U.S work visa

10 Top Spousal Visa Interview Questions and perfect tips to answer them.

What is CR-1 visa?

Who is eligible for CR-1 visa?

Documents Required for a CR1 Visa

How long does it take to get CR-1 visa?

Top 70 CR-1 Spousal Visa Interview Questions

What is Form I-797?

What is the next step after receiving I-797 immigration form?

Types of Form I-797

Optional Practical Training (OPT) and Steps to apply for OPT EAD

5 Steps to apply for OPT EAD

How to fill form I-765

How to fill form G-1145

Filing F-1 OPT EAD Application with USCIS

Form I-797 receipt notice

Different types of USCIS immigration case updates you can expect after filing your F-1 OPT EAD application

What is DS-2019?

How Can I Get the DS-2019?

Can I bring my family to the U.S on a J1 Visa?

What Else is the DS-2019 Used For?

DS-2019 Sample

What is general category in Canada student visa?

Canada Student Visa Interview Questions and Answers

Form I-20 Travel Signature

How Long is Travel Signature Valid?

What to do if you forgot to get I-20 travel signature and traveled outside the US?

How to Get a US Green Card by Employment (Step-by-Step Guide for EB1, EB2 & EB3 Green Cards)

Labor Certification Step

I-140 Petition Step

I-485 Petition Step

What is a priority date?

Concurrent Filling

Processing Timelines

What is EB-1 EB2 and EB3 category?

Types of U.S Employment-Based Green Cards

EB1 – FIRST PREFERENCE

EB2 – SECOND PREFERENCE

EB3 – THIRD PREFERENCE

Application Process for US Employment Based Green Cards (EB1, EB2, EB3, EB4 and EB5)

7 Mistakes International Students in the U.S. Make and How to Avoid Them

What is a J1 visa waiver?

J1 visa waiver status

Eligibility criteria to apply for a J1 Waiver

How to get/apply for J1 Visa Waiver

What is CPT?

Benefits of CPT

Eligibility for CPT

How to Apply for CPT

Limitations of CPT

Best Tips to Get CPT Jobs