I am a resident of Bengaluru. I need a U.S. visa for business travel to visit my employer’s headquarters. Can I apply for a visa at the Embassy in Delhi rather than at the Chennai Consulate, due to my personal convenience?
Dev
You may apply at any of the four Consulates or the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi.
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Prakash Reddy
In order to work in the U.S., you must have an employer in the U.S. submit a petition on your behalf. To learn more about work visas for the U.S., please visit http://hyderabad.usconsulate.gov/temporary-employment-help.html. Please visit our website www.ustraveldocs.com/in for information on how to apply for a visa and for fee structures.
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I recently changed my surname from Udayaraju to Vaddiraju. I was issued a new passport with the name change. I have a B1 visa valid until 2017, with my previous surname. Can I travel on my existing visa despite the change in my surname?
Sathish Babu V.
Under U.S. immigration law, the name on the passport and the name on the visa in it must match. If you have legally changed your name, we recommend that you carry your old and new passports, along with legal proof of the name change, to the port of entry.
One of my students was recently assured a job as well as admission to Merrimack College, affiliated to Boston University, to pursue a master’s degree. The student will be allowed to work for 40 hours, 5 days a week and work on his master’s degree two days a week. Can students be allowed to work and simultaneously pursue a graduate degree program in the U.S.? Under the above conditions, can the student get a visa?
G. S. R. Prasad
F-1 students may obtain Optional Practical Training (OPT) either during their educational program (pre-completion OPT) or after the student graduates (post-completion OPT). The student remains in F-1 status throughout the OPT period. According to USCIS, “An F-1 student may be authorized up to a total of 12 months of full-time practical training at each educational level (e.g., undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate).
If the student chooses to engage in pre-completion OPT, he or she may not work more than 20 hours per week while school is in session, but may work full-time during his or her annual vacation and other times when the school is not in session. If a student engages in pre-completion OPT, the student’s eligible period of post-completion OPT will be reduced by 1 month for every 2 months of part-time pre-completion OPT that is worked when he or she graduates.
Students who graduate with a qualified Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) degree, and are currently in an approved post-completion OPT period based on a designated STEM degree may apply for a 17-month STEM extension of their post-completion OPT.”