CASE: Change of Status from H-1B to F-1

CLIENT: Filipina

LOCATION: California

Our client has been on H-1B status for many years and has worked as a data architect in the United States.

This year, she decided to pursue an advanced accounting proficiency program in the United States and got admission.

She contacted our office in mid-July of this year to change her status from H-1B to F-1.

On July 15, 2014 our firm was retained for the Change of Status. On July 25, 2014, we filed the I-539 Change of Status for our client with supporting documents including her I-20, SEVIS fee receipt, and recent pay stubs from her employer.

On September 8, 2014 the Change of Status was approved. Our client is now on F-1 and can start her accounting program soon.

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CASE: H-1B Extension
PETITIONER:  Engineering Company
BENEFICIARY: Taiwanese Radio Frequency / Electrical Engineer

Our client is an engineering company that specializes in RFID (Radio Frequency Identification Technology) solutions.  Our client’s office is located near Columbus, Ohio.  They contacted our office in mid-June to seek legal assistance from our office for their foreign employee’s H-1B Extension.  The beneficiary obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering in Taiwan and completed his Master’s program in the United States. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is a radio frequency / electrical engineer which we argued qualifies as a specialty occupation.  He has been working for the Petitioner for the last three years on a valid H-1B visa.

After retention, our office filed the H-1B visa petition with various supporting documents on July 8, 2014 via regular processing. Eventually, without any RFE, our client’s H-1B extension was approved on August 28, 2014. Now the Beneficiary can continue for the Petitioner on an H-1B status until September 28, 2017.

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CASE: H-1B Change of Employer

PETITIONER: Architectural Design Company

BENEFICIARY: Turkish Architect

LOCATION: New York, NY

Our client is an architectural design firm headquartered in New York City. They contacted our office in May 2014 to seek assistance from our office for their foreign employee. The beneficiary is from Turkey and he obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in architecture. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is an architect which we argued qualifies as a specialty occupation

The foreign beneficiary in this case already had his H-1B from his previous employer which was in a similar industry.  His H-1B status was not yet expired, and he wanted to extend his H-1B status on a change of employer basis.

After retention, our office promptly filed the H-1B visa petition with various supporting documents on May 20, 2014 via regular processing.  Since this petition was based on a change of employer, this petition was exempt from the annual cap of the H-1B.  Thus, we could file it even after the quotas are gone.  There were no Requests for Evidence during the processing of the H-1B.  Eventually, our client’s H-1B Petition was approved on August 25, 2014.  Now the Beneficiary can work for his Petitioner-Employer as an H-1B visa holder and he can work there for the next three years.

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CASE: H-1B Visa Petition

PETITIONER: IT Consulting Company in New Jersey

BENEFICIARY: Indian Systems Analyst in Japan

Our client is an IT Consulting Company located in New Jersey.  They contacted our office in the middle of February this year to seek legal assistance for possible H-1B petitions for prospective foreign employees.

The beneficiary obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering in India. The beneficiary is currently working in Japan. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is a Systems Analyst which we argued qualifies as a specialty occupation.

Upon retention, our office prepared and eventually filed the H-1B visa petition with various supporting documents on March 31, 2014 via regular processing. This H-1B petition was selected after the lottery.

However, the USCIS mailed a Request for Evidence to the Petitioner-Employer and requested Petitioner to submit additional evidence to establish that the proffered position to the beneficiary qualified as a “Specialty Occupation” on June 30, 2014, plus additional questions about the “in-house” nature of the employment.

We gathered supporting documents from both the Petitioner and Beneficiary and did research on the industry, focusing on similarly sized businesses, to demonstrate that a bachelor’s degree is commonly required for this position. We also provided in-house employment proof.

In the response brief, our office argued that the degree requirement is common to this industry in parallel positions among similar organizations.  We provided evidence that the position of Systems Analyst or Computer Systems Analyst is a common position required by similarly sized IT consulting company.  Also, we provided evidence that Petitioner’s competitors normally require degrees in a specific specialty for closely related positions like that of Systems Analyst.  Moreover, our office asserted that the nature of the specific duties is so specialized and complex that knowledge required to perform the duties is usually associated with the attainment of a baccalaureate or higher degree in a specific specialty. Other documents pertaining to an in-house project was also submitted.

Our office filed a detailed Response to RFE brief with many exhibits to the USCIS Vermont Service Center on August 6, 2014.  Eventually, our client’s H-1B application was approved on August 25, 2014. Now, the beneficiary can apply for an H-1B visa at the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, and upon the issuance of visa, he can work for the Petitioner from October 1, 2014 for three years.

