Released on: May 22, 2008, 12:37 am

Press Release Author: visatous.com.

Industry: Law

Press Release Summary: A common-sense measure may have saved thousands of immigrants
millions of dollars. Graduates no longer have to vacate the country before heading
to work.

Press Release Body: The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services recently
announced a new ruling allowing holders of F1 visas to remain in the United States
until the beginning of their employment, provided they have been accepted on an H1B
visa.

For the uninitiated, an F1 visa allows citizens of other countries to study in the
United States. Their legal status is linked to their continued enrollment in an
American institute of higher learning. Problems arose, however, as students
graduated from universities.

Many students who want to stay in the US do so by locating jobs that make them
eligible for an H1B visa. In effect, an H1B visa allows a highly skilled worker,
with a bachelor's degree or equivalent, to work in the US through a sponsoring
employer. The difficulties faced by applicants stemmed from the gap between the
expiration of their F1 visa and the start date of their H1B visa. Technically,
these individuals were required to leave the country upon graduation, and were not
allowed to return until the start of their new job. This move would be expensive
for anyone, but it might be prohibitively expensive for those just graduating from
colleges in the US.

This new ruling by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services extends
the graduate's F1 visa to cover the chronological gap in their immigration status.
Now, simply by requesting a change of status through USCIS, these individuals are
spared the expense and waste of a trip out of country, simply to fulfill the letter
of the law.

A Houston immigration lawyer can help navigate the complexity of US immigration law
in instances like the one detailed above. The Law Offices of Annie Banerjee
(www.visatous.com) specialize in immigration law in the Houston area.

To learn more, visit http://www.visatous.com


Web Site: http://www.visatous.com

Contact Details: Adviatech Corp., PR for visatous.com
9280 Bay Plaza Blvd Suite 706
Tampa, FL 33619
1.813.600.3017