Hi Anil,
How much is the time period required for regular transfer now.
Also I have an Approved H1b since 2017, but I haven’t used it ( I left US) before oct1st. Does the time period if stayed outside US count? Or I still have full 5years on it.
Kindly comment on the new rule of reducing validity period of H visa for Pakistan. Is it for new cases only? How would it effect my case. Thank you
Yes, the news of reducing H1B visa validity to 12 months was announced by US embassy in Islamabad on Mar 6, 2019.
US embassy has also increased the visa application fees:
The ADDITIONAL fees will be:
I Visas $32
H, L, R Visas $38
Yes, you can apply either H1B extension or h1B transfer to claim your leftover 5 years from approved H1B application.
Current H1B processing time depends on the USCIS service center that’s processing your case.
You can check the current H1B processing time here:
https://www.am22tech.com/uscis/current-h1b-processing-times/
But if the validity has been reduced. Would they cancel the remaining 5years on my h1b?
Visa and H1B petition validity are two different things.
H1B visa stamp is the one that is given to you by US embassy to enter USA. Only the visa stamp’s validity has been reduced to 12 months.
Once you are in USA, you can still use your full 5 years remaining validity period.
Thank you, this was really helpful.
Also I do have one more follow up question.
My h1b got accepted in 2017 but I left US before 1st October.
The validity period is for 3years on i797 (till 2020), after that your normally apply for three years extention I believe.
My question is, has my time for h1b already started and validity would end in 2020, do I need to get a job and get back in US before that, or does the time starts when you actually start working on h1b (in that case I would still have full 6years even in 2020).
Thank you.
The 6 year quota timer starts when you start using your H1B.
My suggestion is to use it at-least once before current 3 year approval expires in 2020.