Tag Archives: F1 Student visa

How can someone traveling to the United States of America through visiting (tourist) visa can change from visiting visa to another type of visa (Student Visa)? Let learn How to change tourist visa to student visa in USA.

This guide will focus on being a student, two types of students in this particular case.

How to change Tourist Visa to Student Visa in USA

It is one of the most frequently asked question that is, “if I come to the United States through visiting, can I find a way to change it from one visa type to another visa type?”

The answer is yes. There are legal procedures someone can be able to do that and it will explain in this guide.

If you are going to U.S on a visit via B1, B2 visa, when you go there, it depends on the duration given to stay in the United States, the visa duration. While you are there, you can apply to become a student, and being a student, there are two types of students.

There are Students who are seeking degree and students who are going to do what is called non-degree program. These two categories also determine two different types of visas or categories of students. They are as below:

• F1

F1 visa, which people talk about every time, because this is for people who are seeking degree.

When you travel to U.S, maybe you want to do bachelor’s degree or you go to community college, then bachelor’s degree, then you are going to do masters, doctorate, that is F1 student.

F1 student is an international student visa, which allows you to go to a university or college for a degree seeking program.

But what if you don’t want to get a degree? You are going to the vocational school. You are going to get what is called non-degree program.

Remember, in the United States, they don’t have something called diploma as a level of education like in other country. In U.S, diploma or certificate is called non-degree program.

So if you want to pursue what is called non-degree program, you are going to apply for M-visa, not F-1 visa, M1 visa.

• M-1

M-1 visa is a visa for a student or a person who wants to travel to U.S to pursue non-degree program or rather going to study what is called the vocational schools.

You attend flight school, cooking school (culinary school), study Cosmetology (the study and application of beauty treatment), etc. There are certain programs you are allowed to go and take those one. If you want to take the English-speaking one, even if it’s non-degree program, is not part of the M1, is going to be part of the F1, that is one of the categories which is different.

Note: Not all institutions are allowed to give you M1 visa because you can apply for non-degree program for this certificate, e.g cosmetology, but just going out there and just get admitted doesn’t give you the documentations, which you can be allowed to enroll to those particular schools.

Remember, there are some schools that are not allowed to have international students. So in order to avoid that, there is a list of vocational and non-degree institutions which is called M1 students, are allowed to go.

There is something called a student exchange visitor program. In that particular category, there is a website, which is the website of the Department of Homeland Security, which has the list of all institutions which are allowed to enroll people to get these programs and the universities or institutions in general.

Some might be community colleges. They can allow to take M1 and F1 non-degree and degree seeking students, and some can be independent institutions, not directed to be the college in particular.

To see the institutions which are allowed, proceed here.

If you go to apply to an institution which is not allowed, then you are not going to be allowed to be given the visa.

Note: On that particular case, there are no scholarships in most cases when we talk about the non-degree programs. You are going on your own to learn any of your desired skill (e.g cooking, culinary speciality school, chef school, study about photography, videography, filming, etc).

Most of those one are not having scholarships. What does that mean? It means if you want to go to study for non-degree program, you have to prove that you are able to pay for tuition fees, and to be able to cater your own living expenses.

People who are in M1, are they allowed also to work like F1 student?

Remember, if you are a degree seeking student, F1, you are allowed to work 20 hours per week. Yes, M1 also are allowed to work 20 hours per week. Also, they’re allowed to work on campus.

What does that mean? If it’s a school year, you work on campus, when it is out of school, the holiday, you can work off campus, you are allowed to do that. But when you are looking for institutions, is better to look for bigger institution. Because if you look like a smaller institution, maybe they might not have works opportunities on campus for international students or rather M1 students, so better to look for the institution like community colleges.

Below is a website that has the name of states, name of the programs. You can select a state and you can choose all the programs you want in that particular state you want to apply.

Even if where you are outside the United States or you are inside the United States, that is one of the way you can be able to change, is to apply to do every single procedures and you’ll be given I-20, the same I-20 like someone is international student, M1 student will be given the same I-20 and you can be able to convert from one visa to become a student, either non-degree seeking or degree seeking student.

This is very important thing you need to understand about M1 visa.

Disclaimer: This site is not owned by any U.S 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 guide has been helpful to you. Thanks.

You need to read this guide very well if you have your F1 Visa interview coming up soon. In this guide, you will learn the key points to pass your F1 Visa interview and get your visa approved.

7 critical tips that you must know before appearing for your F1 Visa interview

1. Documents.

Make sure you have the following documents organized in your folder:

• Passport
• DS 160 Confirmation page
• Application fee payment receipt
• A physical photo which measures two inches by two inches, but only if the photo didn’t upload with your DS 160. This is highly uncommon.
• Form I-20

Most applicants are single but if you are married and your spouse and children intend to live with you, bring their I-20.

• Academic documents, including your transcripts, test scores, degrees and diplomas
• Financial documents.

Also, carrying all the documents you have gathered during your university application process. Those will consist:

• Letters of admission,
• Scholarship or financial aid documents,
• Student loan documents,
• Bank statements,
• Sponsorship letters, etc.

Additionally, carry all your current and past passports. If you have dual citizenship and have multiple active passports, you should along with them all.

Get familiar with your document folder. Organize it to quickly locate your documents. You should be able to find any requested document within 10 seconds. Keep practicing until you know your folder thoroughly.

2. What to Wear

Wear business casuals that is appropriate for your country.

