Married One Month After Coming to U. S. and Want to File for Her Immigration (I am USC) – Did We Marry Too Soon?
I am a U. S. citizen and invited my girlfriend from Hong Kong to come to the U. S., and she entered under a B-2 visiting visa 2 months ago. We got married last month and were about to put in papers for her immigration and someone told me that we might be in trouble because we married too quickly after she came in. Is that true? What can we do?
Mr. Lee Answers,
Current policy guidelines are that persons coming to the U. S. who take an action within 90 days of entry inconsistent with their stated purpose for coming to the U. S. are presumed to have made a misrepresentation of intent at the time of entry. In your case, you can solve your situation by filing the I-130 petition for alien relative for your wife and having her leave the U. S. and undergo consular processing once the I-130 petition is approved by U.S.C.I.S. The other route of filing for adjustment of status without leaving could bring on the consequence of U.S.C.I.S. questioning her intent at the time of coming into the country when you are both interviewed. I note that there is a recognized immigration decision that a preconceived intent should not count in an immediate relative case (immediate relatives are the spouses, parents, and children under the age of 21 and unmarried of U. S. citizens), but the question is whether an immigration officer at the time of your wife’s interview would be aware of the decision or believe that all the facts apply to your wife’s case. In the event that your wife is deemed to have committed fraud or misrepresentation, she could file an I-601 application to waive the ground of inadmissibility and the standard would be whether you would suffer extreme hardship if the waiver is not approved.
2. Laid Off on H-1B, Do I Have to Leave Now? Do I Have Any Time to Find Another Job?
I received my H-1B in October and had been working with my employer until the end of October at which time I was laid off. It has now been 33 days since I was let go. I have been trying to find other jobs, but it is not easy, especially around the end of the year. Can you tell me how much time I can stay here to find another H-1B job without leaving the country or trying to change my status?
Mr. Lee Answers,
You are allowed to remain 60 days after the last day of employment with your employer. During that time, you are considered in legal status for all purposes except for work and leaving the country. Please note that once you find a new position, your new employer will need approximately 2 weeks to file for an H-1B transfer petition (with a good legal representative) as it must first go through a labor condition application (LCA) with the Department of Labor prior to submitting your new H-1B to U.S.C.I.S. Good luck!
3. On H-1B, I-140 Just Approved, Priority Date Far Away, Want to Change Employers, Currently Applying For Extension
I am being sponsored by my present company and my I-140 petition was just approved 8 months after my labor certification was issued. I am from China and have a priority date in February 2017 under the EB-3 category. My 6 years of H-1B status will end in March, and we just filed for an extension. I am thinking of changing jobs to another company with better conditions, but wonder what risks I have and how much trouble this will be.
Mr. Lee Answers,
Unless there is fraud or misrepresentation, revocation or invalidation of the labor certification, or mistake on the part of U.S.C.I.S. in the I-140 adjudication, you will be allowed to keep the priority date. If the business does not fail or the employer revoke the petition within 180 days, the I-140 will stand for purposes of allowing you to extend your H-1B status until your priority date is current. Your new employer in that case would still have to file for a new labor certification and I-140. In changing over to a new employer, you and your new company will have to decide whether to put you on board during the time of the pendency of the transfer or have you remain with your original employer until the H-1B adjudication is done. Unfortunately at this time, there is still a suspension on premium processing for your type of anticipated filing, which is expected to last until February 2019. There is a risk that if you move over to the new employer without a new approval, a denial would place you out of status, and you might be forced to seek consular processing of any further approved petition. You should also be aware that remaining in the U. S. for over 180 days after receiving a denial from U.S.C.I.S. would subject you to a 3 year bar on returning to the U. S. if you had to leave.
4. Friend Who Filed Political Asylum Based on Persecution Under China Family-Planning Policy Just Denied – Why If He Has a Good Case?
I have a friend who has applied for political asylum and was just denied. Could you tell me why because he will not tell me and I am very concerned. He is a good man. In China, he was a doctor who was very conscientious. He worked in a clinic where he did abortions, but he tried to be as kind to the women as he could be, and in 2 instances even managed to help the women escape who did not want the abortions. In fact, he got into trouble in China because it was found out that he helped one escape for which he was dismissed. He has much evidence and documentation of the above that he gave to U.S.C.I.S.
Mr. Lee Answers,
Unfortunately it sounds as if your friend was labeled a persecutor by the U. S. government if he told his story in the way that you have just described. The family planning policy in China has consisted of coerced abortions and sterilizations, and people who prove that they have been the victims of such have a legitimate ground for political asylum. At the same time, those who assisted in the implementation of the coercive population control policy are considered persecutors who are ineligible for asylum and subject to removal from the United States. The fact that your friend helped out in 2 instances would not excuse his participation in a program of persecution in the eyes of the U. S.