JoeF

DOL is still funded.

I think image processing qualifies as part of Computer Science. I have taken image processing classes way back as undergrad in CS (most CS peoples' eyes glazed over when they had to learn Fourier transforms...) Python is just a programming language, and in CS you are supposed to pick up any language with ease. Python is just popular among data scientists because of all the libraries. Just like Fortran was the go-to language for image processing in my undergrad days. At my current employer, the data scientists continue to use Python while we SW Engineers are getting away from it and towards functional programming languages like Scala. AWS is also just one cloud deployment option. Customers may ask your company to deploy on Google Cloud or Azure. Being tied to one particular implementation is never a good thing. Learn how the other cloud systems work (they are similar.) And nowadays, companies don't use raw cloud much. Things like Kubernetes run everywhere. Sorry to people not in the field if this just sounded like gibberish 😉 This is my daily life as Software Engineer 😉

That is illegal. You have to stop doing this immediately.

Again, you would have to be abroad for at least a year before a new H1 in the quota is FILED. Any H1 filed before you ha e been abroad for a year would just be for 1 year.

That H1 is gone. And providing documents that were not valid anymore could result in fraud charges. For the H1, the project has to exist until the H1 starts.

It is pretty much impossible to do a PhD part time. The PhD takes your full attention, 24/7.

DOL is funded. They are not affected by the shutdown (yet.)

You have to be outside the US for at least a year before a new H1 petition can be FILED. And btw, that has been answered here at least a thousand times. You could have found the answer just by searching on this forum.

The marketplace is pretty much the only option. This should have been discussed with the parents before going on the GC path.

First, you need to get paid, even on bench. Second, if they end your employment they ha e to offer you a ticket to you home country if you wish to go back. Third, on H1 you can't claim unemployment benefits. For unemployment benefits you have to be willing and able to do any work. Since you are on H1 the second requirement isn't fulfilled. You have 60 days or until the I-94 expiration, whichever is shorter, to find a new employer. Avoid consulting companies.

If your mother is ill why do you want to expose her to the stress of long travel? Applicants for a visitor visa have to convince the officer that they have strong ties to their home country and will return there.

At this point, DOL is still funded, and USCIS is funded through user fees. So they are not affected by the shutdown yet.

You would have to check your employment contracts. Usually, companies require approval for work on the side. Part of that is to avoid conflicts of interest, e.g. working for a competitor.

It is all in the law. 8 CFR 214.2(h) You can also ask a lawyer.

A visa has nothing to do with the lottery. You seem to be confusing an H1 petition with a visa. You just use your current H1 petition to apply for a visa, just like you did before, when you were a citizen of India.