H1B+h4 extension- Passport expiring in 1 year

USA
1

Hi Anil, I am planning to apply for H1B+H4 extension in July 2019. The passport of H4 holder expires in July 2020. Passport of H1B holder is valid till 2025. Could you help me answer these questions on the validity dates of approval notice and I-94 for the H4 holder?

  1. If H4 is approved, will the new I-94 issued for h4 holder with approval notice be valid for 3 years or will it be issued till July 2020 since passport expires around that time? OR
  2. will the approval notice be valid for 3 years and I-94 till July 2020 only?
  3. Will both approval notice and I-94 be valid till July 2020?

Thanks

2

Hi @ash_gun

The chances are high that i94 will be shortened to match passport expiry date.
But, we have seen cases where the i94 is also given for 3 year even though passport was expiring earlier. We can’t really rely on USCIS for this.

The extention approval will be given for full 3 year in any case.

If your i94 is given for short term, you will need to extend i94 using one of the 3 methods after passport renewal.

3

Would really appreciate if someone can guide on this matter:

My friend’s passport is expiring in June 2021 and her work visa in Jan 2021. She is planning to apply for new work permits. Can she do it based on her old passport? She plans to renew it when the expiry date is close. Can the application be updated when the new passport arrives? Can one apply for a new work permit on an expiring passport and update the passport information when the new one arrives?

G Shaw.