Dress for the weather as well. For example, wear breathable clothes, if it’s a hot day and you’re interviewing in summer. While the consulate or the embassy will have air conditioning, you may wait slightly before getting in.

Make sure your clothes are clean, wrinkle free, and well fitted.

Stick to safe colors. Stay away from overly bright colors and striking patterns.

3. Time of Arrival

Your Visa appointment instructions may ask you to arrive 15 minutes before your appointment, make sure you arrive 30 minutes to an hour before your appointment time. This will give you a healthy buffer, if something goes wrong on the day of your interview.

You may be wondering where would you wait if you arrived early? Go to a local restaurant or coffee shop where you can wait before your interview. It should be very close to the consulate or embassy. It doesn’t take you more than five minutes to walk there.

Being nervous on the interview day is common. Use the time there to calm down and relax before your interview. It will also allow you to review the key points to interview better and get a positive outcome.

4. Visa Officer’s Mindset

The visa officer is trying to evaluate two things;

• You are genuinely a student and not trying to obtain a student visa for fraudulent purposes such as immigrating to the United States.
• You intend to return to your home country after completing your studies.

You don’t have to do anything special to demonstrate that you are a genuine student. Simply answer the visa officers questions about your program, university and application process.

For the second part, that is, you intend to return to your home country after completing your studies. Ensure you include your future plans when answering these questions.

You should communicate how you will use your education to grow and succeed in your career when you return to your home country.

5. Your Mindset and Your Approach

Your chances of success will come down to this one thing, how well can you tell your story? This will be dependent on two things, a natural conversation and your confidence level.

The visa officers place the most emphasis on having a natural conversation.

Many students approach the visa interview as a job interview or an interrogation. It is not, and there is no need to be nervous.

The visa officers want to know you and your goals. Focus on the conversation and keep things simple. Consider it as having a conversation with one of your elder relatives. You want to sound respectful, but not super formal.

Remember, the visa officers have to handle many requests during the day. They keep the interviews very short. Keep your answers concise and to the point. Don’t leave out the necessary details, but don’t overshare either.

Finally, your confidence level will depend on how relaxed you are. You’ve prepared well, so there is no need to be overly nervous. A little bit of anxiety is natural, and the visa officers are aware of that and don’t hold it against you.

A warm smile and a simple greeting such as “hello, how are you?” can get you a great start. From there on out, keep things conversational.

6. Your Body Language

Your evaluation has already started when you’re in the building. The visa officer may glance at you while waiting in line behind the applicant they’re interviewing. Sometimes they may even see you before your number is called. Be mindful of your actions and body language.

While interviewing, maintain a good posture and make eye contact when you’re speaking. Smile when actively listening to the questions and answering them. Politely ask the visa officer to repeat the question if something is unclear.

Don’t let the visa officer’s questions or body language discourage you. For example, visa officers often look at their computers and type throughout the interview. Don’t let this bother you. It is pretty typical and you should continue to speak normally.

7. Speak the truth and nothing but the truth

No matter what, make sure you are speaking the truth. For example, you may have some family in the U.S, and if you’re asked about it, stay calm and truthful.

Often the visa officers know this information and are just verifying it. The consequences of lying to the U.S government have a massive impact. You would undoubtedly be denied a visa and could be permanently banned from entering the U.S.

Those were the key points to be mindful of for your F1 visa interview.

DISCLAIMER: This post/guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. This site is not offering any legal advice. If you need legal advice, you should seek the advice of an attorney in your jurisdiction before taking any legal action.

The information presented in this post/guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice.

What are the most important questions you must prepare for if you are going for U.S Visa interview? In this guide, you will learn the most important questions you should expect and prepare to answer at the U.S F1 Visa interview. If you understand what the consular expect from you, you can prepare well to prove that you deserve the visa.

This guide has been breaked down into three parts to let you understand what the consular expects from you at the interview, in order to prepare payroll and prove that you deserve the visa.

Questions You Must Look Out For In Your U.S F1 Visa Interview

The first thing you must understand is that irrespective of who you are, when you appear for your interview, the impression is that you are a potential immigrant.

That means, although you are applying for a nonimmigrant visa, a visa that allows you to stay temporary in the United States, the presumption is that you would want to stay permanently.

The interview is the opportunity for the consular to assess the purpose and your intent for traveling into the United States. Below are U.S F1 visa interview questions and guides to answer them:

1. Why are you traveling to the United States?

The consular would like to assess your reason for traveling to study in the United States. They want to know whether you are not using studies as an excuse to migrate to the United States.

Here, they will be asking questions that has to do with you, who you are, your academic background, your family background, whether you are married or you are in a relationship, whether you are gainfully employed or not.

It is important because through these questions, the consular will be able to assess your purpose for traveling.

For example, if you are a person who is gainfully employed in your current country, you earn enough money and assuming, let’s say, you are employed as an accountant and you are going to study for MBA.

The consular can based on your current employment, and know that you are not ideal in your country and know that you are getting reasonable income to sustain yourself. You are not somebody who is desperate to travel to go and stay in the United States.

The console will able to know that your purpose of traveling is purely for studies, that you are going to study in order to come back to enrich yourself and your current position in the organization.

Don’t go to the embassy and say you are not employed. Even if you are not employed, explain to them that you are involved into a voluntary service. It could be a national service, it could be a service you have with an organization, with a firm. It could be a teaching opportunity you are volunteering.

