H1B批准后回国,重签F1经历

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rabbitcherry
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之前看到版上有人分享H1B批准之后的回国经历,很有营养。因为我的情况有所不同,还涉及重新去使馆签证,所以重开一贴分享。

首先我的情况是还在校读书,预计年底毕业,所以身份依然是F1。公司希望8月份去上班,并且今年4月帮我申请了H1B,5.23批准。我自己5月申请了pre-OPT,有receipt,状态是pending。回国前F1签证已过期。

因为6月要参加一个会议,所以早在H1B抽中了但是还在pending的时候就与公司律师沟通关于回国事宜,下面是律师的回复:
If you leave the United States before your change of status is approved by USCIS, you will have to take extra steps to assume your H-1B status on October 1. If you travel abroad while your H-1B petition and request to change status are being processed, the change of status portion of your case will be considered abandoned. While USCIS may still approve the H-1B petition itself, you would not automatically change from F-1 to H-1B status on October 1. Instead, you would have to leave the United States again and apply for an H-1B visa at a U.S. consulate or, if otherwise permissible, have your employer submit a new petition to change status to H-1B after your return.

After your change of status is approved but before it takes effect on October 1, you should be able to travel abroad and reenter, as long as your course of study is not finished and you are coming back to the United States to resume your studies. If you have competed your studies, have not applied for OPT, and then travel travel abroad, you will not be able to return to the United States in F-1 status.

关于H1B批准后重新回国申请F1签证的回复:
You should be prepared for possible delays and difficulties when you apply for a new F-1 visa and when you are inspected at the border.

First, like any visa applicant, you could be required to go through a security clearance before your visa can be issued. If your name, personal details or travel history match or are similar to information in government security databases or travel watch lists, the State Department may not be able to issue a visa until it confirms that you are not the same person as an individual who appears on a security list. Many security clearances get resolved in a matter of weeks, but if you have a common name, your clearance could take several months or longer. If this occurs, your reentry to the United States could be delayed.

Second, officials at U.S. consulates and the U.S. border may question whether you have nonimmigrant intent, i.e., whether you genuinely intend to return to your home country after you complete your studies and any temporary status granted to you. Having a foreign residence that you do not intend to abandon is a requirement for F-1 status. If you have an approved H-1B in the system, consular and border officials will know that you have a professional job in the United States – a possible indication of strong ties to the United States. If a consular or border officer feels convinced that you will not return to your home country, you could have your visa or entry denied or delayed, and may have to wait overseas until you can apply for an H-1B visa to enter and start your H-1B employment. Having a foreign residence is not a requirement for an H-1B visa.

总之意思就是H1B批准前可以回国,但是回来以后要在10.1之前出去重新签H1B。H1B批准之后就没这个问题。如果要回国之后要重新签F1,则需要保证course of study没有结束(这里不适用OPT的情况,因为我未申请OPT,所以不太了解),并且有被质疑移民倾向的风险。

最终5.23号H1B批准之后我决定回去,并且预约了在上海面签,最后的结果是整个签证过程完全没有涉及H1B的问题,虽然被check,但是经历与一般F1返签无异。入境时也很顺利。具体经历请参考1point3acres.com
另附上Fragomen关于F1 COS travel的QA,这其中涉及OPT,希望对其它情况的同学有所帮助:fragomen.com
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