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CASE: J-2 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement Post-Divorce

NATIONALITY: Vietnamese

LOCATION: Houston, Texas

Our client is a citizen of Vietnam who initially came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in December 2011. He came with his ex-wife who held a J-1 Visa as a visiting researcher. Both were subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement.

Unfortunately, their marriage did not work out and he eventually got divorced from his ex-wife. In June 2014, our client married his current U.S. citizen wife. She is willing to file an I-130 for our client, but our client cannot file an adjustment of status application without a waiver of the two-year foreign residency requirement.

He contacted our office, and our firm was retained for his J-2 waiver.  On June 18, 2014 the J-2 Waiver was filed to the Department of State. We also sent a request to the DOS to be an interested government agency and recommend this waiver based on the fact that our client was divorced from the J-1 visa holder.

On July 30, 2014, the DOS sent a recommendation to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) for our client to be granted a waiver. On August 25, 2014, the USCIS issued the I-612 waiver approval.

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CASE: J-1 Waiver (No Objection Statement)
NATIONALITY: Philippines
LOCATION: New Mexico

Our client came from the Philippines on a J-1 in July 2011 to work as a teacher. According to her DS-2019, she was subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement.

In June 2013, she got married to her U.S. citizen husband and later on consulted with our firm for her J-1 visa waiver prior to applying for adjustment of status. If someone is subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement, he or she cannot get a green card in the United States until he or she fulfills the requirement or obtains a waiver.

Upon retention, our office promptly prepared a waiver request through a No Objection Statement (NOS) from the Philippine Embassy in the United States and eventually the EVP in the Philippines.

On March 19, 2014, the J-1 Waiver Application (Form DS-3035) was filed to the Department of State.  We also sent a request to the New Mexico State Government to get authentication for the necessary documents.  Later, these authenticated documents and No Objection Application (for the Philippines Government) were sent to the Philippines Consulate General in Los Angeles for further authentication.  On May 1, 2014, our office sent our client’s materials to the Waiver Review Committee in Manila, Philippines.  Then, the Waiver Review Committee forwarded the materials and favorable recommendation to the Philippine Embassy in D.C. who eventually issued a No Objection Statement.

On July 21, 2014, the Waiver Review Division issued a favorable recommendation based on the No Objection statement.  Eventually, on August 19, 2014, the USCIS issued an I-612 approval notice for the waiver. Now, our client can file for her adjustment status application along with her U.S. Citizen husband’s I-130 petition for her.

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CASE: H-1B Visa Petition

PETITIONER: IT Consulting Company in New Jersey

BENEFICIARY: Indian Systems Analyst in India

Our client is an IT Consulting Company located in New Jersey.  They contacted our office in the middle of February this year to seek legal assistance for a possible H-1B petitions for prospective foreign employees.

The beneficiary obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in India. Beneficiary is currently residing at India. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is a Systems Analyst which we argued qualifies as a specialty occupation.

Upon retention, our office prepared and eventually filed the H-1B visa petition with various supporting documents on March 31, 2014 via regular processing. This H-1B petition was selected after the lottery.

However, the USCIS mailed a Request for Evidence to the Petitioner-Employer and requested Petitioner to submit additional evidence to establish that the proffered position to the beneficiary qualified as a “Specialty Occupation” on June 26, 2014. The USCIS requested the Petitioner to submit more evidence regarding whether similar businesses in the same industry require a degree or its equivalence for the proffered position.

The USCIS was skeptical and argued that the proffered “Systems Analyst” position in Petitioner’s business did not qualify as a “Specialty Occupation”. They mentioned that the law clearly states that an H-1B classification may be granted to an alien who will perform services in a specialty occupation which requires theoretical and practical application of a body of highly specialized knowledge and attainment of a baccalaureate or higher degree or its equivalent as a minimum requirement for entry into the occupation in the United States, and who is qualified to perform services in the specialty occupation because he has attained a baccalaureate or higher degree or its equivalent in the specialty occupation.

The main issue for the client’s H-1B application was whether the “Systems Analyst” position for this IT Consulting Company Petitioner required a bachelor’s degree or an equivalent to make this position a “specialty occupation.”

We gathered supporting documents from both the Petitioner and Beneficiary and did research on the industry, focusing on similarly sized businesses, to demonstrate that a bachelor’s degree is commonly required for this position.

In the response brief, our office argued that the degree requirement is common to this industry in parallel positions among similar organizations.  We provided evidence that the position of Systems Analyst or Computer Systems Analyst is a common position required by similarly sized IT consulting company.  Also, we provided evidence that Petitioner’s competitors normally require degrees in a specific specialty for closely related positions like that of Systems Analyst.  Moreover, our office asserted that the nature of the specific duties is so specialized and complex that knowledge required to perform the duties is usually associated with the attainment of a baccalaureate or higher degree in a specific specialty. Other documents pertaining to an in-house project was also submitted.

