Janis Jekabsons

Hi group,

I am considering going to the USA on an H1B visa (or, if I have the luck, the Green
Card) and eventually inviting my mother to stay. Can you share your
experiences/evaluations on how easy/difficult it may be to do this ? Would it be
possible later to change to a permanent resident status together ? Additionally,
would it be possible to have her covered with my health insurance policy from my
employer while on H1B?

Best regards,

Janis Jekabsons

[email protected]

Ingo Pakleppa

On Thu, 25 Apr 2002 23:09:13 +0200, "Janis Jekabsons" <[email protected]> wrote:

    >Hi group,
    >
    >I am considering going to the USA on an H1B visa (or, if I have the luck, the Green
    >Card) and eventually inviting my mother to stay. Can you share your
    >experiences/evaluations on how easy/difficult it may be to do this ?

She could come to the US as a tourist. Accompanying a non-immigrant is permitted
activity for a tourist, and INS recently said that the new policy for tourists won't
change that. She would have to renew her tourist status every six months.

However, she would have to show non-immigration-intent, and that would mean that you,
too, would have to.

    >Would it be possible later to change to a permanent resident status together ?

No. Once you start your GC process, she would also be presumed to have immigration
intent, and from then on, her tourist status renewals would be denied. Once you
are a permanent resident, she would no longer have any grounds for staying in the
US at all.

Once you are a US citizen, you can then sponsor her for a Green Card of your own.

    >Additionally, would it be possible to have her covered with my health insurance
    >policy from my employer while on H1B?

Depends on the plan, but probably not.

Ingo

I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. For reliable advice, please consult
with a professional immigration attorney.

For further information, check the following frequently-requested links.

For many questions, you may find answers at
http://travel.state.gov/visa_services.html (Department of State)

or http://ins.usdoj.gov (INS).

For consular policies and visa reciprocity fees, find your consulate in
http://travel.state.gov/links.html

For visa denial and suggestions what to do about them, see
http://travel.state.gov/visadenials.html

For DOL Online Labor Certification: http://workforcesecurity.doleta.gov/

For information on affidavit of support for marriage to US citizens (I-864), go to
http://travel.state.gov/i864gen.html and http://travel.state.gov/checklist.html

For information on entering the US as a K-1: http://www.k1poelist.com/

For poverty levels, see http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/poverty/00poverty.htm

For information on H/L/O/P visa extensions at Dept. of State in St. Louis, MO, see
http://travel.state.gov/revals.html

For non-official information, check:

(When using these sites, and any Web sites, please watch out for privacy, as I do not
know all site operators.)

http://www.visalaw.com http://www.shusterman.com http://www.immigration.com
http://members.aol.com/MDUdall http://www.murthy.com/ http://www.richw.org/dualcit/
(dual citizenship FAQ) http://www.ilw.com http://www.srs-usvisa.com
http://www.getusavisa.com http://greencard-lottery.virtualave.net/
http://www.jcvisa.com (H-1B) http://www.h1bresources.com (marriage and fiancee)
http://www.kamya.com/misc/ (marriage and fiancee)
http://www.mindspring.com/~docsteen/...o/visainfo.htm http://www.workpermit.com

This is not an endorsement of any of these Web sites. I am not affiliated with any of
the Web site owners and do not receive nor accept payment in return for listing them,
and typically don't even know them.

(if believe you have a good immigration-related Web site and want your Web site
listed here, please e-mail me).

Johnmail

Janis:

Nothing is impossible in the USA. All of that is possible. One thing you did not
mention was your education level. My experience is that with education you can move
ahead faster. But practical experience (in specific areas (eg. computers)) can be
just as valuable.

I came to the USA in 1995 ( F1 or student visa ) from the Caribbean. I already had a
4-year BSC and a 2-year Dip. Ed. . I went straight into graduate school and did an
MBA. After grad. school you are allowed one year of Practical Training. So my visa
changed from F1 to F1PT. "PT" means Practical Training. During this first year of
work, I applied and got an
H1B. The H1B is valid for a total of 6 years but must be renewed/extended after the
first 3 years. I have just completed my first three years as an H1B holder. I
have also applied for an extension so now I am doing the second three years of
my H1B. During this time I have already started applying for my Green Card. I
want you to remember the following points:

* To change status, you must be IN status. Do not wait until one visa status expires
before applying for the next status
* Education is a big help - the more you already have the better it will be for you
* Financial support from family members (or your own finances) will be critical
* Because there is a ritical need for computer expertise, if you have skills in this
area you should be OK
* Obey the (immigration) law

This is just MY experience. Everone has a different experience.

Hey good luck and keep us informed of your progress.

Cheers, JOHN.

"Janis Jekabsons" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
    > Hi group,
    >
    > I am considering going to the USA on an H1B visa (or, if I have the luck, the Green
    > Card) and eventually inviting my mother to stay. Can you share your
    > experiences/evaluations on how easy/difficult it may be to do this ? Would it be
    > possible later to change to a permanent resident status together ? Additionally,
    > would it be possible to have her covered with my health insurance policy from my
    > employer while on H1B?
    >
    > Best regards,
    >
    > Janis Jekabsons
    >
    > [email protected]