H1 Consular processing Vs H1 COS

[Krishna333]

Hi - I am currently on L1 Visa in US and its valid till August 2012. My Company is willing to apply for the H1 Visa.

Can I apply for H1 Visa via consular processing now and take a vacation during the month of June and once i come back to US can i apply for H1 COS avoiding the stamping ?

Note : Taking the vacation to ensure that i recapture my L1 visa time till october.

[JoeF]

The H1 can only start on Oct. 1. So, you would have to leave when your L1 expires, and you can only come back when the H1 starts.

[mrranjith]

Hi,

If its possible you could apply for L1 extension in Jul/Aug - 2012 and continue staying here. And parallelly apply for H1 in Aug-2012 in normal processing. If everything goes well then you could get the H1 in Sep/Oct and i believe you could start working in H1 visa.

Please plan and check with others too.

Thanks.