Agata_2402

35 minutes ago, jan22 said:

Personally, I wouldn't cut it that close and would allow a couple extra days of cushion in scheduling a departure date to allow for emergencies, changes in airline schedules, miscalculations, etc.  For example, you said your OPT ends June 8th, right?  If so, your 60-day grace period ends August 7th (22 days in June, 31 in July, and 7 in August), nit August 8.  You cannot take a flight at any time on August 8th and not have over-stayed -- your grace period ends at midnight on August 7th and, technically, at 12:01 on the 8th, you have a day of overstay.  So, a departure on August 6th is only one day before the end of the grace period, not two days-- and a lot can happen to mess up a schedule and make you miss a deadline.  Once you have overstayed even a day (or any part of a day), your Visa Waiver Program (ESTA) entries are most likely gone forever.

Thank you for your comment. I booked my ticket for August 4th. I would like to a take few trips before my time here is done. I just wanna make sure that if I leave on time ( I mean without any overstaying and violating my status) I will be able to come and visit here next year or in future. I know my chances to stay here permanently are gone but I have many friends here that I still want to see from time to time 

2 minutes ago, Boiler said:

The situation in Africa is unstable

 

The situation in the Asia is unstable

 

The situation in South America is unstable

 

The situation in Central America is unstable

 

On that basis about 90% of the world population could claim asylum.

I get it. I mentioned that I was trying to research it. It was suggested by immigration lawyer and I was trying to verify the information. I am aware of the world situation 

5 minutes ago, aaron2020 said:

If you contact an honest lawyer, she would tell you the same thing that we are telling you.  Don't get sucker in by someone who will promise you the impossible, you pay a ton of money, and end up being illegal and deportable. 

I totally agree with you. That is why I asked about it. Asylum was suggested by the last immigration attorney I spoke to. I told her that my country is not in war but she told me that situation in Europe is unstable and it is worth trying. 

I definitely do not want to be in the situation when I will be illegal or deportable because I do want to come back next year to visit friends that I have here. I guess I will enjoy the time I have left here and leave by the end of my grace period. Thank you for your comment 

Hello everyone, 

I am on F1 visa currently working on OPT. My OPT ends in June 8th and I am desperately looking for some solution to stay in here. I have been in the United States 7 years (first on J1 visa and then on F1 visa). I graduated from College last year and I got the associate degree in Professional Photography.  I am currently working as a studio manager and photographer at the small photography studio. The company I work for really would like to keep me but they contacted their lawyer and he told them they are a small company and it is going to be hard for them to sponsor me for a green card. I contacted few immigration attorneys and they did not give me any good solutions. One of them told me "It is hard to stay here" which I already know and the other told me to apply for O1 visa which I not have that many outstanding achievements. I have a couple go my photographs being displayed at the exhibition but it is was not published anywhere. I was just wondering if maybe one of you would have some suggestions or would be able go give me some possible solutions. I am from Poland and I was also wondering if because of the scary situation in Europe I would be legible to apply for an asylum. I know that Poland is not in a state of war and I know there is way more people who could use the asylum here than me but it was suggested by one of the immigrations attorneys I contacted. 

I would appreciate and be grateful for any suggestions. Thank you very much 

1 hour ago, Coco8 said:

I doubt you'll be able to come to the wedding with visa waiver if you leave August 8. You are risking getting denied which means no visa waiver for you for a very long time.

 

If you want to come to the wedding, leave June 8 when you EAD expires or soon after.

I meant if I leave August 6th (two days before my grace period ends) will I be able to come for example next year on a visa waiver. I am not planning to come back right after I leave. I am planning to leave few days before my grace period ends so I do not overstay and planning to come next June for a few weeks. 

7 hours ago, Bajinga said:

chances of getting another non immigrant (B2, F1) after an overstay regardless of the time period will be an uphill battle.

don't compare your situation to others when it comes to immigration. most likely the people you are talking about who overstayed a long time came back on an immigrant visa and would have required a waiver because of the ban. those waivers are generally available for some immigrant visas for the immediate relatives only and require a lot of time and money to get approved.

I understand. Thank you for your answer. In my case (me EAD card ends in June 8 and my grace period ends in August 8th) if I leave August 6th I would not have any issues coming back next year to visit on tourist visa ? Will I be able to come back on a Visa Waiver Program for a quick visit ?

1 hour ago, aaron2020 said:

If you overstay, you're not going to get a tourist visa.  You're not coming back next year to visit.  Simple as that.  

Thank you for the answer. It looks like I may attend the wedding on FaceTime. Out of curiosity I am going to ask: is it just the tourist visa? I mean I have read few posts here from few months/years ago that some people overstay for not a long time and they were able to apply for visas at their countries and come back. Is it because I ma on F1 and plan to apply for a tourist in a future?  I know that overstaying is a serious thing and it is the violation of the status but I was hoping that short amount of time can be somehow forgiven. One more time thanks for the answer and all the Information 

Hello, 

I am F1 student and currently working on OPT. My OPT ends in June 8th and sadly I have to leave the country. I was planning to leave at the end of my grace period which would be around August 8th (still hoping that something would change in my case) . Few days ago my good friend invited me to her wedding that would be August 28th. I would really like to attend the wedding. My question is would I have some serious consequences if I overstay my grace period for 3 weeks? I would like to come back next year on tourist visa to visit friends here and I am worry that those few weeks would affect my future visa applications. I have done some reading and as far as I understood is that if you overstay for longer than 180 days then you will be ban from United States for 3 year. I was wondering what would be the consequences of 20-25 days overstay? I would appreciate any answer ! Thank you 

12 hours ago, Boiler said:

So what has been your status, you said you have been working as a photographer for 9 years. 

