Hi forum, I have a peculiar situation and wanted to seek advice here, since I could find something similar on the older posts here.
I have an active H1-B but planning to leave my job for greener immigration pastures in a different country. I also have an approved I-140 through my employer as well as have a B2 visa that was stamped in 2012 and valid till 2022. My wife has her own H1-B.
My plan is to leave my current job and move to the other country for couple of months before the wife and kids relocate (before end of year). Till then my wife’s preference is to continue her job. So in my situation, when I leave my job, my H1-B would be revoked and I would need to find some alternate for me to re-enter US and help wrap things up when we relocate for good.
Based on my research, I could have 2 options and option-2 below might be preferable in normal times but given that US consulates overseas are closed except for emergency situations, I am exploring if option-1 is still feasible. Would appreciate any inputs or guidance from experts here.
Option-1: Use B2 which would still be valid. I do not have any cancellation stamp on my B2 visa, so that visa should still be valid, unlike my F1 visa that was stamped as “Cancelled without Prejudice” when my H1-B was stamped on my passport.
Option-2: H1-B to H4 change of status. I believe this would normally be a better approach since my wife would still have her H1-B. AFAIK I would still need to get H4 visa stamped on my passport before I can re-enter, which would NOT be an option before US consulates re-open for normal schedule.
My questions are:
Q1: how can I re-enter US when wife and kids are ready to relocate too?
Q2: Is my assumption valid about B2 still being active? The B2 visa page on my passport does not have “Cancelled” or “Cancelled without Prejudice” stamped on it
Q3: Does having an approved I-140 mean any conflict of interest when entering on B2? Or on H4?