URGENT: L1/ H1B visa stamping in Canada or elsewhere during COVID19

[Jake3451]

Hi,

My L1 is expiring in September (Im in the US) and the US Consulate in my home country is currently closed.
Has anyone been able to travel to Canada or any other country where the US Consulate is still processing Visas? Could you please share you experience/ recommendations?
Note that my attorneys told me that filing for an extension with USCIS is unlikely to get approved and should only be filed in last resort.

thanks
Jake

[Libra_14]

https://www.immihelp.com/forum/usa-l1-l2-visa/733443-l1-to-h1-visa-stamping-in-september

Please be more specific, you are on L1A or L1B?

My L1 is expiring in September (Im in the US) and the US Consulate in my home country is currently closed.

Are you completing your 7 years of stay in USA? if not, you can get your petition renewed while staying in USA.

Has anyone been able to travel to Canada or any other country where the US Consulate is still processing Visas? Could you please share you experience/ recommendations?

Lots of people do this & still get it.

Note that my attorneys told me that filing for an extension with USCIS is unlikely to get approved and should only be filed in last resort.

That's not true. Almost everyone get's their extension renewed while staying in USA.

[Jake3451]

Hi,

thanks for taking the time to respond to my post. I am on L1B and completing my 3 years of stay in September. So I am trying to get my 2 years extension approved. My HR told me that there was much scrutiny if we were going the USCIS route so she is encouraging me to go to a consulate, preferably the one of my home country (France). After checking many embassy sites, the visa services seem to be closed everywhere as of now (even where appointments seem to be available like in Toronto). No clue when the consular services will open so I may apply through the USCIS anyway.

best
J.

[Libra_14]

Unfortunately, but that's true.

[ayushbajaj29]

Jake, I have a very similar situation and my company's attorney said similar thing to avoid USCIS route due to high rejection rates and use that option as the last resort. The asked me to wait and watch until last month of visa expiry to see if the consulate in the home country will open up and go for the interview, but if not they will file an individual petition with USCIS. Also, they asked me to avoid any other country except home-country just because sometimes the process may take longer time and one might get stuck in that country without the passport.

[Libra_14]

Jake, I have a very similar situation and my company's attorney said similar thing to avoid USCIS route due to high rejection rates and use that option as the last resort. The asked me to wait and watch until last month of visa expiry to see if the consulate in the home country will open up and go for the interview, but if not they will file an individual petition with USCIS. Also, they asked me to avoid any other country except home-country just because sometimes the process may take longer time and one might get stuck in that country without the passport.

That's also true.