When you are unemployed the consular believe there is high possibility for you not to come back. But when you are able to explain to them that you are involved in a voluntary work, it means that you are not idle, you have plans, and you make good use of your time to help society.

Also, prepare to answer questions about your academic background, what you did in your undergraduate studies, in your senior high school or even in your graduate studies, and why your studies in America will be relevant to your academic surface.

In your U.S F1 visa interview, you may asked questions like this:

• How old are you?
• Are you married?
• What do you do?

These are questions you must prepare for.

You must be prepared to answer questions and explain how your current state in life is not an opportunity for you to travel, just to go and stay in the United States.

This is where you prove to them that you are working, you have a family, that you studied a particular course, and you are going to study in order to come back to help your society.

2. How can you finance your studies?

This is another visa interview question you must prepare for and is very important area. You must prepare to answer questions about who is sponsoring you, what is the relationship between you and the person and why is the person sponsoring you? What is the annual income of the person? What job does the person do?

The consular want to assess whether you have the financial capabilities to go and study in the United States, the ability for you to sustain yourself, especially in your first year in the United States.

They would want to know who your sponsor is, what kind of job your sponsor does, and why your sponsor is sponsoring you. It’s not just enough to show bank statements. It is important to prove to the consular about the work or the occupation of the person sponsoring you, because it is the work of the person that can convince the consular that indeed he or she can sponsor you.

If you claim your father is sponsoring you, be prepared to answer questions such as; how much does your father earn at the end of every year or monthly? What kind of job does your father do? Why is your father spending so much? Why is the sponsor spending so much money to take care of you?

There are times, if an organization is sponsoring you, they go ahead to ask you the number of employees the organization has employed, how long you have been working with them, and why the organization is sponsoring you.

It is not enough to prove bank statements, but it is important to prove that the person who owns the bank statement has enough cash flow from relevant work or occupation.

It is important you prepare around this area because proving your financial capability to support your studies is one of the most important reasons that your visa will be approved or denied.

3. What are your plans after school?

This is another question you must prepare for. As you go for your interview, the consular will want to know your long-term plan after school, and it is based on your plan that will help the consular to determine whether you would overstay or you would return when you are done with your studies.

Even if you have plans of pursuing PhD after your Masters or whatever degree you are pursuing, don’t tell the consular that after getting your Master’s you would want to do your PhD, no. Tell the consular that after getting your Masters, you would come back to your country to other things.

If possible, prove to him or her that you have an organization, you have even a certain letter already. It is an added advantage. Don’t worry if you don’t have that. All that is important is that you prove to the consular that at the end of the day, you have a long term plan that is connected to you coming back to your country to give back to your society.

If you are not able to answer these three questions, your visa will not be approved. Just bear in mind that you must be able to convince the consular about this three line of questions. Even if you fail in one, your visa may be rejected.

4. Why must I give you this Visa?

This is where you explain your career goal and why studying in America will help you achieve your career goals and give back to the society.

I hope that these tips will help you and give you the needed information that you need to prepare for your U.S F1 visa interview.

This guide is going to talk about Spring 2023 Visa updates. In this guide, you will learn all that you need to do to get your U.S (F1, J1) student visa approved for your Spring 2023 term.

Many have deferred their program to the spring term. There are some who have their Visa rejected, as a result, your program was deferred. Some people have just gotten admission and have not gotten a date, they had to reschedule or defend their program to the spring term.

How to get your U.S Student visa approved in the spring 2023 term

1. Get A New I-20.

The first thing you need to do if you’re going for Spring 2023 is to get an updated I-20. If you have gone for a Visa interview recently and you have been refused and as a result you defend your program to Spring, you will need a new I-20.

If you just got admission or admitted into a school that is starting in the Spring, you will also need a new I-20.

Also, if you didn’t get a visa date for the fourth term and you have deferred to Spring 2023, you also need a new I-20. So no matter your situation, you need a new I 20.

Those that have gotten their visas, you need to get a new I-20. You don’t need a new visa because you already have a visa approved. You can enter U.S with your already approved visa, but you will have to update your I-20.

How to get a new I-20

Your school will have to issue you a new I-20 that comes with a new start date that will reflect the Spring 2023 term.

If you don’t do this, if you go for the visa interview, you’ll be rejected. If you don’t do this, if you come to the U.S at the port of entry, you will be denied entry because your I-20 will be outdated bearing the false start date.

Make sure you check with your school to get an updated I-20.

2. Update Your DS-160 Form

The next thing you need to do is to update your DS-160 form.

If you applied for a visa for full time and you didn’t get a visa date, so you have to defer. What it means is that, if you have your old DS-160 form, that old DS-160 form have some information that might be outdated.

For example, expected date of travel, when are you expecting to travel, and when are you expecting to complete your program?

Because you are getting a new I-20 form, which means that those dates will also be new. It is important to update this information on your DS-160. If you don’t do that, that may go against you.

If you have already submitted a DS-160 form, it means that you must fill a new one. Make sure to fill a new DS-160 form and also make sure that you will use the new DS-160 form code to update your profile on your profile.

After you have done that, print a new appointment confirmation. This is very, very important. If you don’t do that, you will have your old DS-160 form on your profile. You may be denied entry at the gate for the interview because your DS-160 form will have a different code and your appointment date will also have a different code. Make sure you correct that.

3. Get Visa Appointment Date.

The next thing you have to do is to make sure that you get a visa appointment date. Many people have dates that are beyond their program started, the embassy has begun opening some dates for people who are coming for the Spring 2023 term. Make sure to regularly check your profile to get a date.