Our office filed a detailed Response to RFE brief with exhibits to the USCIS Vermont Service Center on July 23, 2014.  Eventually, our client’s H-1B application was approved on August 7, 2014. Now, the beneficiary can apply for an H-1B visa at the U.S. Embassy in India, and upon the issuance of visa, he can work for the Petitioner from October 1, 2014 for three years.

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CASE: J-2 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement / Over 21-year-old dependent child

NATIONALITY: Chinese

LOCATION: Atlanta, GA

Our client was a citizen of China who came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in July 2007.  She came with her father who came on a J-1 Visa for his research program in the United States. Both were subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement, meaning they had to go back to their home country for two-years before they can apply for permanent residency or some non-immigrant visa such as the H, L, and O visas.

After our client came to the United States, she completed her high school and was admitted to the University to pursue her bachelor’s degree. In July 2009, she went back to China and got her F-1 student visa at the U.S. Embassy in China and came back to the United States with her F-1 student visa.

She turned 21 in November 2011. She is now married to her Chinese citizen husband and her husband is a recipient of an approved I-526 petition (EB-5 immigrant visa). However, because of her two-year foreign residency requirement, our client could not apply for permanent residency.

Although J-2 dependents cannot independently apply for a waiver, in cases where a J-2 child reaches 21, the Waiver Review Division may consider requests for waivers on behalf of the J-2 dependent.  The Department of State’s policy allows for that process in instances where the J-2 dependent obtains a divorce form the J-1 principal, the J-1 principal dies, or in cases where the J-2 dependent turns 21, which is our client’s case. In fact, our client turned 21 in November 2011.

Our firm was retained to do her J-2 waiver on June 2, 2014. On June 10, 2014, the J-2 Waiver application (Form DS-3035 and supporting documents) was filed to the Department of State. We also sent a request to the DOS to be an interested government agency and recommend this waiver based on the fact that our client reached the age of 21 and was not a dependent of a J-1 visa holder anymore.  Eventually, on June 30, 2014 the DOS recommended to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that our client be granted a waiver.  On August 7, 2014, the USCIS issued an I-612 approval notice for our client’s waiver request.

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CASE: H-1B Visa Petition

PETITIONER: IT Consulting Company in New Jersey

BENEFICIARY: Indian Systems Analyst in India

Our client is an IT Consulting Company company located in New Jersey.  They contacted our office in the middle of February this year to seek legal assistance for a possible H-1B petition for their foreign employee.

The beneficiary obtained his Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in India. Beneficiary is currently residing at India. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is a Systems Analyst which we argued qualifies as a specialty occupation.

Upon retention, our office prepared and eventually filed the H-1B visa petition with various supporting documents on March 31, 2014 via regular processing. This H-1B petition was selected after the lottery.

Without any RFEs, our client’s H-1B petition was approved on July 22, 2014. Now, the beneficiary can apply for an H-1B visa at the U.S. Embassy in India, and upon the issuance of visa, he can work for the Petitioner from October 1, 2014 for three years.

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Case: I-130/I-485

Applicant/Beneficiary – Korean

Location: Dayton, OH

Our client entered the United States in January 2014 from South Korea under the visa waiver program. She came here to visit her U.S. citizen boyfriend (now her husband) for a couple months. As a Visa Waiver Entrant, she was only authorized to remain in the United States for 90 days.

Later, in February, our client and her U.S. citizen boyfriend married in the United States. Her husband contacted our office, and they retained us on March 21, 2014.

One main issue in her green card application through marriage was the fact that she came to the United States under the visa waiver program.   As our office wrote in our previous success story with a similar issue,  under the visa waiver program, citizens of certain countries can enter the U.S. for 90 days without a visa with the condition that the visitor waives his or her right to contest removal (other than on the basis of asylum).  The “no-contest” provision of the Visa Waiver Program is fundamental; if someone could enter under the VWP and then contest removability; it would defeat the whole purpose of the Program which is to make it easy for certain nationals to come to the United States to visit and then leave without all the red-tape involved in visa issuance.

Our office filed the I-130 Petition and I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on March 31, 2014.  Our office requested the CIS to exercise favorable discretion in granting adjustment of status and argued that the application was filed before her authorized period of stay expired. Everything went smoothly and the receipt notices, fingerprint appointment, and work permit all came on time. Prior to the interview, we thoroughly prepared our clients. On July 17, 2014, our client was interviewed at the Cincinnati, Ohio USCIS Field Office.  Attorney Sung Hee (Glen) Yu accompanied them at the interview as well.  Despite the visa waiver issue, on the same day of the interview, the USCIS approved her green card application.  Now, our client is a green card holder.

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