Extending H-1B Status Beyond Six Years As it Relates to Timely Filing for Permanent Residence
Immigration Law Associates, P.C receives many inquiries from
foreign nationals in H-1B status regarding the best route to permanent
residence. A most important point in
this regard is that H-1B nonimmigrants must timely file their permanent
residence documents, or lose the substantial advantages of the H-1B category:
dual-intent and year-by-year extension past the maximum 6-year stay.
An H-1B visa petition is normally approved for three years,
and is renewable for another three.
However, the status may be extended beyond the sixth year in one-year
increments under certain conditions - all of them in cases where qualifying documentation
has been pending 365 days or more as of the date of the filing of the H-1B
extension request. There are two such
types of documentation:
* A labor
certification application (Form ETA-9089) filed in support of an
employment-based permanent residence case.
The labor certification application itself may have been pending for 365
days, or it may have been approved, and the time since filing has amounted to
365 days or more. If it has been approved, it may be awaiting filing with the
immigrant visa petition(I-140); or it must already have been filed with the
immigrant visa petition(I-140) within an approved labor certification's
validity period i.e. 180 days. It must not be revoked or expired.
* A pending
employment-based immigrant petition (I-140) filed more than 365 days before the
filing date of the H-1B extension request.
H-1B status may be extended three years beyond the maximum
six year stay if the H-1B visa holder is also the beneficiary of an approved
employment-based immigrant petition (I-140) who cannot file for adjustment of
status (I-485) due to retrogression.
A foreign national in
H-1B status who wants to preserve as many options as he or she can must
therefore file a permanent residence case prior to 365 days before the
expiration of the sixth year in H-1B status, which means he or she must begin
preparing the case well in advance.
In our office, we see many examples of individuals who would
have benefited by consulting us much sooner than they did. Especially in light of recent adjudication
trends, it can take time to build an approvable permanent residence case, so an
individual who comes to us with weak evidence right before the
extension-eligible deadline has diminished his or her chances of case
approval. The situation is even worse
when such an individual has missed the deadline; if the case is denied he or
she has no underlying H-1B status to fall back on and must leave the country
immediately upon denial.
We recommend any H-1B
visa holder, or any organization with H-1B employees, consult us in the second
year of H-1B employment if filing for permanent residence is contemplated. This will preserve the individual's options
regarding the timing of a permanent residence case, give employee and employer
maximum time to structure an approvable case, and ensure that in case of
denial, the foreign national is best prepared.
Immigration Law
Associates, P.C. has been preparing employment-based permanent residence cases
for almost twenty years. We handle PERMcases, employer-filed cases not requiring
labor certification, and foreign national self-petitions. To identify your best
option for gaining permanent residence or for sponsoring an employee for
permanent residence, schedule a consultation.
Call us at (847)763-8500 or e-mail ewalder@immig-chicago.com.