Saiman Shetty’s Post

Exciting news for Indian tech professionals! The US State Department will launch the H1B visa renewal pilot program for domestic visa renewal in December! This announcement was officially made during the visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United States in June 2023. According to this program, visa issuance is initially limited to 20,000 people, with plans for extension as well. You can expect the official federal register notice stating the eligibility for this H1B pilot program within a few weeks. Currently, H-1B visa holders face the challenge of renewing their visa by traveling to their home country, scheduling an appointment, and obtaining the renewal stamp. The pandemic significantly increased wait times, making it a two-year wait for an appointment. This situation prevented visits to the home country and hindered return to the U.S. Thankfully, there is now a glimmer of hope. Wondering how it works? If you are eligible for this program, you should send your passport to the US State Department. They will print the visa, attach it to the passport, and send it back to you. Once this program is initiated, your visa application wait time will be reduced, and there will be no need to travel to another country for renewal. Here's more good news! The US State Department is also planning to extend this pilot program to other work visa categories in 2024. #H1b #USvisa #eb1a #smartgreencard --------------------------------------------------------- Hi folks, I am Saiman Shetty, the founder of the Smart Green Card program. Our mission is to support you in securing an EB1A green card by assisting you in collecting robust evidence to meet the EB1A criteria and ensuring your successful completion of the final merits determination phase. Follow me for EB1A updates and helpful EB1A strategies.

The August 2024 Visa Bulletin is out. Are you concerned about visa retrogressions? No need to worry! It brings positive updates for Indian applicants. 1️⃣ EB1 Category: The EB1 or EB1A final action date for India remains February 1, 2022. 2️⃣ EB2 Category: For EB2, the final action date for India has moved by one month to July 15, 2012. 3️⃣ EB3 Category: Last month's Visa Bulletin hinted at potential worldwide retrogression in August 2024, but nothing of the sort has occurred. The EB3 final action date for India has moved by one month to October 22, 2012. It is important to note that you must use only the final action dates chart in the August 2024 Visa Bulletin. Currently, the wait time for EB1A is just 2 years, even as the fiscal year ends in September, a time when dates typically move backward. Make an informed decision about your Green Card option to secure a bright future for you and your family! #AugustVisaBulletin2024 #VisaBulletin

October Visa Bulletin The Visa Bulletin for October was released on Friday. It appears that retrogression will continue for the EB-2 NIW. While we are extremely disappointed that priority dates did not become current for the EB-2 category, the good news is that USCIS has designated the “Dates For Filing” chart to be used for October. Under the “Dates For Filing” chart, the EB-2 priority dates for all countries other than China and India will move considerably from July 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023. For China the EB-2 priority dates advance from July 8, 2019 to January 1, 2020. India improves from January 1, 2011 to May 15, 2012. Under EB-1 priority dates improved significantly for India. Under the “Dates For Filing” chart India moved from January 1, 2012 to January 1, 2019. The EB-1 priority date for China improved slightly from February 1, 2022 to August 1, 2022. For all other countries the priority date under the EB-1 category is once again current. While the news is not as bad as it could have been had USCIS continued to use the “Final Action Dates” chart, it is now apparent that priority dates under the EB-2 category will remain retrogressed for all countries for the foreseeable future. With this in mind it is imperative that anyone interested in obtaining permanent residence through an EB-2 NIW file their case as early as is feasible to obtain their priority date. We welcome any inquiries regarding the filing of your EB-1, EB-2 or Adjustment of Status.

The August 2024 Visa Bulletin has introduced important changes across various visa categories. Discover how these updates impact your Green Card application process, including advancements for India and other countries in employment-based preferences. #EB1Visa #EB5Visa #Indians #PermanentResidency #UnitedStates #USVISA #USCIS #VisaBulletin #VisaNews #VisaUpdate USCIS

CHANGES ANNOUNCED THAT WILL AFFECT 457, 482 & 494 VISA HOLDERS FROM 1 JULY 2024 From 1 July visa holders will have 180 days between employers AND you can work for anyone and in any job during this time. Also, time spent between employers before I July won't count towards the 180 days. So existing visa holders will have 180 days to find another sponsor from 1 July 2024. These visa holders will have up to: 180 days at a time, or a maximum of 365 days in total across the entire visa grant period. During this time, visa holders can work for other employers and in any occupation. #visas, #482visa, #TSSvisa, #494visa

The latest July 2024 US Visa Bulletin is here Great News for Indians in the Green Card category! 📈 As per the recent news on US Visa Bulletin, there is a notable shift in the visa categories. ➡ EB-1 Category:  India has moved forward by 11 months. Wait times have drastically reduced, offering faster paths to permanent residency. ➡EB-2 & EB-3 Categories:  India has advanced by 2 months. It provides new hope to many awaiting their Green Cards. This is a game-changer for many skilled professionals who have been contributing to the US economy. 💼💡 For those in the process or considering starting it, now is the time to act! ⏳ Let's celebrate this positive step! If you need more information about O1 visa, I can guide you. Comment your queries below. ---------------------- 💡 Find 1-minute FAANG employee interviews on their job search journey at https://lnkd.in/e5-jiwWa If you want future updates on more career-growth content, please reshare ♻️ and join over 110k newsletter subscribers here (https://lnkd.in/gPBziwZ3) #USVisa #GreenCard #Immigration 

