Legal Question in Immigration Law in Washington
Is it by law that we have to file Labor Certificate 365 days before the expiration date on our H-1B?
2 Answers from Attorneys
It is not by law but it is one way to have a pending labor certification for 365 days which will allow you to get a more than 6 year extension on your H1B. The other options are to get an approved I-140 which will allow for another 3 years increment extensions until the I-485 available. There are many other options that I highly recommend discussing with a reliable and knowledgeable immigration lawyer.
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Shah Peerally
http://peerallylaw.com
510.742.5887
Founder and Managing Attorney of Shah Peerally Law Group PC
The Law Firm Deals in Immigration law & Debt Settlement Negotiations.
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There is no requirement that the application for labor certification (also known as PERM) must be filed by your employer at least 365 days prior to reaching 6 years in H1B status. However, extension of H1B status beyond six years is possible with either PERM pending for at least 365 days prior to reaching 6 years in H1B status, or if I-140 is approved by the USCIS prior to reaching six years. For example, it is entirely possible for PERM to be certified by the Department of Labor within 3 to 6 months of filing, and I-140 to be approved by USCIS within 15 days of filing if filed through premium processing, and thus extension of H1B beyond six years can be obtained even if PERM was actually filed only a few months prior to reaching six years.
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