xTDx

Change of status application should have been filed with H1b application. If that was not done, then she can leave and get a h1b stamp to come back under h1b.

Your best and quickest path would be to request your employer to issue you an i140 approval copy or the receipt number to say the least. If you are filing FOIA as an alternative, make sure you do it the right way, in other words, get help of professional attorneys who deals with FOIS requests. USCIS has sent empty letters in the past for a lot of legit i140 requests.

I think OP is worried about disclosing it to their employer. IMHO , you should disclose it to your employer. Also curious question : did you ever answer with a YES to the arrest/conviction question on ds160 ?

Your best bet would be to hire a professional and get your case reviewed for an optimal strategy. As said above EAD path might work. It may be a one way street though.

Focus on the mail and reasons specified in mail. Not a bad idea to get your case reviewed by a US immigration lawyer. They can review and suggest if it even makes sense to reapply.

No, DS160 doesn't ask about petition denial history.

It is of paramount importance that you hire professional immigration attorneys who can work with your criminal attorneys and work out the best possible strategy for your case. I will not say anything else. This is the best suggestion that I can offer.

Verbal visa approval is positive but by no means a final approval. This is quite the norm these days. The visa is not actually approved until you have it stamped on your passport. A verbal approval doesn't mean much. An email approval means little and a stamp in the passport means what exactly it is suppose to mean.

Another thing to consider is that you will probably not get another F1 based on documents issued by Cumberlands. And yes, CBP can deny your entry as well (If they have credible evidence against the Cumberlands). A simple google search tells a lotta bad things about this university. IMHO , you should not travel if you are planning to come back while your associations with Cumberlands are current.

Yes you can go to canada. However , it is suggested to get it done in your home country or where you can stay for a longer time in case 221g is issued to you.

Contact and work with competent immigration attorney for the review of your case and for an optimal strategy.

Read my answer above.

Dates keep opening randomly. There is no short way to find it without paying and trying to schedule an appointment. Asking for appointment dates without paying fee and actually trying to schedule one is pure useless. If you are not able to get one , then keep trying and you should be able to get one in next week or so. This is what I tell everyone . Pay fee and try to schedule.

Talk to your new employers attorneys and ask for their help. You can also request your current employer to share i797 copy as they have to share it by law. You can show them what they are doing is illegal and stand up for it. They are most probably trying to play ball and want you to sign the worthless contract which may or may not even legal binding. Again, start working with attorneys with this matter, you will not have any clear path here.

For US visa, you only need 1 full blank page for the visa stamp . US doesn't care about any space for the port of entry stamp . They will stamp the class of admission and validity anywhere they find space and if no space is there, they will stamp on top of other old stamps. So I would say you should have 1 for the visa foil. Some countries want you to have 2 full pages for port of entry stamps but US do not care about it.