 

Hopefully your Lawyer is aware of your immigration history.

Yes, my lawyer is aware of my immigration history. 

I came here in 2015 on a J1 visa. I extended my J1 after one year and then I applied for F1 while being in here. My DSO at my school told me I can start classes while I wait for the decision (which turned out it was a lie and violation) and my F1 visa got denied after I have already completed 2 semesters. My school issued my new I20 and I went back to my country and I applied for a new F1 visa and it was approved. I graduated in 2021 and I started my OPT in June 2021. My OPT ends in June this year. I work as a studio manager/photographer for a small company that is really interested in keeping me. They told me they are not legible to sponsor me for a green card. They told me they do not fit any of the qualifications to hire an EB employee. I am trying to find a way to stay here and desperately looking for some solution in my case. 

For the last few years I have worked as a volunteer/freelance photographer for small events and some nonprofit organizations. It was nothing big just to get me some more experience and get my foot in photography business. But since I was at school I could not do any "real work". 

10 hours ago, Coco8 said:

I don't think participating in one big exhibition is enough for an O1. Like if your photographs were in magazines, you had several exhibitions, won some competitions, then it would be more likely. 

 

You are looking at spending over 5,000 for a small shot. I would recommend you did something else with the money.

Thank you for your opinion. I have the same feeling - I do not think that school exhibitions would be enough for O1. I am trying to get some opinion because my attorney made it sounds like it is an easy process and he told me that would be the best solution in my case (to be honest for this amount of money I would make anything sounds possible). 

11 hours ago, S9471 said:

@Agata_2402 you need to provide some clarity on your status history if you want to get reasonable advice... on the surface, you likely wouldn't qualify for O1 because it really is reserved for folks who have international/large-scale recognition. a couple of exhibits are not likely to help with that. if you had photos published in mass-media magazines, were credited by big news organizations, won major awards - that would add a lot of weight to the application. without it, it would seem moot to put money into that.

 

you could consult with the attorney and see what information they would require from you, but from hearsay I've heard of people that had to submit 300 page applications with recommendations from vice presidents at a major Fortune 500 company to be able to qualify.

Thank you for that. My attorney made it sounds like it is an easy process and he told me he would help me get through it. I am very skeptical about this and I wanted to get some more opinions. I have done the research and it does sound like you need to have some major award to be legible for an O1.  

I have come her in 2015 on a J1 visa. I extended my J1 after one year and then I applied for F1 while being in here. My DSO at my school told me I can start classes while I wait for the decision (which turned out it was a lie and violation) and my F1 visa got denied after I have already completed 2 semesters. My school issued my new I20 and I came back to my country and I applied for a new F1 visa and it was approved. I graduated in 2021 and I started my OPT in June 2021. My OPT ends in June this year. I work as a studio manager/photographer for a small company that is really interested in keeping me. They told me they are not legible to sponsor me for a green card. They told me they do not fit any of the qualifications to hire an EB employee. I am trying to find a way to stay here and desperately looking for some solution in my case. 

1 hour ago, Boiler said:

You spent 7 years getting an Associate Degree?

No, I did not spend 7 years getting Associate Degree. I have been in the United States for 7 years 

9 hours ago, Jorgedig said:

How have you been able to be in the US for 7 years on a student visa for a two year degree?

 

Also, O-1 visa would be a huge long shot.  

F1 visa was not the only visa I was here on. School took me a little longer than 2 years so I had to extended the I20 to finish all eh required classes. 

11 hours ago, igoyougoduke said:

its all here ... https://www.uscis.gov/working-in-the-united-states/temporary-workers/o-1-visa-individuals-with-extraordinary-ability-or-achievement. you need a good lawyer for your situation but i wont get hopes based on your experience and background. do you have a job offer ? ?

I am currently working at the Photography studio - not a big one. They really want to keep me so I bet I could keep working there. I have read the gov website and it sounds like you need to be a "genius" to get this visa that is why I was hoping to find someone who went through the process and could share some opinion. 

Hi, 

I am on F1 visa currently working on OPT. My OPT expires in June this year and I am desperately looking for a way to stay here (I have been in the United States for 7 years and it would be hard for me to leave after so such a long time). I graduated from college last year and I have Associate degree in Applied Science in Professional Photography. I contacted few immigration attorneys and one of them told me I may be eligible for O1 visa for Individuals with Extraordinary Ability or Achievements. My pictures have been a part of few school exhibitions and one pretty big exhibition that was curated by New York photographer.I have been working as a free lance photographer for over 9 years and currently I am working as a manager/photographer at the photography studio. I have never heard of this type of visa so I was wondering if some of you know some more details or is familiar with the process and requirements. I have read something about it and it sounds like you need to be an Einstein to get it. The price that attorney told me is pretty high so I wanto to do some research before I move forward with that process. My employer is very interested in keeping me. Sadly, they cannot sponsor me for a green card (they are small company and their lawyer told them it will be hard for them). Anyway, if someone knows some more details about O1 or know someone who has applied for that visa I would appreciate any Information. 

Hello 

I am on F1 visa currently working full time on OPT. My employer was interested in sponsoring me fro H1B visa but it turned out I need to have bachelors degree so they decided they would be interested in sponsoring my green card. They have never gone through the process of sponsoring someone. Where can I find some "instructions" or step by step explanation how to start. Do I need to hire the lawyer ? Is here someone who has gone through the similar process? Thank you