In my extensive experience as a immigration lawyer in San Francisco, I do a lot of work in the area of H1B visas. From my office in the San Francisco Bay area, I work with applicants from all 50 states who have been in this country under a F 1 visa and who during that time have earned a master’s degree or higher.
I am going to devote a few blogs to this important area and look at how F 1 visa holders can get an extension as they apply for their H 1B. In this blog, I’m going to consider eligibility criteria. Continue reading ‘F-1 Status and Extension of OPT’
Working with F1 student visa holders who are applying for H 1B visas is an important part of my work as an immigration attorney. From my law office in San Francisco, I handle numerous cases including those that involve the extension of the OPT (Optional Practical Training) time for pending H 1B applicants. These applicants are often stuck in the cap gap. Continue reading ‘Information on STEM OPT Extension’
Although I am an immigration attorney in the San Francisco Bay area, I’ve been called upon to work for clients all over the country. The O1 visa is sometimes overlooked by qualified applicants. This visa is available to foreign nationals from various disciplines, including those in science and education. Physicians and Scientists are may apply for an O1 visa.
To qualify, applicants must show that they have a high level of expertise in their chosen field. Those who qualify possess extraordinary ability. They must have earned national or international acclaim over a period of time and offer evidence through specific documentation. Continue reading ‘Qualifications for an O-1 Visa’
In my law office, I work with various types of immigration cases from around the country. As an immigration attorney I find that one area that is especially active this time of year is that which involves the “cap gap.”
Defining the Cap Gap
The cap gap is that period of time that covers from when someone in the U.S. who is under a F-1 visa, which is designated for students, is no longer a student to the time that they are given employment. There is a gap between that person being a student, after which they have attained their degree, and the period during which they begin working for a U.S. company. The potential employer petitions for the student to be given the new designation of H-1B and during that time and until the student can be under the H-1B visa, the F-1 status is extended. Continue reading ‘Immigration Attorney Explains How “Cap Gap” Occurs’
As an immigration lawyer, I find that students with an F-1 visa who go through the OPT application procedure can often be intimidated by the various aspects of the process. From my offices in the San Francisco Bay Area, I work with clients from all 50 states on this process. Here’s a checklist for F-1 students interested in engaging in the OPT application procedure.
Recommendation Request from Designated School Official (DSO)
Those who think they would profit from practical training in their field and consider themselves to be OPT eligible should first meet with their Designated School Official (DSO), who is their international advisor, and request a recommendation. The DSO must issue a recommendation for OPT in SEVIS and provide the student with Form I-20, which has been updated. The student must submit the Form I-20 with the employment authorization application. Continue reading ‘Immigration Lawyer Offers Checklist for F-1 Students OPT Application’
The J-2 visa is designed for spouses and dependents of J-1 student visa holders. As an immigration lawyer in Sacramento, I work with those seeking both J-1 and J-2 visas. Here are some particulars regarding the J-2 visa in which applicants are often interested.
J-2 Visa and Work
The J-2 is a nonimmigrant visa under which you may work. In order to secure employment the money may not be needed to support the primary J-1 visa holder. In order to work with a J-2 visa, the holder must receive special permission from the USCIS.
To apply, the J-2 visa holder submits Form I-765. The process of adjudication takes from three to five months but processing times are always subject to change. If approved, the J-2 holder will receive an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) and they will be allowed to work. Continue reading ‘Immigration Lawyer Explains Aspects of the J-2 Visa’
