Getting a UK Visitor Visa, while in US on a L1B. Please help..

[Santhi]

Hi Friends,

I am in USA on a L1 Blanket Visa, which is valid till Apr 2006.
My I94, is stamped in Apr 2008.

Now, i wish to travel to the UK on a visitor visa during November 2005, for a period of 1 week.

Could somebody please tell me, what is the process involved?
More specifically, on a L1 Visa, am i allowed to travel to any other country?
And what happens to my I94 when i leave for UK ?

I would be very thankful for any other information in this regard.

Thanks,
-Santhi.

[someguy]

Process involved is same as in usual case of applying a visitor visa for UK. Go to UK embassy website and check.
If you are on L1 visa(or in general), you are definitely allowed to travel to any other country, provided you have visa for that country.
You will get a new I-94

[Santhi]

Thanks for your reply.

But, there is no guarantee that my new I94 will have the same stamping date as the old I94, right?

Currently my I94 has a stamping date of till apr 2008.
My concern is that when i get a new I94, they might stamp it for 2006, or 2007. Thats very much possible, right?

Thanks again..

[rsimhadri]

Ofcourse at POE they may issue I-94 till your visa validity date.
But in anycase, if your visa expires you are not allowed to work, but you may be allowed to stay. Once your visa expires you can not change your status and if you wish to extend you will get a new L1 with new i-94.

I am not seeing any use of having a 2008 i-94 with out a valid work visa.

(I am not an attorney, take suggestion from your attorney for accurate information)

[Santhi]

Thanks for responding.

Well, the use of a 2008 I-94, without a valid work visa, as I've heard from my friends is this:

When my L1 Visa gets expired in 2006, and If i am still in US with a 2008 I-94, I can get an extension of my L1 Visa from inside the US itself.
I dont have to go to India to get an extension. ( I can do this for upto 2 more years, till my L1B Petition is valid).

But if my I94 is also getting expired in 2006, then i definitely have to go back to India to renew/extend my L1 Visa..

[rsimhadri]

is it only for L1 visa category??

I have never heard of this situation. My understanding is you can extend your H/L visa upto six years with out going back to home country.

May be you should find out from an attorney. If your L1 gets denied you will be out of status i guess after 2006.

Talk to your attorney for accurate informaion.

[radhikarani]

I-94 Visiting the UK

I have a valid H4 Visa until 2009 but my I-94 Visa has expired. I m planning to apply for UK Visitors Visa, to visit the UK in Decemeber 2006.Can i apply for UK visitor with a valid H-4 Visa and an expired I-94 because I plan to get my passport stamped in London.Thank you i will be grateful if you could provide a reply.