You may also want to consider requesting for emergency appointments if you have not already done so. There are some laws, rules and regulations concerning when and how and what to do and what to use to apply for emergency appointments.

Those are the three things you need to do. After you have done all these three things, the next important thing is to prepare for your interview, and this is the most important aspect of the whole process.

A lot of people rush into the interview and they go and get denied. Getting a US visa approved always comes with a strategy. You must always have a strategy as to what is the best story for your situation. What is the best story that you can tell to convince the consular?

It is not about what you have, it is about convincing the consular. This is where preparation is key. Read this guide below, it will really help you pass your visa interview and get your U.S visa approved.

Read: 5 Things You Must Do In The Interview Room To Get Your U.S Visa Approved

Tip: As you are prepared for your Spring 2023 interview, the most important thing you have to deal with is finances. Many students who have funded or who have good source of funding have a high chance of getting their business approved.

You must prove that indeed you have the funds to support yourself. Make sure that you are well clear about the sources of funding. Why is this person sponsoring you? What is the purpose? How are you connected to the person? How are you related and what is even the reason at all for the person to spend so much to sponsor you?

If you are on scholarship, that is fine.

Tip: How to answer the three visa important question

• Why did you choose this school/university?
• Who is funding you?
• What are your plans after school?

These are the updates on how to get your U.S Student Visa approved in the spring 2023 term.

Are you an F1 visa student who has applied for the OPT EAD? In this guide, you will learn what to expect after mailing your OPT EAD application to USCIS, what to do after applying for your OPT EAD and how long to get USCIS receipt notice.

If you have successfully submitted your OPT application to USCIS, as discussed in this guide (How To Apply For OPT EAD), you might be wondering what are the next steps to follow after submitting your OPT. In this guide, you will learn what you can do and what to expect after you’ve applied for your OPT.

Note: After applying for OPT, you are not allowed to start working until you have received our EAD card and the “valid from” date on your EAD card has been reached.

What to do After Applying for OPT EAD with USCIS

1. Tracking Delivery of OPT EAD Application

The very first thing to do is to track the delivery status of your OPT application. If you’ve mailed your OPT application, you should have requested the tracking number from your career service provider.

With this tracking number, you should be able to track the confirmation of delivery of your OPT application to USCIS.

If you experience any delays with the delivery of your OPT application, you should quickly contact the customer service rep of your career service provider or USPS.

Once you’ve confirmed the delivery of your OPT application on your current service provider’s website, keep a copy of this delivery confirmation for your records.

If you’ve paid for the OPT application fee using your personal check, keep an eye out on your bank account records just to see if USCIS has processed your OPT application fee.

2. Await Receipt of Form I-797C

Once you’ve confirmed the delivery of your OPT application, the next step is to await the receipt of a form called the Form I-797C Notice of Action. This form will be sent by USCIS.

Typically, you can expect to receive this Form I 797 C in about four weeks, and in some cases it might take slightly longer than four weeks.

But nevertheless, you should not panic if you have not received your Form I-797C after four weeks of the confirmation of delivery of your OPT application.

Usually, if you’ve paid for your opt application fee using a personal check, you can tell that USCIS has pre-processed your OPT application. If your bank account records can show that your OPT application fee has been cashed by USCIS.

On the top left corner of Form I-797-C, you would find your receipt number and with this receipt number, you can track the status of your case on the USCIS case tracking website. Read this guide (4 BEST Ways to Track/Check Your USCIS Case Status Online) to know the full detail about the four best ways of tracking your case status with USCIS.

3. Await Notice of Approval and EAD Card

If you’re successful with your opt application on the Case Status tracking website, your case status will indicate that your OPT has been approved.

Next, USCIS will mail you a Form I 797 Notice of Approval, followed by your Employment Authorization Document card. This Form I 797 Notice of Approval, will arrive in the mail before you receive your EAD card.

Responding to a USCIS RFE

In the unfortunate circumstance that your OPT application requires more investigation by USCIS, USCIS will send you a letter called a Request for Evidence (RFE). On this Request for Evidence, USCIS will explicitly define what documents you need to provide in order for your case to be adjudicated.

If you received a request for evidence from USCIS, make sure to contact your school’s international office as soon as possible, to proceed with next steps.

It is very important that when you respond to an RFE, make sure to submit all the requested documents by USCIS in a single mail.

4. Submitting Copies of EAD Card to your DSO

Finally, once you’ve received your ID card in the mail, make sure that information listed on the EAD Card is correct. And once that’s correct, make a copy of the front and back of the ID card and send that to your school’s international office.

You should also note that you’re not allowed to start working on OPT until the start date listed on your ID card is “Current”. Failing to do so will result in you violating your OPT status and your OPT could be terminated.

Those are what to do After Applying for OPT EAD with USCIS.

Frequent Questions About OPT EAD and Answers

Question: After getting your EAD and signing a job contract, who do you send your offer letter to?

Answer: For the OPT, you are only required to report your employment to the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Usually, there is no obligation here to show your offer letter for confirmation. You simply state the employer name, address, job role, and pay for your employment.

DISCLAIMER: This guide and content is designed for general information only and is NOT legal advice. The information in this guide should not be construed to be formal legal advice. For legal advice, you should consult an attorney.

