L1B - H1B Status Change

[Siddharth1987]

Hi,

I came to US on L1B visa in Oct 2017 and changed the visa status to H1B in Nov 2019. My H1B visa has an expiry date of Sep-2022, which is 5 years from L1B entry. Now with less than 2 years remaining through visa expiration, I have received an offer from another employer. They can initiate PERM process 9 months since joining, which would leave me 1 year in hand for PERM processing. I have 2 questions:
1. Given my visa is H1B now, can it be extended for 1 year to complete 6 years since the approval of L1B visa? That would give me extra cushion of 1 year for PERM processing.
2. What is the typical timeline for PERM processing? I am reading in few blogs that even if PERM is pending with USCIS, H1B can be extended beyond expiration dates.

Advice and guidance are welcome.

Thank you in advance.

[Libra_14]

1. Given my visa is H1B now, can it be extended for 1 year to complete 6 years since the approval of L1B visa? That would give me extra cushion of 1 year for PERM processing.

Certainly you can extend your H1b to complete your full 6 years of stay in USA (combined stay on L1 & H1).

2. What is the typical timeline for PERM processing? I am reading in few blogs that even if PERM is pending with USCIS, H1B can be extended beyond expiration dates.

Check he USCIS processing page for timelines. Right now everything is delayed.