sharansr

Tino, I can definitely correct you on that. I spoke to my University's International Students Immigration Services. According to them, being on your OPT still contributes as student status since your valid papers are going to be your I-20 and your visa status is still F-1. Once an international student graduates and gets an OPT approved, their I-20 gets extended for the same period of time, hence maintaining their student status and still keeping them a part of the initial program they came by (OPT is like an optional luxury given to students so they can get some work experience without changing their status). I'm sure other people on this forum can justify this. According to my university's immigrations services, a new I-20 is only required if I try to re-enter via a different program (masters, PhD etc). For an OPT candidate, the initial I-20 with valid dates should suffice as long as I have a valid job in the US. Therefore you are definitely wrong when you say "As far as I know you cannot apply for a new visa just with some remaining OPT". The visa is just to enter the country, and the remaining OPT means a valid I-20 which will maintain my student status. My only concern is, how can I prove to them that I do not have immigration intent? MY OPT expires in November 2011, so I dont have an option but to come back after that. Hope that is convincing enough for the visa officer.

Hi all, I have been going thru this forum and have seen a lot of expired visa related queries, however I wanted to post again since my situation is a bit different and I need advice. Here’s a little background. I came to the US in 2005 for my Bachelors degree. I graduated in May 2009 and have been working on my OPT ever since. My OPT is valid until November 2011 however my visa expired in November 2009. I understand my legal status in the US is maintained by my I-20 document and EAD, both of which are valid for me. Here’s where my situation gets a little complicated. I am an Indian citizen but my parents live in Indonesia (my dad’s job). I will be traveling to Indonesia next month and I checked with the US Consulate there and found out its possible for me to apply for a visa renewal in Jakarta, Indonesia. My dad has a work related Permanent Residence for Indonesia but I’ve never been to that country. I have all my documents ready (I-20, passport, I-94, EAD card, letter from my university stating that I graduated and am working on my OPT authorization, letter from my employer, pay stubs, letter from my father’s work stating that I’m his dependent, “zero balance” document from my university stating I have paid my tuition in full). My questions are: - Could they reject my F-1 since I have already graduated (even though technically OPT is still student status)? - Does having a job in the US imply I have immigration intent? - Is it rather advisable to get my F-1 renewed in Delhi, India instead? - Is there a difference between visa renewal and visa reapplication? - Could there be any other complications that anyone can predict? These questions may seem repetitive to some, none the less, I am really nervous about it. I’m debating whether it’s really worth traveling back at all. Any kind of help or support is appreciated. Thanks in advance.