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;

1. Receiving income and paying taxes on a job
2. Receiving government benefits, if you are considered a resident alien for tax purposes
3. Applying for a driver’s license or a state ID
4. Opening financial accounts, such as credit card accounts, and online banking accounts
5. 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.

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. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

In this guide, we will learn how to transition from the F1 visa to the H-1B visa as an international student on F1 Optional Practical Training (OPT) or STEM OPT. This is particularly for international students who are F1 visa holders.

That’s it’s not to say that if you’re a J1 visa holder you cannot get an H-1B. But it’s just that as a J1 visa holder, your transition to the H-1B will be a lot different from someone who has an F1 visa.

This guide give you details about the most important things every F1 international student must know about transitioning from an F1 visa to a H-1B visa. For most international student, this transition will occur during the Post Completion OPT or STEM OPT.

Make sure you read this guide until the end because it’s going to give you a lot of good tips that you should keep in mind when thinking of transitioning from the F1 visa to the H-1B visa.

Basics of the H-1B visa

The first thing about the H-1B visa you should know is that this is called an Employer Sponsored Visa and that means that unlike your F1 visa, you cannot apply for the H-1B visa by yourself, only a U.S based employer can apply for the H-1B on your behalf.

The H-1B visa, unlike your F1 student visa, allows you to live and work in the U.S for up to six years.

Apart from the H-1B work visa, there are other temporary work visas that you might be eligible for, such as the E1, O1, and the TN work visas.

Checkout this guide title, How to Get a U.S Work Visa, to learn different temporary work visas that you can get to live and work in the U.S.

Generally, the H-1B visa tends to be the most common type of work visas that many nonimmigrants choose to use to live and work in the U.S on a temporary basis.

If you’ve heard of the H-1B visa, it tends to be associated as a lottery based visa, which means that you can only get the visa after you’ve been picked in the lottery. Although that’s not the only way of getting the H-1B visa.

How to Get H-1B Visa

There are two ways you can get the H-1B visa.

1. One way is called a Cap Subject H-1B visa that is limited to 85,000 visas every year.

That’s the class of the H-1B visa that you can get only after getting picked in the lottery.

2. The other class of H-1B visa is called an H-1B Cap Exempt visa.

This cap exempt visa is typically given to nonprofit organizations such as U.S universities and U.S research labs. With the cap exempt H-1B visa, you need not go through a lottery system to get it.

Getting H-1B Visa as an F1 Visa International Student

One thing to note about the H-1B visa as an F1 Visa student is that in order for you to get the H-1B visa, the job for which your employer is sponsoring your visa needs to require at least a bachelor’s degree.

So this makes the H-1B visa perfect for international students who are already in the U.S and seeking to change their status from an F1 visa to the H-1B visa without leaving the U.S.

In U.S, some companies have policies where they’re never going to hire anyone who is not at least a permanent resident of the U.S, particularly because they have certain government restrictions in the industry that requires them to only hire people who have a green card or people who are U.S citizens.

Also, there are some smaller companies that don’t want to hire foreign nationals, such as international students, because from their perspective, they don’t want to go through the cost prohibitive nature of the H-1B visa process just to hire an employee when they wouldn’t have to do the same if the person was a U.S citizen or green card holder.

So if you’re really serious about getting an H-1B visa to live and work in the U.S after you’re done with your F1 status, there’s no point wasting your time looking for jobs with these kinds of companies.

Filling H-1B

When it comes to filing the H-1B, a logical question you could have is, how much does it cost for the H-1B filing process? Typically, the cost of filing an H-1B visa on the part of your employer could be varying.

One of the keys to getting the H-1B visa is making sure that you can find a job with the U.S employer who is H-1B friendly. Because one of the mistakes you don’t want to make is to get a job with a company when you have the intention of getting an H-1B visa, and then when you request that they file for your H-1B visa, they tell you that they don’t sponsor H-1B visas.

If you’re going the route of getting the Cap Subject H-1B visa, you need to keep in mind the timeline you have to get in the H-1B visa while you’re still on an F1 visa status. The reason for this is that your chances of getting the H-1B visa through the lottery system is never guaranteed.

If you’re going to be working with a company that plans to file an H-1B Cap Subject petition for you, then you have a limited number of times that the company could try to file for your H-1B while you’re still on your Optional Practical Training (OPT) period.

This will become very important if you’re an F1 Visa student who is not eligible to get the STEM OPT. So if you’re an F1 Visa student who is working for the employer on your OPT, you only have one chance to get the H-1B visa with that employer.

On the other hand, if you’re an F1 Visa student who is eligible for STEM OPT, then you have at least three times to secure the H-1B visa while you’re working on your OPT and STEM OPT.

Something else to consider is your graduation date and when your OPT ends. For example, if you’re an F1 Visa student who’s going to be graduating in the fall semester, which is in December, this would mean that you’re going to be ending your first year of post completion OPT for ten months from December, which brings you to February, two years from the year you graduated.

On the other hand, if you’re a spring semester graduate who finishes in May, then this would mean that your first full year of post completion OPT is going to be ending in the month of July, the following year after you graduated.

Again, something else that’s important to note about the Cap Subject H-1B visa is that the lottery system happens in late March of every calendar year, and it’s only after you’ve been selected in the lottery system that your employer could then file an H-1B petition on your behalf.

If you’re an F1 Visa student who only has one chance to get the H-1B visa during your OPT, then it’s very important that your employer files for your H-1B visa within the first few months of you working on your post completion OPT.

