H1B renewal

[KSSh]

Hello,

 

I work for a University, so I have a cap-exempt H1B. I got my H1B approval very recently (mid Feb 2014). However, it is valid only for a year (till mid-February 2015). My employer has agreed to renew it for one more year. I haven't left the country since the approval, so I haven't gotten the visa stamped yet. I wanted to know-

 

1. Do I need to have the visa actually stamped in my passport, before this renewal?

2. When is the earliest we can apply for an H1b renewal, if my current one is expiring February 2015?

3. How long do renewals roughly take? Is it as long a process as a first time H1b application? Do we have to do the LCA etc. again?

 

Thanks in advance.

[jairichi]

Hello,

 

I work for a University, so I have a cap-exempt H1B. I got my H1B approval very recently (mid Feb 2014). However, it is valid only for a year (till mid-February 2015). My employer has agreed to renew it for one more year. I haven't left the country since the approval, so I haven't gotten the visa stamped yet. I wanted to know-

 

1. Do I need to have the visa actually stamped in my passport, before this renewal?

2. When is the earliest we can apply for an H1b renewal, if my current one is expiring February 2015?

3. How long do renewals roughly take? Is it as long a process as a first time H1b application? Do we have to do the LCA etc. again?

 

Thanks in advance.

1. No.

2. Employer cannot file a H1B extension not more than 6 months from expiry date.

3. Currently 3 to 4 months by regular processing and 15 calendar days by premium processing. The process is the same as initial H1B. Check the validity of your LCA and that will tell you whether LCA has to be filed again.