OT: H1-B crap

Triathlon Forum
1

immigration attorneys? ex-H1 vsa holders?
have to renew my H1 before applying for my green card…my H1 expires dec 31 2005…
When you renew the H1, do you have to do the same crap you did in the first place? Same attorney’s fees? Same premium processing fees???

2

Francois,

I did renew my H1-B some time ago. The process is much more simpler than the first time round. The first time round, u have to be inside the number of allocated visa’s in that year. When u renew, u are merely renewing the visa. U do not need to go through the hassle of worrying if u had made the cut.

I however, left it to my Immigration Attorney to file all the paperwork. I did it through my attorney cause she does that kinda stuff day-in & day-out. Stuff like this, i leave to the pros. I don’t wanna chance saving a few bucks doing it myself and fucking it up.

I know its a little confusing. If u want more explanation, send me a PM or we can meet up at IMFL and i’ll explain further, when i see u.

Paul

3

What happened?

I remember back in the Winter you were on your way to becoming a citizen?..even threatening to vote and stuff.

4

you better hope there is not a box that asks how many posts per day :slight_smile:
.

5

Francois -

I just renewed mine - i used the same imigration lawyer and it took a bit longer then expected but is very straight forward. The things I learned are:

  1. You should have the same job as when you first applied for the H1-B to apply for a renewal

  2. Where it used to take 3 to 6 weeks it now takes 30 - 120 days to get approved.

  3. You are legal to stay here in the US even if your H1-B expires while applying for the new one, but if you NEED to leave the states you might have to pay for rapid processing.

  4. If you need the quick processing you can pay an extra $1000 and get it processed in two weeks.

PM me if you need more info and i’ll give you a call.

ian.

6

I am an EX H-1B visa holder, but the rules changed since I applied. Thank god for the Green Card is all I can say:-) man that green card party was fun!

7

Francois,

I am an immigration attorney. An extension is basically the same process as the original. The filing fees are usually less, depending on how many petitions the same employer has filed for you. The base fee is $185; the “training” fee is either $750 or $1,500 depending on how many employees the company has. The training fee is not required if this is the 3rd petition they are filing for you. You don’t really need to do premium processing since your status is extended automatically while the H-1B petition is pending, assuming it is timely filed. Processing times right now are pretty fast – around two months (I’ve seen many in less than one lately), depending upon which Service Center has jurisdiction over your case.

Attorney fees vary. But I usually charge less for an extension if I was the one that did the original one.

All the best,

Romy Kapoor

8

I heard that those who raced Kona and didn’t dare opening their eyes during the swim were asked to give back their green card…

thanks all the for info…

9

I am an EX H-1B visa holder, but the rules changed since I applied.
I knew it had to be something like this. That is why there are no pictures of Marisol - she is an alien (big grin)!

10

I knew it had to be something like this. That is why there are no pictures of Marisol - she is an alien (big grin)!

My picture is ALL over ST :slight_smile:

11

I can vouch for Romy, he is an immigration attorney. I’ve seen him at the Courthouse and everything. In a suit. Driving a nice car.

Whether he slept at a Holiday Inn Express last night, I don’t know. Sorry.

Yo, Romy! Jeff tripped and broke his toe running two weeks ago and is complaining all over dowtown about it.

How’s the knee?

Tim

12

Knee is good; but the heel is bad. The knee surgery threw off my mechanics and caused some atypical plantar fasciitis, which I have been battling all summer. Raced a few of the Tri the Parks sprints and a couple of Olys this year. Gonna try and build up the run mileage this winter.

How was your season? Are you guys riding on the weekends? Would love to hook up. Tell Jeff to tape it up and get on the bike.

All the best.