If you’re a spring graduate who’s going to start your post completion OPT after the month of May, this means that you already would have missed the window of opportunity that opened in March shortly before you graduated. So your only chance of getting the H-1B visa is going to be in the next year shortly before your OPT ends.

As the spring graduate, if you’ve already received an offer month before you graduate in May, you can ask your employer to file an H-1B petition for you before you graduate.

This way, instead of having only one chance to get the H-1B the next year after you graduate, you can have two chances of getting the H-1B.

One advantage you have as a spring graduate who finishes in May over a graduate who finishes in December, is that you could be eligible to get the Cap gap extension if you were selected in the H-1B lottery and your employer filed an attorney petition on your behalf before your OPT expired.

So these are some considerations that you need to keep in mind if you’re going to be transitioning from an F1 visa to an H-1B visa.

For many F1 visa students who are trying to transition from the F1 visa to the H-1B visa, the fact that you have a chance of getting selected in the H-1B lottery is very worrisome.

A lottery based selection system is one thing that’s totally out of your control and the best way to navigate this transition is to always be optimistic but making sure that you have a plan B.

Read: How the U.S Visa Works | Step by Step Guide For Beginners

I hope you found this guide very insightful. Thanks for reading.

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. If you need legal advice, you may contact a licensed attorney.

How to Replace a Lost or Stolen EAD Card with USCIS: Do you have a lost/stolen EAD card, or you received an incorrect EAD card from USCIS? This article will explain how you can go about obtaining a replacement employment authorization document or the EAD card from USCIS if it was lost, stolen, damaged or contains incorrect information.

Make sure read this article to the end because you will get answers to seven frequently asked questions about replacing your employment authorization document card.

What is Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and its functions?

The Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card allows foreign nationals in the US to work temporarily and is issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS).

The employment authorization document, also called the U.S Work Permit, are given to certain foreign nationals who can work in the U.S only after receiving permission from USCIS.

The EAD card is also given to certain nonimmigrants in the U.S who have a pending Adjustment of Status application with USCIS.

What should I do if I lost my EAD card?

On some occasions, you might need to obtain a replacement EAD card from USCIS, and this could be the case if you find errors on your EAD card or your EAD card is lost, stolen, or destroyed.

In the event that you receive an EAD card from USCIS that contains incorrect information, or you find out that your EAD card is either lost, stolen or destroyed, you will need to obtain a replacement EAD card from USCIS.

BEST Tips to Replace a Lost EAD Card or Incorrect EAD Card with USCIS

Generally, you can go about replacing your Employment Authorization Document (EAD) card with USCIS under the following scenarios:

1. Replacing an EAD Card Due to a USCIS Error

The first scenario is the case where you find an error on your EAD card and this error is the fault of USCIS. In this case, you won’t have to complete the new I-765 application and as a result, you don’t have to pay any additional application fees.

You would have to return the original EAD card containing the error and also present a letter explaining what the error is and provide supporting documents as to how the error could be corrected.

For example, let’s say you find out that your first name on your EAD card was spelled incorrectly, and in your letter you’ll like to point out that your EAD card contains a misspelled first name and also provide the biographical page of your international passport showing the correct spelling of your first name.

In this scenario where the arrow is caused by USCIS, you would have to send all these documents to the USCIS Service Center that approved your last EAD application.

2. Replacing an EAD Card Due to the Applicant’s Error

The second scenario is the case where the arrow found on your EAD card is caused by your mistake and it’s not the fault of USCIS. In this scenario, you’ll be required to complete a new I-765 application and you have to pay the appropriate filing fee. Similar to how you went about completing the I-765 in your previous application, you would also have to provide supporting documents for the I-765 application.

These supporting documents will include two card passport photographs, a copy of the biographical page of your international passport, copy of your I-94 records, a copy of any previously issued employment authorization document cards, and other supporting documents.

In this application, you would also have to include the original EAD card containing the error that was caused by your mistake.

3. Replacing a Lost/Stolen/Damaged EAD card

The last and final scenario is the case where your EAD card is either lost, stolen, or damaged. In this situation, you would have to complete a new I-765 application and also pay the required filing fees. You would also be required to provide supporting documents just like you did when completing the new I-765 application.

EAD Replacement FAQs

Let talk about some frequently asked questions that you might have when you find out that your EAD card is either lost, stolen or destroyed.

• Do I need to inform my employer?

The first question is whether you should inform your employer that your EAD card has been lost or stolen. This is not necessary as you would have already gone through the I-9 verification process where your employer would have seen your EAD card and kept a record of your EAD card.

However, if your employer asks you to provide a proof of employment in the future, then you might have to let your employer know that your EAD card was stolen and you’re in the process of getting the replacement.

• What can I do if I have to begin or start a new job and my EAD card has been lost or stolen?

In this case, because you have to go through a new I-9 verification process with a new employer, you would have to wait until your EAD card application has been approved and you’ve received your EAD card.

• What do I do if I have to travel outside of the U.S and my EAD card has been lost or stolen?

In this case, it’s best to wait until you’ve received your EAD card before you consider traveling outside of the U.S. This is because depending on your nonimmigrant status, you might be required to be in possession of an EAD card whenever you try to re-enter the U.S.

• How long does it take to get a replacement EAD card from USCIS?

Generally, if you’re applying for a replacement EAD card by completing the new I-765 application, then the wait time is exactly the same like someone who’s applying for the EAD card for the first time, and as you might have already experienced during your first EAD card application, the processing of your EAD application could take as long as six months.

