1. I Wish to Give Up My Green Card As I Have Not Been Successful. What Effect Will That Have On My Family That Wants to Stay Here And How Do I Do It?
I and my family immigrated to this country in 2015. As an artist, I have not been successful here, and want to return to my home country. My 2 questions are how can I give up my green card and what effect will that have on my wife and child who want to stay in the U. S.
Mr. Lee Answers:
There are 2 ways to cancel the green card through the filing of form I-407 Record of Abandonment of Lawful Permanent Resident Status – 1.) Submitting the form in person or by mail to a U.S.C.I.S. international field office in your home country, or mailing the form to the nearest U.S.C.I.S. international field office where there is not an office in your home country; or 2.) submitting the form to Customs and Border Protection at a U. S. port of entry. In rare circumstances, the U. S. Embassy or Consulate without a U.S.C.I.S. international field office in the country may allow the submission of the form in person if you need immediate proof that you have abandon your lawful permanent resident status. Addresses of international field offices and ports of entry are in the form I-407 instructions on where to file. On your family, they should feel no adverse effects if you abandon residence at this time as you have already held it for 3-4 years. U.S.C.I.S. is more concerned with principal aliens and their families in which the principal alien fails to stay in the U. S. for any appreciable period of time before taking steps to abandon the green card.
2. Having Difficulty Changing Schools on F-1 Visa – What To Do?
I just entered the U. S. to go to a good college for which I got a five-year F-1 visa, but I am uncomfortable and want to change schools. However, the school that I am really interested in has a policy that it will not transfer in someone who just came in to start with another school. It tells me that I must go back to China and ask the first school to terminate the school’s I-20 form first. What can I do?
Mr. Lee Answers:
I do not know what your desired school will finally accept, but perhaps they would be satisfied with giving you an I-20 for you to use outside the United States. Then because the five-year visa is still valid (even though with another school), you should be able to reenter the U. S. by showing the new I-20 and valid passport to Customs and Border Protection (CBP). If CBP disagrees, it could still allow you to file a form I-193 application for waiver of passport and/or visa in its discretion.
3. CBP Gave Me a Short Stay When I Reentered on H-1B Even Though I Have a New Visa. Why?
I had my H-1B status extended to 2021, and went home and got a new visa at the consulate that starts on March 25, 2019. The current H-1B visa expires on March 24, 2019, which was the ending date of my first H-1B petition. I came back to the U. S. from vacation on February 25, 2019, and the CBP officer at the airport only gave me the time to stay until April 3, 2019, which he said included the 10 day grace period after the expiring of the visa on March 24. How can I straighten out my situation?
Mr. Lee Answers:
An H-1B visa holder generally cannot enter into the country on an H-1B visa more than 10 days before the start date on the petition. When you entered the U. S., neither the visa nor the petition beginning on March 25, 2019, was within the 10 day striking range. Therefore the CBP officer probably believed that you could only enter on the basis of the present visa and petition which ended on March 24, 2019, and that he or she was only allowed to give you that period of time plus the 10 day grace period. It seems a dubious reading of the law where the new approved petition is connected in date with the one that is expiring. A visa is usable for entry, but does not dictate the period of time that someone is allowed to stay in the country. I suggest that you communicate with CBP immediately at any international airport in the U. S. to attempt to have your situation straightened out. If CBP refuses to assist, you should book a flight outside the United States and reenter using the new visa and petition which are now within the 10 day range. You should ensure that you will be passing through a port of entry in which CBP will actually inspect you rather than just waving you through. In the latter case, there might not be a record of your reentry.
4. On H-1B Visa With Company A, Transfer Applied for by Company B, But Want to be With Company C – How Can I Solve This?
I am presently with company A, got a better job offer from company B which sent in H-1B transfer filing 4 months ago and is pending a response on U.S.C.I.S. Request for Evidence, and now have a better job offer from company C which is also willing to do a transfer petition for me. What should I do at this point?
Mr. Lee Answers:
As you are still with company A, there is no impediment to company C putting in an H-1B transfer petition for you at this time. The new petition would include proof of your continuing pay with company A to show that you are still maintaining your present status. The question is whether you are stuck in your mind on working only for company C or whether you are willing to work for company B if its petition is approved instead of that of company C. If you are set against working for company B in any circumstance, you should ask the company to withdraw its petition now. On the other hand, if you are still entertaining thoughts of perhaps working for company B, you could have the company continue its petition and see whether it can be approved. If it is approved prior to the approval of company C’s petition, the company C approval would supersede it automatically, but you should also have company B withdraw the petition unless you are also planning to work for company B. If the situation arises in which the company C approval comes in prior to any final action on that of company B’s, you should have company B immediately withdraw the petition to avoid any adverse effects upon your ability to work for company C.