Legal Question in Immigration Law in New York

Questions regarding green card for Physical Therapist

Hi,

I am an International physical therapist student in S.U. N.Y. Upstate Medical University. I am expecting to graduate in late April, 2009. I have several questions regarding O.P.T as well as green card for Physical therapist.

When is the best time for me to start my O.P.T.? and when is the best time for me to apply for H1 Visa, and green card?

I was looking at some websites, it said that Physical Therapist is qualified for Schedule A. I was wondering what is the requirement & procedure for applying green card on Schedule A?

1. Do I have to work under H1-visa before I apply for green card or can I apply for the green card while I work under O.P.T.?

2. How long will it take for the processing of green card on Schedule A?

3. What is the best way for me to obtain green card in your opinion?

I look forward to your reply.

Thank you so much for your time.


Asked on 1/10/08, 5:32 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Matthew Kolken Kolken & Kolken

Re: Questions regarding green card for Physical Therapist

The H-1B system needs serious help. There are a limited amount of visas available each year, and they typically are used up in one day. There are no numbers left for this fiscal year.

The new fiscal year starts October 1, 2008. Petitions with start dates of October 1, 2008 may be filed as of April 1, 2008. Based on what happened last year you can expect all available H-1B visas to be used on April 1, 2008, and there will most likely be a lottery because there will be more H-1B applicants than visa numbers.

The Green Card process is a completely different story. I need more information to be able to determine what the best way for you to obtain your Green Card.

Matthew Kolken

www.kolkenandkolken.com

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Answered on 1/11/08, 9:36 am


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