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

NATIONALITY: Russian

LOCATION: Virginia

Our client is a citizen of Russia who initially came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in February 1995. 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. Later, both of them started to work at International Governmental Organizations in the United States under G-4 visas. However, they were still subject to the two-year foreign residency requirement.

Unfortunately, their marriage did not work out and he eventually got divorced from his ex-wife. He remained in the United States and has continuously worked for his employer under a G-4 visa.

In September 2011, our client married his U.S. citizen wife. She wanted to file an I-130 petition for him, but he could not file for adjustment of status because of the two-year foreign residency requirement.

He contacted our office, and our firm was retained to do his J-2 waiver on February 12, 2014.

On February 19, 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 March 17, 2014, the DOS sent a recommendation to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) for our client be granted a waiver. On April 1, 2014, the USCIS issued the I-612 waiver approval.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: J-1 Waiver of the Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement, No Objection Statement

 NATIONALITY: Burmese

 LOCATION: East Lansing, MI

Our client came to the U.S. on a J-1 Visa in September 2012 from Myanmar.  She came to the U.S. for her research program, and her J-1 visa made her subject to the two-year foreign resident requirement.

In June 2013, our client married her U.S. Citizen husband and she wanted to apply for permanent residency. However, due to the two-year foreign residency requirement, she had to obtain a waiver first.

After she retained our firm, we prepared and filed a waiver request through a No Objection Statement (NOS) from the Myanmar Embassy in the United States.  Our office contacted the Embassy in Washington D.C. to make sure we knew all the requirements needed for their office to issue a no objection statement.  The Embassy requested seven different documents including a statement of reason for the waiver, the applicant’s resume, a copy of her valid Myanmar passport, a copy of her marriage certificate and a copy of Form DS-3035.

On November 27, 2013 the J-1 Waiver (Form DS-3035) Application was filed to the Department of State.  We also sent a request to the Myanmar Embassy to issue a No Objection Statement and recommend this waiver based on the fact that our client would have been eligible to file a marriage based adjustment of status application but for the waiver.

The Myanmar Embassy eventually issued a No Objection Statement for our client, and sent this letter to the State Department’s Waiver Review Division.  On February 27, 2014, the Waiver Review Division issued a favorable recommendation based on the No Objection statement. The CIS then issued a receipt and an I-612 approval notice on March 6, 2014.  Now that our client’s two-year foreign residency requirement is waived, she can file an adjustment of status application with her husband’s I-130 petition.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: Adjustment of Status Based on Approved K-1 Visa

CLIENT: Filipino

LOCATION: Dallas, TX

Our client came to the United States in November 2012 as a K-1 visa entrant from the Philippines.  Our client is the beneficiary of an approved I-129F petition. He came to the United States as a K-1 Fiancé of a U.S. Citizen whom he married within 90 days of his entry. By law, if you married your petitioner-fiancé within 90 days of your K-1 visa entry, you are eligible to apply for adjustment of status (green card) in the United States.

Our client contacted our office initially in the middle of February 2013 and consulted with us for his adjustment of status application. After retention, our firm quickly prepared and filed the I-485 Adjustment of Status Application on March 11, 2013.  Things went smoothly and the receipt notices, and the fingerprint appointment all came on time.

It is not mandatory to have an adjustment of status interview for an applicant who entered on a K-1 visa.  However, the USCIS may require an interview to test the validity and bona fide nature of the marriage between the Petitioner and Beneficiary. The USCIS did not require an adjustment interview for our client.  On February 19, 2014, his green card application was approved.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: H-1B Change of Employer (Cap Exempt to Non Cap Exempt)

PETITIONER: Industrial Material Company

BENEFICIARY: Chinese Industrial Material Research Scientist

LOCATION: Ohio

Our client is an industrial material company focused on the production and commercialization of high-performance / non-immunogenic biomaterials for use in the medial and consumer healthcare arenas. They are located in Wooster, Ohio. They contacted our office in early January 2014 to seek legal assistance from our office for their foreign employee. The beneficiary is from China and he obtained his Master’s degree in Plant Pathology in the United States. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is an industrial material research scientist which qualifies as a specialty occupation. This proffered position is clearly a “specialty occupation” because the minimum requirement for this position is a Bachelor’s Degree in Science/Engineering or its equivalent.

The foreign beneficiary in this case already had his H-1B visa from his previous employer.  However, his H-1B visa was not yet expired, and he wanted to extend his H-1B status on a change of employer basis. His H-1B at that time was with his first petitioner, which was a cap-exempt organization – a university.

There were articles online noting that when a change of employer is done from a cap-exempt organization to a non cap-exempt organization, that the change of employer may be subject to the cap. But there was no specific law on that. We simply based the application on the fact that it was a change of employer, and thus the petition should be exempted from the annual cap of the H-1B.

Once retained, our office filed the H-1B visa petition with various supporting documents on January 29, 2014 via regular processing.  Since this petition was based on a change of employer, we argued that this petition was exempt from the annual cap of the H-1B.  Thus, we could file prior to April 1.