📣 Transformative Changes in the H-1B Visa Lottery System: A New Chapter in Global Talent Acquisition Hello #LinkedInFam, Exciting news for professionals and employers alike! The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has proposed a series of transformative changes to the H-1B visa lottery system. These changes are not just procedural but signify a paradigm shift in how the U.S. aims to attract global talent. 🌟 Key Highlights: 1️⃣ Beneficiary-Centric Selection: The new system aims to focus on unique beneficiaries, thereby eliminating the impact of multiple submissions. This is a game-changer as it levels the playing field and could potentially lead to higher wages for visa holders. 2️⃣ Enhanced Flexibility: The proposal introduces guidelines for voluntary work-site visits and clarifies requirements for filing new visa petitions when employment details change. This is a win-win for both employers and employees. 3️⃣ Entrepreneur-Friendly: Good news for noncitizen entrepreneurs! The new rules allow visa petitioners to qualify as employers even if the H-1B visa recipient holds a majority ownership stake in the business. 4️⃣ Integrity Measures: To maintain the system's integrity, the proposal limits the duration of visas sought by beneficiary-owned businesses to 18 months for the initial petition and the first extension. 🇮🇳 Impact on India's Tech Industry: These changes could have a significant impact on India's $245 billion IT services industry. The new rules aim to make the process more efficient and equitable, thereby benefiting large Indian companies. 🤔 Thoughts to Ponder: 1) How will these changes affect the global competition for talent? 2) Will the new system be more effective in curbing visa fraud? 3) What could be the long-term implications for the tech industry, especially in India? Let's discuss it! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. #H1BVisa #ImmigrationReform #GlobalTalent #TechIndustry #Innovation #Technology #H1B #DHS #USA

June 2024 Visa Bulletin is out! Is there any movement in the final action dates for EB visas for India? Let's find out. 1️⃣ EB1 Green Card Category: 🔸The EB1 final action date for India saw no movement and stands on March 1, 2021. 2️⃣ EB2 Green Card Category: 🔸The EB2 final action dates for India remain the same as April 15, 2012. 🔸The EB3 final action date for India moved forward by 17 days compared to the May visa bulletin. It currently stands on August 22, 2012. It is important to note that only the final action dates chart in the June visa bulletin must be used for all Employment-Based green card categories. Furthermore, USCIS says that the EB2 and EB3 green card categories might experience retrogression in the upcoming visa bulletin because of huge demand. Also, USCIS will soon hit the maximum limit for green cards for this fiscal year, which ends on September 30, 2024. However, keep working towards building your EB1A profile, as EB1 final action dates move much faster in the monthly visa bulletin than EB2 and EB3 green card categories. #USgreencard #visabulletin #june2024visabulletin #SaimanShetty

Notes on the Aug 2023 Visa Bulletin - regarding EB1 India. ••• If you are watching EB1 India on the Visa Bulletin, then you will have noticed a big jump backwards (known as retrogression) in the Aug 2023 Visa Bulletin. The Aug 2023 Visa Bulletin end notes explain that this should only be temporary and in Oct 2023, at the start of fiscal year 2024, the dates should move up. But will EB1 India be “current”? Probably not. But the cut-off date will hopefully move up to Feb 1, 2022. So about 18 months back from being current. ••• Both the Aug 2023 V-Bulletin end notes and a separate FAQ from USCIS try to explain why the EB1 India date needs to fall so far back and both agencies concede the fall back to Jan 1, 2012, is important because so many Indian EB1 folks have retained priority dates. A lot of those retained priority dates are PERM-based but during the pandemic many Indians went abroad and worked and have returned on L1A visas and are seeking EB1C green cards. This is a smart move. Premium processing means EB1C cases are approved faster. Others who did not go abroad have built their profile over time and made themselves eligible for EB1A or EB1B. After all, they have had a decade to build their profile. ••• Not enough Indians are thinking about the ongoing cut-off dates for even EB1. Will the trend continue? Unless there is a change in the law, yes, this trend will likely continue. ••• For STEM PhDs and post-docs who are tempted to jump from F1 to EB1A, why? What many should be doing is filing an EB2 NIW case as soon as possible to lock-in a priority date and building a stronger profile for EB1. Lock in a priority date and then spend 12 months building your profile for EB1 and then go for it, seeking retention of your EB2 NIW p-date. Given EB1 is a high standard and there is a greater risk of denial going from F1 to EB1A and given that EB1 India is not even “current” and is not likely to be “C” on the Visa Bulletin any time soon, play the long game to win. ••• I do realize the system is terrible and ridiculous - but people are out there getting green cards. Why not you? •••

Important Update for Visa Appointments > Department of State has launched a new system for scheduling visa appointments. The new URL for scheduling visa appointments is https://lnkd.in/g9yh5-PS. > All new visa applicants must create a new profile in the new system in order to schedule their visa appointment. > The email for the support desk has been changed to support-india@usvisascheduling.com. > The premium passport delivery fee has been increased to INR 850 per applicant. > The visa fee can be paid through a variety of methods, including National Electronic Fund Transfer (NEFT), Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Debit/Credit Card (RuPay, Visa or Master), and cash at designated AXIS, Citibank, DRUK bank branches. > From October 1st, 2023, most nonimmigrant visa interview waiver (dropbox) cases will be centralized at Chennai Consulate. This includes visa categories such as C1/D, F, H, J, L, and M, with the exception of B1/B2 visas. > All visa applicants will be permitted to drop off and pick up their documents at any of the five visa application centers or six document drop-off centers. > If a personal interview is required, dropbox applicants will need to visit the Chennai Consulate for their interview. We are excited to see how this change will benefit those applying for U.S. nonimmigrant visas in India, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have on the visa process. Anoop V Mohan Director of Client Management and Special Cases https://lnkd.in/ge-iN3U2