Working on OPT. F 1 expired. Require info on filing for h1b

USA H1B Visa
1

Dear Saurabh,

Soon after completion of MS, I started working on OPT work permit. My F1 has expired immediately after my graduation in May 2012 ( it was given for only 2 years). My employer is preparing to file h1b for fiscal 2014. My questions are:

  1. Whether my h1b petition should be for COS or for normal h1b.

  2. Is it also advisable to parallelly apply for 17 month OPT extension ? My current OPT is valid up to June 2013 ?

  3. Can I travel while on OPT as I do not have any visa at present ?

Thanks,

U N RAo

2

  1. COS

  2. You can apply for it as a back-up. If you get to know the H-1 result before you file OPT extension, then you can skip OPT extension. Cap-gap would cover you until Oct 1 in that case.

  3. You can travel out of US, but will need to get F-1 visa stamped in the passport in order to return to US.