There were no Requests for Evidence during the processing of the H-1B.  Our client did not even want to do premium processing. But in approximately two weeks, our client’s H-1B Petition was approved on February 14, 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.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: H-1B Change of Employer

PETITIONER: Fashion Retailer Company

BENEFICIARY: Filipina Textile Product Designer

LOCATION: New York, NY

Our client is a nationwide fashion retailer headquartered in New York City. They contacted our office in late September 2013 to seek assistance from our office for their foreign employee. The beneficiary is from the Philippines and she obtained her Bachelor’s degree in fashion design and marketing. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is textile product developer/designer which we argued qualifies as a specialty occupation

The foreign beneficiary in this case already had her H-1B from her previous employer which was in a similar industry.  Her H-1B status was not yet expired, and she wanted to extend her 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 November 5, 2013 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 prior to April 1, 2014.  There were no Requests for Evidence during the processing of the H-1B.  Eventually, our client’s H-1B Petition was approved on February 13, 2014.  Now the Beneficiary can work for her Petitioner-Employer as an H-1B visa holder and she can work there for the next three years.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: J2 Waiver of Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement / Over 21-year-old dependent child

NATIONALITY: Chinese

LOCATION: Seattle, WA

Our client was a citizen of China (now, he is a naturalized Canadian Citizen) who came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa in 1997.  He came with his 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, he finished high-school as a J-2 visa holder. In 2000, he went to Canada and stayed there as a Canadian Permanent Resident. Later, he pursued his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Canada and became a naturalized Canadian Citizen. In 2007, he came back to the U.S. as a TN visa holder to work for Microsoft in Seattle, Washington.  Currently, he is working for Microsoft on a TN visa, but he would like to apply for a J-2 waiver so that he would not have any problems for his future change of status in the United States when his employer files an I-129 petition for him this year.

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. Our client turned 21 in June 2002.

Our firm was retained to do his J-2 waiver on December 4, 2013. On December 19, 2013, 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 February 3, 2014 the DOS recommended to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that our client be granted a waiver.  On February 7, 2014, the USCIS issued an I-612 approval notice for our client’s waiver request.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: J-1 Waiver of the Two-Year Foreign Residency Requirement, No Objection Statement

 NATIONALITY: Thai

 LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA

Our Thai client came to the U.S. on a J-1 Visa in May 2009.  She came to the U.S. for business internship training, and her J-1 visa made her subject to the two-year foreign resident requirement.  In June 2012, our client married his U.S. Citizen husband and she wanted to apply for permanent residency. However, due to the two-year foreign residency requirement, she had to obtain a waiver first.

After she retained our firm, we prepared and filed a waiver request through a No Objection Statement (NOS) from the Thai Embassy in the United States.  Our office contacted the Thai Embassy in Washington D.C. to make sure we knew all the requirements needed for their office to issue a no objection statement.  The Embassy requested several different documents including a statement of reason for the waiver, a notarized copy of the marriage certificate, a notarized copy of his US citizen husband’s US passport Biographic Page, a notarized copy of her valid Thai passport, and a copy of Form DS-3035.

On September 20, 2013 the J-1 Waiver (Form DS-3035) Application was filed to the Department of State.  We also sent a request to the Thai Embassy to issue a No Objection Statement and recommend this waiver based on the fact that our client would have been eligible to file a marriage based adjustment of status application but for the waiver.

The Thai Embassy eventually issued a No Objection Statement for our client, and sent this letter to the State Department’s Waiver Review Division.  On February 3, 2014, the Waiver Review Division issued a favorable recommendation based on the No Objection statement. The CIS then issued a receipt and an I-612 approval notice on February 7, 2014.  Now that our client’s two-year foreign residency requirement is waived, she can file an adjustment of status application with her husband’s I-130 petition.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: H1B Extension

PETITIONER: Pump Manufacturing Company

BENEFICIARY: Kenyan Sales Manager

LOCATION: West Virginia

Our client is a Sales Manager from Kenya who currently works at a hydraulic pumps and motors manufacturing company in West Virginia on a valid H-1B visa. His H-1B status was about to expire in September 2013.  Our client sought legal assistance from us for his H-1B 3-year extension and retained our office on September 18, 2013.

Once we were retained, our office prepared her H-1B extension application.  The Labor Condition Application was filed and approved and eventually our office filed the H-1B extension application on September 26, 2013 to the USCIS Vermont Service Center. There was no Request for Evidence with the filing and the Petitioner did not opt for premium processing. The case was approved on February 4, 2014. The H-1B is good from October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2016.

{ 0 comments }

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

NATIONALITY: Chinese

LOCATION: Philadelphia, PA

Our client is a citizen of China who came to the U.S. on a J-2 Visa.  She came with his 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 finished high-school as a J-2 visa holder and later pursued her Bachelor’s degree. Prior to the commencement of her Bachelor’s program, our client changed his status from J-2 to F-1 through the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China. Currently, she is working for her employer under an OPT,  but she would like to apply for a J-2 waiver so that she would not have any problem for her future change of status in the United States when her prospective employer files an I-129 petition for her in 2014.

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 October 24, 2013. On November 1, 2013, 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 December 5, 2013 the DOS recommended to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) that our client be granted a waiver.  On January 29, 2014, the USCIS issued an I-612 approval notice for our client’s waiver request.

{ 0 comments }

CASE: H-1B Change of Employer

PETITIONER: Advertising Media Company

BENEFICIARY: Albanian Graphic Designer

LOCATION: Nevada

Our client is an advertising media company in Nevada. They contacted our office in early November 2013 to seek legal assistance for their foreign employee. The beneficiary is from Albania and obtained her Bachelor’s degree in graphic design. The proffered position for the Beneficiary is a graphic designer which we argued qualifies as a specialty occupation.

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

After retention, our office filed the H-1B change of employer with various supporting documents on November 26, 2013 via regular processing service.  Since this petition was based on a change in employer, this petition was exempted from the annual cap of the H-1B.  Thus, we could file prior to April 1.  There were no Requests for Evidence during the processing of the H-1B.  Eventually, our client’s H-1B Petition was approved on January 21, 2014.  Now the Beneficiary can work for her Petitioner-Employer as an H-1B visa holder and she can work there for the next three years.

{ 0 comments }