• Is there a way to expedite the processing of my replacement EAD card?

In certain circumstances, you might be able to speed up the processing of your EAD application with USCIS.

• Is there a fee for the replacement of the EAD card?

The answer is simply yes. The only exception is when you find an error on your EAD card and this error was caused by USCIS.

• What supporting documents do I need to provide when filing an application for a replacement EAD card?

Your supporting documents are going to be exactly the same as the supporting documents you provided when you were filing your initial EAD card application. For example, if you’re an F1 visa student you would have to provide supporting documents that show proof of your eligibility to work in the U.S.

This will usually be assigned from I-20 and endorsed for OPT.

I hope you found this article about How to Replace a Lost or Stolen EAD Card with USCIS informative. Thank you for reading.

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.

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:

1. Do a study in a marketable skills, start working in OPT, get h1b work visa sponsored, then get GC sponsored.

2. 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

DISCLAIMER: This article 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.

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.

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;

1. Applying for a U.S social security number
2. Applying for a U.S state driver’s license or a state ID card
3. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

7. 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.

6. 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.

5. 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.

4. 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.

3. 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.

2. 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.

1. 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.

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.

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

1. Start researching your industry early on
2. Don’t rely solely on online job applications
3. 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.

Have you received your Form I-20 and are wondering what the next steps are? In this guide, you will learn the simple 3 step process to follow after receiving your Form I-20 as a prospective U.S international student. The I-20 form is a certificate of eligibility for nonimmigrant student status.

What to do after receiving form I-20

These steps include reviewing and signing the Form I-20, applying for your F-1 visa and scheduling your visa interview appointment, and paying the SEVIS fee.

Reviewing the Form I-20

You’ve received your form I-20 which could have been delivered electronically or delivered by mail, the first thing you should do is to review the form I-20, pay close attention to the spelling of your first name and your last name and all the biographical information that’s contained on the first page of the I-20.

You would also want to review page three of the I-20 that contains instructions for you, the student who is going to be responsible for signing the Form I-20.

Signing the Form I-20

Once you’ve read and understood everything on page three of the I-20, and when you’ve checked that your information appears correctly on the I-20, you would then sign the I-20 in the Student Attestation section located at the bottom of page number one.

Your signature here on the I-20 should be in black ink, and the date you write on the I-20 should be the date you signed the I-20. For example, if you sign the I-20 on August 1, 2021, then the date you are going to write on the I-20 should be August 1, 2021.

If you happen to be under the age of 18 at the time you’re signing the form, it would also need to provide a signature and a date from your parent or Guardian. Again, this entry from your parent or Guardian on the form I-20 should be printed in black ink.

You should keep in mind that on the Form I-20, the Attestation section appearing in page number one is the one and only place that you’re ever going to write anything in. Once you’ve signed and dated form I-20 on page number one, your job is done.

If you’d like to learn more about the form I-20, you can find the linked below where I take a deep dive explaining what every section of the Form I-20 is.

READ: Understanding the Form I-20 for F1 Visa International Students (The Ultimate I-20 Guide)

Book an appointment for your U.S F1 Visa interview

The second step in this process is to book an appointment for your U.S F1 Visa interview. In order to do this, you would have to go to the U.S Department of State website and find the nearest U.S Embassy or consulate that is currently accepting F1 Visa interview appointment.

It’s possible that when you go to the U.S Department of State website, you may not be able to find any U.S Embassies or consulates that are currently accepting F1 visa interview appointment.

In such a case, you might need to look into making an emergency visa interview appointment with the U.S Embassy and Consulate in your home country. As it is quite possible that the U.S Embassy or consulate in your home country might be offering special treatments for students who are trying to enter the U.S on an F1 visa.

Paying for SEVIS I-901 Fee

Once you’ve been able to secure your U.S Visa appointment, preferably on a date that works best for you, you would want to go ahead and pay the service fee, which is also called the SEVIS I-901 Fee.

You should plan to pay a service fee and have a receipt of payment before you attend your U.S F1 Visa interview.

At the time of making this article, the service fee could be paid in three different options.

• The first way is the most common way, and that is by making an online payment;
• the second method of payment is by Western Union Quick pay;
• the third form of payment is payment in U.S dollars, made using a personal check from a U.S Bank or using a money order.

Note: You must have a complete and accurate Form I-20, which is given to prospective F1 and M1 students. If you’ve received the Form I-20 and it happens to contain an incorrect information, then you must contact your designated school official or your program sponsor.

A very important note about the SEVIS I-901 Fee is that if you have any dependents coming to the U.S on an F2, an M2 or J2 visa, they are not required to pay the service fee. The service fee is only required for prospective immigrants coming to the U.S on an F1, M1 and J1 Visa.

On the first entry, you would want to put in your service ID, which you can find this on the top left corner of your form it. You can also find this on your top left corner of the form DS 2019.

Then you enter your last name and your first name, as it appears on your form I-20 or your form DS-2019.

Finally, you would enter your date of birth with the birth month first, the birthday second, and the birth year last. Once you’re done, you click and submit. And if information is answered correctly, you will be taken to a page that accepts your online payment in the form of a credit card.

Once your payment for your SEVIS Fee is accepted online, a payment confirmation page will be generated. You are required to print out this confirmation page and present this as proof of your SEVIS Fee payment before you attend your F1 Visa interview.

