Change of status from F1 to H4


SoumyaH

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Hi,

I am currently on F-1 OPT working full time and my OPT expires on May 31st. Prior to F1 I was on H4 visa which is already expired.

I applied for H-1 this year and still waiting for results. With majority of the decisions revealed, i no longer hope about H-1. 

I am planning to go to Canada to get my H4 stamping done and apply for H4-EAD after coming back.

With regards to the above case, I have a few queries: 

1. Can I go to Canada for H4 stamping or going  to home country(India) is mandatory?

2. What visa do I need to travel to Canada for stamping?, Visitor visa?

3. If my H4 visa is rejected in Canada, can I re-enter US (as I have 60 days grace period to exit US after OPT expiration)?

Thanks

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1 hour ago, SoumyaH said:

Hi,

I am currently on F-1 OPT working full time and my OPT expires on May 31st. Prior to F1 I was on H4 visa which is already expired.

I applied for H-1 this year and still waiting for results. With majority of the decisions revealed, i no longer hope about H-1. 

I am planning to go to Canada to get my H4 stamping done and apply for H4-EAD after coming back.

With regards to the above case, I have a few queries: 

1. Can I go to Canada for H4 stamping or going  to home country(India) is mandatory?

2. What visa do I need to travel to Canada for stamping?, Visitor visa?

3. If my H4 visa is rejected in Canada, can I re-enter US (as I have 60 days grace period to exit US after OPT expiration)?

Thanks

1. Yes you can.

2. Visitor visa.

3. Yes, if you already have a F-1 visa stamp.

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Thank you Shekar for your response.

If I apply for COS from F1 to H4 within US and don't get approval by USCIS within 60 days of my grace period, should I exit the country or can I stay here? Because the processing time varies for each application.

Thanks,

Soumya

 

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Once you have the receipt on hand you can stay till the decision.

But You should plan to visit home and return with the H4 visa. The only determinant is the credibility of his H1 status. If that is not at issue even Canada is possible. This way you are not held hostage to the enormous induced delays seen nowadays.

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Thank you for the response.

Can you please let me know what documents are required to convert F1 to H4 within USA and also the H4 EAD document list.

I'm planning to concurrently file both H4 and H4 EAD in US itself however I could not find a reliable source for the list of documents required for this process.

Appreciate your help on this.

Thanks,

Soumya

 

 

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