 ASK VISALAW.COM
By Marc Topoleski, partner in SSHD’s Michigan office. Marc can be reached at mtopoleski@visalaw.com
When will the guidelines for this year's Green Card Lottery be announced?
The U.S. Department of State typically issues regulations concerning entry guidelines for the current year's lottery (this year is the DV-2003 lottery) at the end of July or the beginning of August. For the past few years, the guidelines have been released on either the last Monday of July or the first Monday in August. This year, we are guessing that State Department will release the guidelines on Monday July 30, 2001, but we will see. Nonetheless, they will be announced shortly and the anticipated entry period will last from early October to early November. For the latest, most comprehensive information on the Green Card Lottery, please visit our enhanced Visalaw Green Card Lottery Center website at http://www.visalawlottery.com. What are the ways to overcome the two years home residence requirement (according to J-type visa) in order to get work visa (having an actual job offer)?
To overcome the home residency requirement, you will need to obtain a waiver. There are basically four ways to obtain a waiver: (1) getting a "no objection" letter from your home country government (2) requesting a waiver based on exceptional hardship (3) getting an "interested government agency" to sponsor a waiver or (4) getting a state's public health department to sponsor a waiver (applies to health care professionals).
How do I apply for an H-1B visa as an F-1 student?
If you are currently in F-1 status and would like to apply for H-1B, you would need to file a change of status request with the INS requesting that your status be changed to H-1B. When filing your H-1B petition, you would need to carefully document that you satisfy the eligibility requirements for the H-1B category.
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