In conclusion

As an F1 students who have received the Form I-20:

• The first step would be to review and sign the Form I 20;
• the second step would be to apply for your F1 Visa and book your F1 Visa interview appointment, and;
• third step would be to pay a service fee and receive a payment confirmation before you attend your F1 Visa interview.

These are the three simple steps that you should follow after you’ve received a form I-20.

The next phase you’re going to be working on is getting ready for your F1 Visa interview.

READ: F1 Student visa Interview Questions and Answers.

I hope this article has been helpful to you.

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.

In this article you will learn all about the Form I-20 given to F1 visa international Students. We will learn what it is Form I-20 and what it’s used for, how you can get one, what’s contained in the documents and how to fill Form I-20 for F1 Visa International Students.

What it is Form I-20?

In simple terms, the Form I-20 is a three page document given to non-immigrants who intend to study in the United States. The Form I-20 or simply I-20 is an important immigration document given to F1 and M1 visa international students who intend to study in the USA.

This document can only be issued by schools that are certified by the U.S Department of Homeland Security, specifically, the Students in Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP). Form I-20 is issued to prospective international students who have been admitted into a program of study.

While the majority of non-immigrants who receive the I-20 are on an F1 visa engaging in an academic program of study, the I-20 is also given to non-immigrants who plan to enter the U.S on an M1 visa to pursue non-academic or vocational programs of study.

The ultimate use of the Form I-20 is to apply for an F1 or M1 visa and to seek entry into the U.S on these visa classes.

However, the Form I-20 also serves several other purposes, as will be discussed later in this article.

How exactly do you get the Form I-20?

Getting the Form I-20 is generally a two-step process.

• The first step is getting accepted into a school certified by SEVP, and this school could be a University or College or even a primary or secondary school.
• The second step is providing evidence of financial support as requested by your school’s designated school official (DSO). This proof of financial support must include funds covering tuition fees and living expenses for one academic year of study.

International students who intend to bring their dependents to the US, such as a spouse, a child or children, must also obtain a Form I-20 for each dependent.

Thus, you must also show evidence of financial support covering the living expenses for each dependent as specified by your school’s designated school official. The evidence of financial support you provide to get the form it could be in the form of bank statements showing personal savings or family savings.

It could also be in the form of an award letter offering you a scholarship, a Fellowship, or an assistantship by your University or your school, and could also be a letter of sponsorship from a government, an organization, or a company.

So what else is the form I-20 useful other than the primary purpose of applying for an F1 or M1 visa, and seeking entry into the US on these visa classes? Form I-20 is needed for other purposes, such as:

• applying for a US Social Security number,
• applying for a US state driver’s license,
• applying for a US state identification card,
• changing your immigrant status from the F1 status to another status while in the US, and
• serves as a proof of work authorization.

I-20 form sample and how to fill Form I-20 for F1 Visa International Students

Let now take a close look at each section of the Form I-20.

• At the top left corner of page one is the service ID number. This number always starts with the letter N.

• The first box contains your biographical information, your admission number, and your admission class. This first box also contains the reason for issuing the form. When you first receive an I-20 from your school’s DSO, the form issue reason will be listed as initial attendance, and after you’ve enrolled in your program of study, you would be given a new form I-20 that States continued attendance as the form issue reason.

• The second box on page one is the school information. Here you will find the name of your DSO as mentioned earlier, this person would be your main point of contact when seeking to enter the US. So keep a note of their contact information before traveling to the US.

• The third box on page one contains information about your program of study. Very important to take note of is the program start and end date. You are only allowed to enter the US on an F1 visa within 30 days of your start date. Note that the end of your F1 status does not depend on the expiration date of your F1 visa, but on the end date shown on your current from I-20.

• The fourth box on page one summarizes your financial responsibility. You should have evidence of financial support covering the total amount in this box when applying for an F1 visa and seeking entry into the US on an F1 visa.

• The fifth box is a remarks section where your DSO would make any appropriate comments about your I-20 at any point in the future.

• The six box on page one will have the signature of your DSO certifying that you’ve provided correct information and indeed meet the qualification to attend the school to pursue a full program of study.

• The 7th and last box on page one is for you to sign and date. If you are under the age of 18 this box should also be signed and dated by a parent or legal Guardian accordingly.

• The first and second boxes on page two are relevant to your authorization for off campus employment, such as curriculum practical training (CPT), and optional practical training (OPT).

As an active F1 student, you become eligible to use CPT or OPT after completing one academic year of studies. You may not engage in any kind of work off campus without receiving this work authorization from your DSO.

• The CHANGE OF STATUS/CAP-GAP EXTENSION box is applicable to F1 students changing into another nonimmigrant visa class, such as going from an F1 student visa class to an H1 B worker class.

• AUTHORIZED REDUCED COURSE LOAD: F1 students who wish to take a part time course load would need to obtain permission from the DSO. This approval for a reduced course load would be added to the fourth box on page two.

• Finally is the TRAVEL ENDORSEMENT box, which is yet another important section of the I-20. Once you enroll as an F1 student and receive an I-20 for continued attendance, a valid travel signature from your DSO will be required to re-enter the US after a brief departure from the US.

The third page is Instruction section, which contains very important information for you, the students signing this document and the DSO issue and signing the Form I 20. Make sure to read and understand this page in its entirety.

Your I-20 is an important immigration documents that you will need for several years while in the U.S, so ensure to keep this safe at all times. I hope you found this article quite informative.

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, Google, etc). 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.