L2 to H1 , I-94 & Tax

[nehasumit]

Hi All,
I have a valid L2 visa till April 2010 and I-94 for L2 expires the same time too. I got a job here and my employer filed H1B which has got approved till 2012. It came with a I-94 as well.
I understand that since Oct 1st, I am on H1 visa (not stamped though), my questions are :

1) Can i stay in US even after my I-94 from L2 expires ?If so, how long without stamping H1?

2) When i depart from US , do i need to submit both the I-94 ?

3) Till the time i was on L2, my husband was filing tax for me jointly with him. I have an SSN and the tax gets deducted from each payroll automatically. Recently, i received a mail from my bank saying - i need to have an ITIN number for tax filing else i'll be taxed again. I mailed them that i do have SSN and have been filing tax jointly. Since then there's no update from my bank. In my understanding- i dont need ITIn if i have SSN already, correct ?

4) Now that i am on H1, tax filing should be separate or can it still be done jointly ?

5) What documents do i need to carry if i plan a visit to India and go for H1 visa stamping?

Please let me know.

Thanks a lot.


Regards,
Neha

[shervin143]

Hi All,
I have a valid L2 visa till April 2010 and I-94 for L2 expires the same time too. I got a job here and my employer filed H1B which has got approved till 2012. It came with a I-94 as well.
I understand that since Oct 1st, I am on H1 visa (not stamped though), my questions are :

1) Can i stay in US even after my I-94 from L2 expires ?If so, how long without stamping H1?

Yes. You can stay until the date on your new I-94 that came with your I-797 approval notice (L2 to H1B COS).

2) When i depart from US , do i need to submit both the I-94 ?

Yes.

3) Till the time i was on L2, my husband was filing tax for me jointly with him. I have an SSN and the tax gets deducted from each payroll automatically. Recently, i received a mail from my bank saying - i need to have an ITIN number for tax filing else i'll be taxed again. I mailed them that i do have SSN and have been filing tax jointly. Since then there's no update from my bank. In my understanding- i dont need ITIn if i have SSN already, correct ?

Correct.

4) Now that i am on H1, tax filing should be separate or can it still be done jointly ?

You can still file jointly. It is advisable to file separately for a various reasons. Google for more info.


5) What documents do i need to carry if i plan a visit to India and go for H1 visa stamping?

https://www.immihelp.com/h1-visa-stamping-documents/

Please let me know.

Thanks a lot.


Regards,
Neha

[nehasumit]

Thanks

Thanks a lot shervin143 .